Rams have good reasons to trade out of Round 1 in the 2025 NFL Draft, but . . .

The Los Angeles Rams never fixate on a single strategy when preparing for an NFL Draft event. The team knows full well that no amount of preparation and simulation can truly allow the team to harbor an answer for the plethora of scenarios that the front office may face on any one of the three-day event. Armed with seven picks, the team's only assurance entering the draft is that there are no assurances.

During the 2024 NFL Draft, the team tried and failed to trade up in Round 1 twice. The first attempt was designed to be in position to select Georgia tight end Brock Bowers. The second attempt was designed to move up to select Texas defensive tackle Bryon Murphy II. Despite failing twice, the Rams ultimately stood pat at the 19th overall pick and selected Florida State outside linebacker Jared Verse.

Ironically, Verse was projected in many mock drafts to hear his name selected no later than the 10th overall pick. The Rams ability to roll with the punches on draft day not only allowed them to remain focused on the ultimate objective of upgrading the roster, but landed the team the 2024 Defensive Rookie of the Year.

But the 2025 NFL Draft wipes the slate clean, and affords the Rams and all 32 NFL teams a new set of challenges to navigate.

Rams may trade back, but challenges must be overcome

The Rams have some options as they prepare for the 2025 NFL Draft. Thankfully, the team has no glaring needs (as long as the team extends left tackle Alaric Jackson) in the draft, so the team could move back in the draft to align with the strength of this rookie class. That is, Day 2 is being touted as where the best bang for the buck is centered. With the Rams holding the 26th overall pick, and without a Round 2 that creates a huge gap until the team returns to select twice at the end of Day 2, the front office would love to add picks that place the team at the podium early on Day 2.

That is a strategy that NFL Network's Lead Draft Analyst, Daniel Jeremiah, favors for the Rams on Day 1.

But there are multiple challenges with any trading back scenario that could develop on Day 1. What might they be?

(1) - Draft day trades require a trade partner

The first order of business in any trade scenario on draft day is identifying a trade partner. That is, if the Rams truly desire to trade back, the team must find another NFL GM who is willing to trade up, and pay the value in terms of picks to equitably do so. To trade up from the 52nd overall pick to the 39th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Rams had to kick in a Round 5 pick and a 2025 Round 2 pick to jump up. That was a rather hefty price to pay, but it was absolutely the right move.

Can the Rams reverse the trade in 2025 to yield a premium return by trading back? The chances of doing so are a bit lessened by the fact that many teams are believed to have interest in trading back from a late Day 1 pick.

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(2) - Can the team find value on the draft board by descending?

The greatest challenge to trading back in the 2025 NFL Draft is the challenge that faced the team in the 2019 NFL Draft. The Rams traded back and out of Round 1 in that draft, sending both their 31st and 203rd picks to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for the Falcons 45th and 79th overall picks. But once the team prepared to step up to the podium with the 45th overall pick, they were not impressed with the options on the board.

The Rams traded the 45th overall pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for the 56th and 101st overall picks. So what did that 31st overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft become in terms of players?

While the team did find starters, the overall return from that draft haul was uninspiring in terms of long-term players for the Rams. Hopefully, if the team does consider trading back, it will not begin an avalanche of trading back dominoes that catapults the team beyond the best inherent value in the 2025 NFL Draft.

(3) - Avoid a stampede to Day 2

The most challenging impediment facing the Rams interest in trading back from the 26th overall pick is the likelihood that multiple teams having the same general idea. The Rams may be adept at selecting the right fits for the team in recent drafts, but they do not possess exclusive rights at doing so. It's almost a certainty that multiple teams will be more than delighted to entertain offers to trade back, which makes it difficult for any team to get real value in exchange.

If the Rams desire to trade back, they are unlikely to get more than the inherent value of their pick at the 26th overall pick. That means that the team is unlikely to land multiple Day 2 picks in any exchange. While anything is possible, particularly if a highly-coveted player falls to the 26th overall pick, the Rams cannot count on the dominoes falling their way.

If multiple teams want to trade back, the Rams could be tempted to trade up to land a top prospect in this draft just as well.

Ultimately, the strategy that the Rams front office executes on Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft may be any one of three options: Trading up, standing pat, or trading back. The outcome could simply depend on the first option that yields results. We won't know until Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft is officially in the record books. And that makes for an exciting draft.

As always, thanks for reading.

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