Les Snead’s fingerprints are all over James Gladstone’s blockbuster trade

For years under Los Angeles Rams GM Les Snead, personnel executive James Gladstone was exposed to a wide variety of blockbuster trades committed by his boss. It was an exciting and volatile experience, one that leveraged draft picks as NFL currency to spend not only on draft day but throughout the NFL season for game-changing veteran players.

So when James Gladstone emerged from the shadows of Snead to accept the General Manager position of the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had already mastered the art of the deal. Keep in mind that Gladstone was in the draft room when the Rams traded 2 Round 2+ picks to the Carolina Panthers for DT Braden Fiske. And Fiske was well worth the investment.

So when the stage was set for the Jaguars' GM to own his statement action in Round 1, he wasted no time in engineering a blockbuster trade that flipped the entire draft class on its ear. Unhappy with the fifth overall pick in Round 1, the Jaguars pried the second overall pick from the Cleveland Browns (plus a Round 6 pick) for a hefty package of picks. NFL Insider Adam Schefter was all over the trade.

Here's how the news broke:

So how did the trade look in another form? Here's the full components of this trade:

Jacksonville Jaguars receive:

• Cleveland Browns Round 1 pick (2nd overall) - CB/WR Travis Hunter
• Cleveland Browns Round 4 pick (104th overall)
• Cleveland Browns Round 6 pick (200th overall)

Cleveland Browns receive:

• Jacksonville Jaguars Round 1 pick (5th overall) - DT Mason Graham
• Jacksonville Jaguars Round 2 pick (36th overall)
• Jacksonville Jaguars Round 4 pick (126th overall)
• Jacksonville Jaguars 2026 Round 1 pick

That trade lands what some draft analysts argue to be the most talented rookie prospect in this draft class. CB/WR Travis Hunter is certainly unique, as he is the first rookie announced in any NFL draft at two separate positions as he walked onto the stage.

With the Cleveland Browns now armed with two early Round 2 picks at 33rd and 36th overall picks, there could be a greater argument now made for the Browns to trade back into Round 1 late for their rookie quarterback of their choice.

As Los Angeles Rams GM Les Snead awaits his first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, his understudy has the entire NFL buzzing about his first action in an NFL Draft. He engineered a blockbuster trade that even Les Snead would be proud to call his own.

As always, thanks for reading.

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