Snead: Rams had always planned to trade up for Braden Fiske

Rams GM Les Snead appeared on Ricky’s Rams Jam and explained decision to draft Jared Verse, Braden Fiske

Rams GM Les Snead recently gave an interview on the show Ricky’s Ram Jam and he talked about how even he was surprised that L.A. didn’t trade their first round pick again. “I woulda never bet we were staying put,” said Snead. And on the controversial decision to trade next year’s second round pick to move up for Braden Fiske, Snead said that was always in the cards and would have happened with or without Jared Verse, Fiske’s Florida State teammate.

It’s well documented by now that the Los Angeles Rams’ traded up for new defensive rookie Braden Fiske. Coincidently the Rams are also pairing him with his former teammate and the Rams’ first round pick Jared Verse. It’s a remarkable feel good story because by all accounts these guys aren’t just teammates, but genuine friends who cannot wait to take their talents together to the NFL.

LA added Verse first, and he reportedly flew to the draft house in LA from Phoenix, Arizona. By chance, he was able to arrive at the house just in time to be a part of Fiske getting drafted, so they were able to share that phone call and special moment together.

After the Rams picked Verse on Day One of the draft, they traded up 13 spots on Day Two in the second round, and took Fiske. Again, Snead says in this interview that they had planned to trade up for Fiske, but I wonder at what point in the process did they realize they’d have to do that? It’s simply amazing what these NFL general managers and their teams do on draft day.

“I can say this…we always had Jared and a few of those defenders in a realistic pot, you really don’t know who’s going first, right? We knew that “this” group of players had a chance to be there, there were gonna be a certain few that would get picked before or after, right? You just don’t know the order.”

All this planning goes into the draft, and you still can never account for what another team will do. Coming out of the draft teams have to act excited whether they are or not, and so some of it is posturing. On the other hand, it does seem like this draft could not have gone much better for the Rams. There were some stories that LA wanted to trade up and land Brock Bowers. There’s no way to know that was ever going to happen.

“It worked out nicely because we get an outside linebacker (Verse) and a defensive tackle (Fiske), instead of two defensive tackles.”

So, no LA perhaps didn’t add Bowers, but they come away with at least two potential day one starters on defense in Verse and Fiske. Doesn’t seem like a bad consolation prize. Snead sure seems content with the outcome.