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The Rams never seem to make anything simple. The 2015 NFL Draft is no exception. The recent trade with Philadelphia for Nick Foles marked the 10th deal the Rams have made involving draft picks in the Fisher/Snead era (the acquisition of Case Keenum was the 11th).
Under Fisher and Snead, the Rams have traded down four times in the last three drafts, and traded up three times. In addition, they've consummated four trades involving both players and draft picks (Greg Salas, Case Keenum, Mark Barron and Nick Foles). The trades involving three of those four players (plus one of the trade-downs) have an impact on the Rams' 2015 NFL Draft order.
In the trade for QB Nick Foles, the Rams gave up their 5th round pick in this years draft, and acquired the Eagles' 4th round pick.
In September of 2012, the Rams traded WR Greg Salas to the New England Patriots for the Pats' 7th round selection in this years draft.
During the 2014 regular season, the Rams acquired SS Mark Barron from Tampa Bay. In return, the Buccaneers received the Rams' 4th and 6th round picks in this years draft.
The Rams traded down with Atlanta (from 22 to 30) in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. The Rams selected Alec Ogletree at No. 30, and acquired additional 3rd and 6th round picks in the trade. In addition to the No. 22 pick, the Rams gave the Falcons their 7th round pick in this years draft.
The accompanying chart presents the Rams' picks/order for the 2015 NFL Draft, taking into account the above-mentioned transactions:
Round Overall Pick # 1 10 2 41 3 72 4 116 7 224
Compensatory picks are normally announced by the league during the third week of March. The Rams' pick number in the 4th and 7th rounds will change when the compensatory picks are announced. Compensatory picks are added at the end of rounds 3 through 7.
On February 18, I shared my thoughts on compensation picks for the Rams in the 2015 NFL Draft:
"The Rams currently have 5 selections in the 2015 NFL Draft. NFL compensatory picks are normally announced in the third week of March. The formula for determining compensatory picks is closely guarded by the NFL. Net gains/losses of players in Free Agency is the biggest determining factor in assigning compensatory picks. Average annual value of the contract signed with a new team also plays a significant role. Small adjustments are made for playing time and post-season honors."
"The Rams lost four players who qualify for compensatory picks: Kellen Clemens, Chris Williams, Shelley Smith and Darian Stewart. In turn, the Rams signed four Free Agents who enter into the equation: Shaun Hill, Alex Carrington, Kenny Britt and Davin Joseph. Chris Williams holds the key in the compensation pick discussion. He signed a 4-year $13.15 million contract with the Bills (the highest value of the 8 players mentioned), yet only started three games while battling injuries. It's reasonable to suggest the Rams could receive one compensatory pick (likely in the 7th round)."
Will the Rams make more moves in the coming weeks involving their 2015 draft selections? Will they be draft-day traders?
From coach Jeff Fisher, at his season-ending press conference on December 30:
"Our decision to go ahead and trade for [safety] Mark [Barron] was not necessarily only based on Mark’s potential and his ability. It was also based on our feeling as it relates to this year’s draft and the strength of this year’s draft. All of those things are tied together. So, that kind of gives you an idea. We’ll go into draft stuff at a later time."