Les Snead became the general manager of the St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams in 2012. Now one of the longest-tenured lead executives, Snead has had an unorthodox approach to building his team. The draft is the most normal and consistently productive way to build a championship NFL roster, but Snead has completely abandoned the norm. Over the last handful of seasons, Snead has traded away high draft picks to acquire proven veterans.
This strategy helped the Rams win Super Bowl LVI. Snead famously wore a shirt that read “F**k Them Picks” during the team's Super Bowl parade. However, the philosophy has left the team without a first-round pick since 2016. The team won a Super Bowl, but they now struggle to field a deep team because of the lack of youth influx in recent years.
Still, before Snead started to disregard high draft picks, he had numerous early-round hits in his early days as general manager. Snead has also always been great at finding late-round gems. Here is a closer look at the Rams draft history during Les Snead's tenure as general manager.
2012:
1-14: Michael Brockers, DT
2-33: Brian Quick, WR
2-39: Janoris Jenkins, DB
2-50: Isaiah Peed, RB
3-65: Trumaine Johnson, DB
4-96: Chris Givens, WR
5-150: Rokevious Watkins, G
6-171: Greg Zuerlein, K
7-209: Aaron Brown, LB
7-252: Daryl Richardson, RB
Les Snead's first draft was an interesting one. He incredibly turned the second overall pick into six draft picks after a number of trade down opportunities. Despite trading a premier pick, Snead still came away with a solid player in Michael Brockers.
With 11 years in the league, 28 out of Brocker's 29 sacks came in a Rams uniform. Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson were staples in the Rams' secondary for years, and Snead even drafted one of the best kickers in the league for a long time in Greg Zuerlein. It was a very impressive way to start off his general managing career.
2013:
1-8: Tavon Austin, WR
1-30: Alec Ogletree, LB
3-71: T.J. McDonald, DB
3-92: Stedman Bailey, WR
4-113: Barrett Jones, G
5-149: Brandon McGee, DB
5-160: Zac Stacy, RB
The 2013 draft class was poor overall, so Snead can be somewhat forgiven for having an underwhelming class in his second year. Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey were two of the most hyped-up weapons in 2013, but neither lived up to expectations. Alec Ogletree did have a good career with the Rams, but it only lasted five seasons.
2014:
1-2: Greg Robinson, T
1-13: Aaron Donald, DT
2-41: Lamarcus Joyner, DB
3-75: Tre Mason, RB
4-110: Maurice Alexander, DB
6-188: E.J. Gaines, DB
6-214: Garrett Gilbert, QB
7-226: Mitchell Van Dyk, OL
7-241: C.B. Bryant, DB
7-249: Michael Sam, DE
7-250: Demetrius Rhaney, OL
Snead picked one of the biggest draft busts ever in 2014 when he took Greg Robinson second overall. Luckily, Snead had another first-round pick, and he more than made up for it. Aaron Donald was Snead's next pick. He is arguably the greatest defensive tackle of all time, so no one really remembers the Robinson blunder. Lamarcus Joyner was another player who came in and helped form an impressive secondary in Los Angeles.
2015:
1-10: Todd Gurley, RB
2-57: Rob Havenstein, T
3-72: Jamon Brown, T
3-89: Sean Mannion, QB
4-119: Andrew Donnal, T
6-201: Bud Sasser, WR
6-215: Cody Wichmann, G
7-224: Bryce Hager, LB
7-227: Martin Ifedi, DE
Soon after Snead made Todd Gurley a top-10 pick, NFL general managers started taking running backs in the first round less frequently. Gurley had a great start to his career, winning the Offensive Player of the Year award in 2017 and being selected to three All-Pro teams. However, injuries got the best of Gurley, and his production quickly fell off a cliff.
The great years were worth it for Snead's Rams, but Gurley's short prime is a great example of why the running back position has been devalued. However, it hasn't stopped Snead from taking the position (relatively) early in later draft classes. Rob Havenstein turned out to be a big hit as well, as the offensive lineman is still a starter with the team.
2016:
1-1: Jared Goff, QB
4-110: Tyler Higbee, TE
4-117: Pharoh Cooper, WR
6-117: Temarrick Hemingway, TE
6-190: Josh Forrest, LB
6-206: Michael Thomas, WR
While Jared Goff isn't bad (and he has turned it up a notch since being traded to the Detroit Lions), you still need more out of a first-overall pick. The expectation for a top overall pick is to be a perennial MVP candidate and future Hall of Famer. Goff obviously didn't live up to those expectations, and they had to trade him away to win a Super Bowl.
Even if he didn't live up to expectations, Goff was okay during his Rams tenure. He went to two Pro Bowls with the team and quarterbacked the Rams to a Super Bowl appearance in 2019. The rest of the class hasn't done much besides Tyler Higbee. The tight end has 312 career receptions for the Rams and is still their starter.
2017:
2-44: Gerald Everett, TE
3-69: Cooper Kupp, WR
3-91: John Johnson III, S
4-117: Josh Reynolds, WR
4-125: Samson Ebukam, OLB
6-189: Tanzel Smart, DT
6-206: Sam Rogers, FB
7-234: Ejuan Price, DE
The 2016 draft class was Snead's last with a first-round pick. The 2017 number-one pick was gone after the team traded up to select Jared Goff the year prior. Even without a first-rounder, Snead still did well in 2017. Rams fans hoped for more out of Gerald Everett, but he was still a solid player for the team. Cooper Kupp was obviously the big find in this draft class.
