Instant analysis: Rams look toward future with big trade in 1st round of 2025 NFL Draft

Los Angeles Rams fans tuned into the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday night waiting to see who their team would take at No. 26 overall, only to watch Les Snead trade out of the first round altogether. It wasn’t a surprising development and Sean McVay even said it’s something the Rams expected to do if the board didn’t fall their way.

They did try to trade up, potentially for wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, but after failing to get a deal done, they moved back. In doing so, the Rams gave up No. 26 and 101 overall, but in return, they got the 46th pick, the 242nd pick and a 2026 first-rounder.

That last piece of the deal is the most important one. And it’s something that could indicate how the Rams view their quarterback situation moving forward.

Now that the Rams are equipped with two first-round picks in 2026, they have the ammo to go get a quarterback if they want to. And who knows? They might not even need to package those two picks in order to move up for a QB.

The Falcons could be bad enough to net the Rams an early first-rounder in 2026. Anything can happen with a young quarterback like Michael Penix Jr. taking the reins.

As Snead said in his press conference, the value was too good to pass up – and it’s a good thing the Rams didn’t pass up this offer. Snead also said they had a lot of offers for the 26th pick but the Falcons’ package of picks was the best one for Los Angeles.

The Rams still have two top-100 picks and though it’s disappointing to lose the 101st overall pick in this trade, they can still find an impact starter at No. 46 and next year, they’ll be ahead of the curve with two first-rounders.

That gives this team a lot of flexibility, whether it’s moving around the board in Round 1 next year or trading one of those picks for a proven veteran – the way Snead and the Rams have so many times before.

This trade is a slight indictment of the 2025 class in the eyes of Los Angeles, and also an indication that the Rams like the overall class coming out next year. Among the quarterbacks who could be available are Arch Manning, Drew Allar, Nico Iamaleava and LaNorris Sellers.

Things could get interesting in Los Angeles next year, even if Matthew Stafford signs another one-year extension.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams trade out of 1st round: Instant analysis of deal with Falcons