The Los Angeles Rams hold the No. 13 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, which is taking place in Pittsburgh, Pa., from April 23-25. It’s their highest selection since trading up to select Jared Goff with the first overall pick in 2016.
The Rams are also picking at No. 13 for the first time since taking future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald in 2014. But whether the team keeps their draft position remains to be seen.
Some believe that L.A. could trade up into the top 10 or better, perhaps by packaging the No. 13 selection with their second-round pick to an interested team.
However, Rams general manager Les Snead poured cold water on that idea and said the team is more likely to trade back from the No. 13 pick than up, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“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 speaking to reporters Monday at the NFL Annual Meeting. “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. And then I would say also, I doubt we use that for a veteran player. 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.”
As Snead pointed out, the Rams haven’t selected this high in the draft in quite some time, so the team is understandably excited to see who they can add with the pick.
Snead also downplayed the possibility of L.A. trading the No. 13 pick for a veteran player, similar to how the team used the No. 29 selection to acquire All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this offseason.
The Rams fortunately addressed all of their needs in free agency, so they are in a position to select the best available player when they officially go on the clock later this month.
Sean McVay makes pitch for Kirk Cousins to sign with Rams
Matthew Stafford is returning as the Rams’ starting quarterback in 2026, but it isn’t yet clear who will be backing him up.
Jimmy Garoppolo has filled that role in each of the last two years, but he became an unrestricted free agent at the start of the offseason. Head coach Sean McVay previously expressed hope that the 34-year-old will return to the team, but L.A. could consider other options.
One possibility is Kirk Cousins, who was released by the Atlanta Falcons earlier this month. A potential signing would make a lot of sense as McVay coached the four-time Pro Bowler during their time with the Washington Redskins from 2012-2016.
They still have a good relationship to this day, and McVay wasn’t shy about wanting to reunite with Cousins during a recent appearance on ESPN.