Rarely do such productive players come out of the third round. Kupp had one of the best seasons ever in 2021 when he won the Triple Crown and was named Super Bowl MVP. He was far and away the best player on a Super Bowl-winning team. Also, Snead clearly knows how to evaluate defensive backs, as John Johnson III was another hit for his secondary.
2018:
3-89: Joseph Noteboom, T
4-111: Brian Allen, C
4-135: John Franklin-Meyers, DE
5-147: Micah Kiser, LB
5-160: Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, DE
6-176: John Kelly, RB
6-192: Jamil Demby, T
6-195: Sebastian Joseph-Day, DT
6-205: Trevon Young, DE
7-231: Travin Howard, OLB
7-244: Justin Lawler, DE
When you lack early-round picks, you have to find gems later in the draft. While that can be like finding a needle in a haystack, Snead has found some success in the middle-late rounds. Sebastian Joseph-Day was a great pick for a sixth-rounder, but the Rams weren't able to pay him, and he signed a big contract with the Los Angeles Chargers.
None of the 2018 picks played much early, but Joseph Noteboom and Brian Allen both became solid contributors who received second contracts with the team. You won't find many stars later in the draft, but Snead did a good job by coming away with multiple starters.
2019:
2-61: Taylor Rapp, S
3-70: Darrell Henderson, RB
3-79: David Long, DB
3-97: Bobby Evans, T
4-134: Greg Gaines, DT
5-169: David Edwards, T
7-243: Nick Scott, S
7-251: Dakota Allen, LB
The 2019 was another example of Snead finding value in the later rounds but without finding true impact players. David Long, Greg Gaines, and Darrell Henderson were solid players with the Rams, but none of them became long-term starting options. Not one player from the class is still on the team in 2023, meaning this was one of Snead's bigger fails.
2020:
2-52: Cam Akers, RB
2-57: Van Jefferson, WR
3-84: Terrell Lewis, LB
3-104: Terrell Burgess, S
4-136: Brycen Hopkins, TE
6-199: Jordan Fuller, S
7-234: Clay Johnston, LB
7-248: Sam Sloman, K
7-250: Tremayne Anchrum, G
Snead's Rams have a history of drafting running backs early. They made Cam Akers their first selection in 2020, just a year after taking Darrell Henderson in the third-round. Akers looked promising early in his career, but a torn achilles in his second season set him back.
The team traded Akers to the Vikings on Sept. 20, 2023. Van Jefferson has been okay, while neither third round pick is still with the team. The early-round pick trades that landed the Rams superstars like Jalen Ramsey and Von Miller were clearly trades that helped the team win a Super Bowl, but Snead wasn't able to replenish talent in back-to-back drafts, and it is costing the team now.
2021:
2-57: Tutu Atwell, WR
3-103: Ernest Jones, LB
4-117: Bobby Brown, DL
4-130: Robert Rochell, DB
4-141: Jacob Harris, WR
5-174: Earnest Brown IV, DE
7-233: Jake Funk, RB
7-249: Ben Skowronek, WR
7-252: Chris Garrett, DE
It is still early, and you aren't supposed to regrade draft classes for at least three years, but it is already looking like the 2021 class is another failure for Snead. In his first handful of draft classes, a number of stars emerged early. That hasn't been the case with the last few drafts.
Ernest Jones is a solid player, and Tutu Atwell is a below-average starting option, but it doesn't look like anyone is Pro Bowl caliber. There is time for that to change, but so far, the 2021 class hasn't been Snead's best.
2022:
3-104: Logan Bruss, OL
4-142: Cobie Durant, DB
5-164: Kyren Williams, RB
6-211: Quentin Lake, DB
6-212: Derion Kendrick, DB
7-235: Daniel Hardy, LB
7-253: Russ Yeast, DB
7-261: AJ Arcuri, T
The Rams' top pick isn't even on the active roster, but both Cobie Durant and Kyren Williams are starting in Los Angeles. Williams has been one of the best players in 2023, already scoring four total touchdowns in just two games. Durant and Derion Kendrick are likely the cornerbacks of the future for the Rams. It is still early, but the 2022 class looks to be a bounce-back class for Snead.
2023:
2-36: Steve Avila, C
3-77: Byron Young, LB
3-89: Kobie Turner, DT
4-128: Stetson Bennett, QB
5-161: Nick Hampton, OLB
5-174: Warren McClendon, OL
5-175: Davis Allen, TE
5-177: Puka Nacua, WR
6-182: Tre'Vius Tomlinson, CB
6-189: Ochaun Mathis, DE
6-215: Zach Evans, RB
7-223: Ethan Evans, P
7-234: Jason Taylor, S
7-259: Desjuan Johnson, DT
It is way too early to come to any conclusions on the 2023 class, but early returns are impressive. After years of being pick-deprived, Les Snead made 14 selections. There are a lot of chances for multiple of these picks to hit, and it already appears one pick hit in a big way. Fifth-round rookie Puka Nacua has set the football world on fire. While most fifth-round rookies struggle to find playing time, the receiver went out in his first two weeks and set the record for most catches in a game by a rookie (15) and most catches by a rookie over a two-game stretch (25).
His early career and play style is eerily similar to teammate Cooper Kupp's, so it will be interesting to see how Nacua is utilized when Kupp returns from injury. Steve Avila and Byron Young have already emerged as starting options as well.
Draft information is from Pro Football Reference*
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