March 31, 2026, 12:31 p.m. PT

Although Les Snead’s preference has been to trade back instead of trading up, the Los Angeles Rams general manager is never afraid to go up and get a player he covets. He did it in 2016 when Los Angeles went all the way to No. 1 in order to draft Jared Goff.

That was the last time the Rams drafted inside the top 15, but holding the 13th overall pick this year, they could be in a position to go up the board in Round 1. Even that high in the order, trading up further would be a costly proposition.

Jumping into the top-10 would likely require the Rams to give up at least their second-rounder, and more than that the further up they go.

Les Snead met with reporters at the annual league meeting on Monday and indicated that a trade up in the first round is unlikely this year. They’re more probable to trade back and accumulate more picks, as they often do.

“I think, if I were being realistic, more than likely we don’t move up, because the price point to move up, depending on how the thing goes, you always go, can you as you go in your situation,” Snead said, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com. “If it’s, oh, some of the players that come in right now, they’re gone, maybe you could move back. That would be the strategy, collect more picks if that’s a possibility.”

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Additionally, Snead doubts the Rams move that pick for a proven veteran, as they did with Trent McDuffie earlier this offseason. He wants to hold onto that pick, considering how high it is in the order and how late the Rams are typically picking.

“And then I would say also, I doubt we use that for a veteran player,” he added. “We’ve kind of saved that pick because it is 13. We haven’t picked this low, high, whatever you want to call it, in the lot. So that’s where we’re at.”

The Rams addressed their biggest needs this offseason, so they’re freed up to take the best player available in Round 1. Whether that’s a receiver, corner, edge rusher or tight end, the Rams can go in a number of different directions.

That’s exactly how they hoped things would play out. Snead said before free agency that the Rams wanted to fill their top needs in order to become better drafters, preventing them from reaching for a specific position. Now, it’s just a matter of seeing who’s on the board in the middle of Round 1.