Rams make trade with Cowboys in NFL.com mock draft

Should the Rams move down the board in the first round if they get the chance?

When the L.A. Rams are on the clock in the first round on April 25th, assuming they haven’t already traded, will they receive phone calls for a trade? That’s one scenario that NFL.com’s Eric Edholm envisions, as he posted a mock draft that had the Dallas Cowboys trading up from 24 to 19 in order to select LSU WR Brian Thomas. Edholm doesn’t mention what the Cowboys would have given up to get there but here’s what he said on the Dallas side:

The Cowboys don’t have a ton of extra picks laying around, but I could see them being aggressive with Thomas surprisingly still on the board at this juncture. Dallas really needs to add pass-catching threats and might have to trade up to ensure landing one like this LSU product. He’s an explosive talent who can help shield CeeDee Lamb from seeing so many tricked-up coverages.

In moving down to 24, Edholm had the Rams picking UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu, already a popular pick for Los Angeles in mock drafts. Here’s the write-up on Latu with the totally unnecessary repeated statement that “you can’t replace Aaron Donald”.

In lieu of trying to replace Aaron Donald, which isn’t possible, the Rams might look to address the pass-rush unit in other ways. Latu’s injury history is worrisome for a Round 1 pick, but his effort and technical savvy could make him a great value if he stays on the field.

What would the Rams get to move down from 19 to 24? I would temper expectations.

Teams don’t really give up second round picks or future first round picks to move up five spots in this part of the first round. So not that. Would the Rams get pick 3.87? It’s definitely what Les Snead would ask for, I imagine. The Cowboys don’t have their fourth or original five, so this trade would cost Dallas the chance to have any picks between 2.56 and 5.174. That’s one hell of a break.

Maybe another option would be a pick swap of 2.56 going to the Rams and 3.83 going back to the Cowboys, along with a sixth rounder. Then L.A. would go down five spots in the first round, go up 27 spots on day two, and lose a day three pick. The extra second round capital could help the Rams increase their odds to get two more potential immediate starters. Emphasis on potential.