2023 NFL Draft: Rams draft strategy and why so many underestimate Les Snead

While there are many ways to make use of the plethora of online 2023 NFL Draft simulators, I think that I have a new way to make use of them. You see, the question of whether or not the LA Rams will trade back from the 36th overall pick (due to the Miami Dolphins forfeited first-round pick) has become quite a heated debate right now among NFL fans.

Each NFL Draft is as unique as a snowflake, because the needs of each of the 32 NFL teams differ from the past, as do the rankings and skillsets of the available prospects. That means that there is very little to compare from one NFL Draft to the next. So there are limits as to what conclusions we can draw, even in 20/20 hindsight.

Does it matter what the LA Rams choose to do in the 2023 NFL Draft based on lessons learned in 2019? I don't think there is a significant correlation. I say that because the LA Rams 2019 NFL Draft occured after the team competed in Super Bowl LIII, the roster was believed to be rather strong and deep, and the Rams chose to trade back to add depth to a roster that seemed set with starters.

The LA Rams draft board suits the Rams needs

Of course you can look back at that 2019 NFL Draft with 20/20 hindsight. But even as you dare to change history with altering the players selected by the Rams, you change the careers of every player chosen afterward. How can we change the selection prospect for a rookie, place him in a different city, with different coaches and teammates, and declare that with 100 percent certainty that their career would be absolutely identical? Even if I sit down to prepare a meal that I am hungry for, and follow the exact same recipe, I seldom achieve the same results.

The LA Rams draft is becoming more and more aligned with the team's needs.

Does that mean we cannot review past drafts and try to learn from those mistakes? Anything but. There are always lessons to be learned, and there is certainly a risk of trading back. But the presumption of any look back to previous drafts presumes that the LA Rams scouted perfectly, and should have identified each and every rookies prospect who will succeed in the NFL. We know that is not the case. Nor is it the case for any NFL team.