There’s an ongoing joke that the Los Angeles Rams don’t care about the draft and simply take that weekend off. That joke, of course, stems from their ever-growing list of trades made in the last five years, sending draft picks to teams for proven players like Jalen Ramsey and Von Miller.
But the narrative that they just ignore the draft in favor of big-name stars is inaccurate – and the front office puts in a ton of work to find players in the draft. In fact, general manager Les Snead is spending Super Bowl week preparing for the draft.
He even said the Rams wouldn’t be where they are today without the draft, which is sure to elicit sarcastic responses from those on Twitter.
What does Rams GM Les Snead's week look like heading into Super Bowl LVI?
“Preparing for the draft," Snead said. "We could not do what we do without the draft.”
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) February 9, 2022
There’s no question the Rams have a star-studded team led by Matthew Stafford, Ramsey and Miller, all of whom were acquired in trades. But they’ve also drafted key starters such as Jordan Fuller, Greg Gaines, Rob Havenstein, Tyler Higbee, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Nick Scott, Taylor Rapp and – best of all – Cooper Kupp.
Snead brushed off those who only focus on their big acquisitions while ignoring the work they’ve done in the draft, saying they’re only telling a “shallow story.”
GM Les Snead says people who focus only on the Rams' big-name acquisitions are telling a "shallow story." He points out the Rams drafted and developed the players who filled out the bulk of this Super Bowl roster. He's spending this week preparing for the draft.
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) February 9, 2022
The Rams’ first draft pick will be in the third round, a compensatory selection after losing Brad Holmes to the Lions last offseason. They traded their second- and third-rounders to the Broncos for Miller, and also sent their sixth-rounder to the Patriots for Sony Michel. Their fourth-rounder belongs to the Texans from the Brandin Cooks deal, too.
So while they may not have a ton of ammo in the draft, they won’t exactly be taking the week off in late April.
