The move to acquire Stafford while shipping out Jared Goff to Detroit was met with mixed feelings among Rams fans. Further details about the trade only added to the fire as the Rams have been reported to also be sending two first-round picks along with a third-rounder to Detroit. At first glance, it’s easy to see why fans are upset with the deal as the Rams will be without a first-round draft pick until 2024, making it seven-straight years without one.
Los Angeles’ last first-round pick was in 2016 when they selected, well Jared Goff first overall. Since then, the Rams have traded away draft picks which are broken down here.
- 2017: Sent to the Tennessee Titans for the 2016 1st Overall Pick
- 2018: Sent to the New England Patriots in exchange for Brandin Cooks
- 2019: Traded down with the Atlanta Falcons for a second and third-round pick
- 2020: Sent to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for Jalen Ramsey
- 2021: Sent to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for Jalen Ramsey
- 2022: Sent to the Detroit Lions in exchange for Matthew Stafford
- 2023: Sent to the Detroit Lions in exchange for Matthew Stafford
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You would think that giving up seven straight years of future picks in the first round would greatly affect the influx of talent for a franchise, yet not for Snead and the Rams. In fact, the Rams have done pretty well for themselves without the help of any first-round talent. Just take a look at some of the notable names drafted since 2017.
- 2017: Gerald Everett (2nd round), Cooper Kupp (3rd round), John Johnson (3rd round)
- 2018: Joseph Noteboom (3rd round), Brian Allen (4th round), Micah Kiser (5th round), Sebastian Joseph-Day (6th round)
- 2019: Taylor Rapp (2nd round), Darell Henderson (3rd round)
- 2020: Cam Akers (2nd round), Van Jefferson (2nd round), Terrell Burgess (3rd round), Jordan Fuller (6th round)
Drafting without a first-round pick hasn’t been a recent problem for Los Angeles and they leave us little room to think that it should be going forward. Most of these players have made an impact at some point for the Rams over the years, while others will get their chance soon enough. Giving up what they did to acquire Stafford may or may not have been too much, yet the Rams are capable of still drafting for the future. If Stafford helps lead the Rams to a Super Bowl, it’ll all have been worth it.
