Los Angeles Rams: Don’t be surprised if LA trades its first-round pick

The Los Angeles Rams made the team’s second signing in as many days on a one-year deal with free agent outside linebacker, Dante Fowler Jr.

The Los Angeles Rams signed two notable free agents over the weekend that are both going to affect how the rest of the offseason, in particular, the 2019 NFL Draft, is played out.

First, it was announced that the team had agreed to a two-year contract with veteran safety Eric Weddle. While Weddle’s best days are certainly behind him, he does serve as a nice replacement for Lamarcus Joyner and should play well alongside John Johnson.

The other signing that was announced was that the Rams had agreed to a one-year contract with outside linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. The Rams traded a second-round pick for Fowler during the 2018 season and it paid off.

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Fowler played well alongside Aaron Donald, Ndamukong Suh and Michael Brockers and even came up with the huge hit on Drew Brees in overtime of the NFC Championship. That hit resulted in an interception and subsequently, a Rams win.

These signings not only help fill the potential voids that the roster was set to have this offseason but are also going to affect how the team goes about the rest of the business. There is two more looming potential void to fill in Ndamukong Suh at defensive tackle.

It would not be surprising to see the team re-sign Suh or even find a replacement on the free agent market, though. Aside from that, the team really only needs to address middle linebacker on the defense and might be better going with youth options on the offensive line.

These are things that can be solved in free agency and don’t need a premiere first-round pick to solve. With that in mind, it would not be all that surprising to see the team trade a first-round pick for a starting linebacker, or even a defensive tackle.

The front office has traded its pick away the last two years after all and is more focused on winning now rather than the team in four years. If the team thinks that a veteran linebacker will help more then that is absolutely the route it will take.

There are some great backers in the draft, which presents a bit of a risk in this trade. However, the Rams, with the 31st overall pick, might not see one of the impact backers in the first round.

Heck, it wouldn’t even be all that surprising to see the team trade down in the draft to secure multiple picks. This would allow the team to fill several voids instead of one with starting-worthy talent.

Of course, they would only take this route if there were two guys in the second round that they absolutely loved.

Either way, outside linebacker and safety were the two favorite positions to be selected with the 31st overall pick.

Now that both of those positions are filled, for the time being, chances are that the Los Angeles Rams will not have the 31st overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.