Rams Les Snead's Brilliance Proven in 2024 NFL Re-Draft

There has never been a good general manager who wasn't great at drafting, and for a team like the Rams, who give away first-round picks like it's candy during Halloween, their ability to hit on players with their remaining picks is the reason why the Rams won Super Bowl LVI.

When Snead entered the Rams war room in 2024, he fearlessly navigated the draft and in a recent re-draft by Sports Illustrated's Daniel Flick, three Rams, Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, and Kamren Kinchens, were drafted much higher than originally selected in this two-round mock.

Verse, who was selected by the Rams 19th overall, was re-drafted by the Colts at 15 in place of Laiatu Latu, their original pick and first EDGE player selected in the draft.

Both the Colts and Vikings should be kicking themselves for passing on Verse for Laiatu Latu and Dallas Turner respectively but in reality, Verse should be a top five pick. He won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, bullied grown men, and came right into the league, a league filled with $100 million pass rushers and led the NFL in QB pressures.

"Verse won AP Defensive Rookie of the Year, and he certainly outplayed several picks ahead of him, but the Colts wouldn’t complain," wrote Flick.

"Indianapolis received encouraging flashes from Latu, but Verse was the best pass rusher in a class with several top performers. He recorded 77 pressures in the regular season, fourth-most in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Including the postseason, Verse had 89 pressures, the most in the league. He had just 4.5 sacks, but Verse’s disruptive impact was evident each week."

At 16, the Seahawks selected Braden Fiske, a player Les Snead traded nearly the house for. In one of his wildest gambles, Snead came up tenfold with the NFL's rookie sack leader.

"Fiske had a rookie-leading 8.5 sacks in 2024 and subsequently went 23 picks higher. So, instead, the Rams pivot to a record-breaking rookie from their division in Green, whose 13 pass breakups set a new mark for 49ers rookies. Green started seven of San Francisco’s final nine games, and he’s destined to retain that spot in ’25. The Rams need both short- and long-term answers at corner, and Green would check both boxes."

Kamren Kinchens was selected 47th overall by the Giants over Tyler Nubin. Kinchens has a strong second half to his rookie season, helping the Rams' secondary secure aerial superiority over the end zone.

Kinchens was selected 99th overall by the Rams in the 2024 NFL Draft.