Could the Rams be key to a blockbuster trade scenario on draft day?

Speculation is peaking right now about the 2024 NFL Draft. And the LA Rams, with the 19th overall pick, almost certainly have their draft board set and are now in the process of validating and reconfirming their assessments and presumptions. But what about the rest of the NFL?

Even as we dared to explore the options, and the logic behind those options, for the LA Rams on draft day in terms of what the team might do, we didn't really discuss one more possible scenario for draft day. In short, what might the front office choose to do if the team is invited to participate in a blockbuster draft day trade?

The Rams are a perfect stepping stone for a team seeking to trade up to choose one of the top-tier quarterbacks in this draft. The consensus is that the Arizona Cardinals do not have a quarterback from the 2024 NFL Draft in their sights, so the fourth overall pick in the draft is certainly in play. But a team shopping for a quarterback in this draft like the Minnesota Vikings (11th overall) or the Denver Broncos (12th overall) will need more ammunition to trade up.

Ammunition like the 19th overall pick.

But quarterback shopping is not the only type of shopping that may occur via a draft day trade. The Buffalo Bills (29th overall) will almost certainly be looking to trade up in Round 1 to land one of the top-tier receiver prospects from the 2024 rookie class. And once again, the 19th overall pick is strategically situated in the heart of the action.

The thing is, Rams GM Les Snead has done very well for himself and the team without a first round pick since 2016. While that appears to be a trend that is broken in 2024, would the Rams consider foregoing a pick in Round 1 of 2024 for the opportunity to pick twice in Round 1 in the 2025 NFL Draft? Now that IS an intriguing proposition, particularly in the likely scenario of the team needing to consider drafting a successor for veteran QB Matthew Stafford.

One of the most complex and fascinating NFL trades of all time was the three-team trade in 1987 that involved the LA Rams, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Buffalo Bills. CBS Sports seems to think so. While their scenarios did not involve the Rams, their proposed scenarios offer the logic behind pulling off a multiple-team trade in the NFL. In essence, distributing the burden among three NFL teams allows all teams to emerge with some form of upgrade or value return.

Which teams might be desperate enough to seek the Rams Round 1 pick in 2024 to pull off a blockbuster trade? We can name three teams who fit that description.