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Rather than sitting back and letting players fall to them, the Los Angeles Rams were proactive and aggressive in the 2025 NFL Draft. After trading back in Round 1, the Rams moved up the board three times on Saturday, chasing players they really liked in this year’s class.
They moved up 10 spots for Jarquez Hunter in the fourth round, 47 spots for Ty Hamilton in the fifth and 29 spots for Chris Paul Jr. in Round 5. Those moves cost the Rams a few extra draft picks, including a 2026 fourth-rounder, but the Rams were willing to sacrifice Day 3 picks in order to get prospects who were high on their board.
Les Snead and Sean McVay explained the logic behind the Rams’ aggressiveness and it primarily had to do with two things: a lack of talent at the end of the draft and the depth of the Rams’ roster. They finished with only six picks after starting the draft with eight, but that was intentional based on how things played out.
"I think it was based on our roster, how the board was going and players that you really were convicted could come in and contribute, whatever the vision for the role was,” Snead said. “It was starting to get thin so we said, 'You know what? Instead of waiting and let the draft happen to you, let's go attack the draft.' When you do that, you have to give up some picks but we thought that was the more appropriate thing to do as this thing evolved over the course of each round."
With only six draft picks, there are fewer rookies competing for roster spots. Snead pointed out that while the Rams have had bigger classes in the past, there may not have been enough room on the roster for a dozen rookie draft picks this year.
“I would say, less 'wide open' spots,” Snead added. “I forget how many we picked overall but six overall compared to 10 or 14 [players], but if it might have been a draft where you felt like the board could have given you 14 quality players, maybe you go that route. Again, if we would've brought in 14 draftees, it's probably a hard roster to make though."
Of course, the Rams were high on the players they drafted, which is why they were willing to trade up for them. Snead wouldn’t have given up a future fourth-rounder if he wasn’t confident Hamilton could become a key contributor for Los Angeles.
McVay talked about how each of the players the Rams moved up for had “hot” grades from evaluators in Los Angeles’ building, a sign that they feel they got good value with those picks.
“I think it's a positive thing for us to be able to feel like, alright, we can go up and get some players that there was a consistent buy-in appreciation for,” McVay said. “We call them 'hots.'' All of these guys had 'hot' grades for the people that we had look at them, when you're talking about coaches and Les' group. When you can have that collective buy-in and then the vision, everybody feels like they want to bring it to life and these players feel believed in and that's so important to what we want to be about.
“It's six players that we have a lot of appreciation for [and] you're not reaching. That was part of the reason why we were able to do some of the things that we did.”
Even though four of the Rams’ six picks were on Day 3, there’s a good chance all of them will make the 53-man roster. Undrafted rookies will also be vying for spots on the team and considering how small the draft class was, they’ll also be in position to contribute – just as so many undrafted free agents did for Los Angeles last year.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: 2025 NFL Draft: McVay and Snead explain Rams' aggressiveness in trades
Continue reading...
They moved up 10 spots for Jarquez Hunter in the fourth round, 47 spots for Ty Hamilton in the fifth and 29 spots for Chris Paul Jr. in Round 5. Those moves cost the Rams a few extra draft picks, including a 2026 fourth-rounder, but the Rams were willing to sacrifice Day 3 picks in order to get prospects who were high on their board.
Les Snead and Sean McVay explained the logic behind the Rams’ aggressiveness and it primarily had to do with two things: a lack of talent at the end of the draft and the depth of the Rams’ roster. They finished with only six picks after starting the draft with eight, but that was intentional based on how things played out.
"I think it was based on our roster, how the board was going and players that you really were convicted could come in and contribute, whatever the vision for the role was,” Snead said. “It was starting to get thin so we said, 'You know what? Instead of waiting and let the draft happen to you, let's go attack the draft.' When you do that, you have to give up some picks but we thought that was the more appropriate thing to do as this thing evolved over the course of each round."
With only six draft picks, there are fewer rookies competing for roster spots. Snead pointed out that while the Rams have had bigger classes in the past, there may not have been enough room on the roster for a dozen rookie draft picks this year.
“I would say, less 'wide open' spots,” Snead added. “I forget how many we picked overall but six overall compared to 10 or 14 [players], but if it might have been a draft where you felt like the board could have given you 14 quality players, maybe you go that route. Again, if we would've brought in 14 draftees, it's probably a hard roster to make though."
Of course, the Rams were high on the players they drafted, which is why they were willing to trade up for them. Snead wouldn’t have given up a future fourth-rounder if he wasn’t confident Hamilton could become a key contributor for Los Angeles.
McVay talked about how each of the players the Rams moved up for had “hot” grades from evaluators in Los Angeles’ building, a sign that they feel they got good value with those picks.
“I think it's a positive thing for us to be able to feel like, alright, we can go up and get some players that there was a consistent buy-in appreciation for,” McVay said. “We call them 'hots.'' All of these guys had 'hot' grades for the people that we had look at them, when you're talking about coaches and Les' group. When you can have that collective buy-in and then the vision, everybody feels like they want to bring it to life and these players feel believed in and that's so important to what we want to be about.
“It's six players that we have a lot of appreciation for [and] you're not reaching. That was part of the reason why we were able to do some of the things that we did.”
Even though four of the Rams’ six picks were on Day 3, there’s a good chance all of them will make the 53-man roster. Undrafted rookies will also be vying for spots on the team and considering how small the draft class was, they’ll also be in position to contribute – just as so many undrafted free agents did for Los Angeles last year.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: 2025 NFL Draft: McVay and Snead explain Rams' aggressiveness in trades
Continue reading...
