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The Los Angeles Rams made another huge move on Monday as they continue pushing more chips to the center of the table in their bid for a Super Bowl victory. LA traded a second round pick and a third round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft to the Denver Broncos in exchange for edge rusher Von Miller.
The Rams have been active this year in trading away draft picks, and frankly have been active for several years now in looking for established talent. They traded a 2021 first round pick for Jalen Ramsey, and now have emptied out much of their draft arsenal for the likes of Matthew Stafford and Von Miller. LA traded first round picks in 2022 and 2023 to the Detroit Lions in a deal for Matthew Stafford. The Von Miller cleared out a pair of day two picks and the team is down to three draft picks across next year’s draft. Add in the Sony Michel trade and here’s what they’re left with:
Current Rams’ 2022 draft picks:
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) November 1, 2021
Round 1: Traded to Lions
Round 2: Traded to Broncos
Round 3: Traded to Broncos, still own a compensatory pick (via Brad Holmes hire)
Round 4: Traded to Texans
Round 5: Own
Round 6: Traded to Patriots
Round 7: Own & Dolphins’ pick
Teams have long coveted draft picks for building during the salary cap era, and yet now we see the Rams going against the grain. Von Miller could end up walking this year, but they could also extend him like they did Jalen Ramsey — albeit for significantly less money. Regardless, they’ve acquired significant talent that they probably would not secure just through the draft. They could hit the occasional home run, but the draft is a crap shoot.
We know what Matthew Stafford and Jalen Ramsey and Von Miller can do. They are supremely talented athletes and the odds are pretty good the Rams will get more value from them than they do from any of the draft choices they have given up.
The Rams are currently +650 to win the Super Bowl at DraftKings Sportsbook. Those odds trail only the Buffalo Bills (+500) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+600). The addition of Miller won’t move the needle quite yet on their odds, but a boost to their pass rush will pay dividends and boosts their chances that much more of bringing home a Lombardi next February.