The Los Angeles Rams loom as a potential pivot point in the draft. Rams general manager Les Snead has shown a strong tendency to trade around, and a supreme talent like Sonny Styles stands as a lofty but worthwhile target.
Styles is not expected to be on the board by the time the Rams go on the clock with the 13th overall pick.
That means Snead would once again need to get aggressive.
Rams Pushed to Make Blockbuster Move for Sonny Styles
GettySonny Styles #6 of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts during a game against the Northwestern Wildcats.
CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles called Snead’s Rams his “favorite trade up candidate, even if it’s a stretch.
“The Rams have this pick after fleecing the Falcons last year, sending Atlanta the No. 26 pick. Los Angeles is the Super Bowl favorite, and its roster is loaded. Let’s load it up more. Add Styles to potentially make a solid linebacker unit a very good one?” CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles wrote on April 14.
“The Rams might not have the picks this year (one first, one second, one third and then nothing until the sixth round) to make it work, but if they’re willing to involve 2027 picks, they could add major firepower.”
Pereles also suggested receiver Makai Lemon, a popular projection, who could be available at 13.
Styles is a converted safety and a national champion. He could elevate a Rams defense that had devalued the position but benefited from upgrading last offseason with Nate Landman.
“Styles is an outstanding size-speed athlete who is comfortable in space, reacts well to what he sees and plays with the physicality to mark up the stat sheet,” The Athletic’s Dane Brugler wrote in his “The Beast” draft guide, ranking Styles as LB1. “With elite subpackage value, he has the talent to become an impact linebacker early in his NFL career.”
Rams Trade Pitch Lands Sonny Styles
GettySonny Styles #0 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in action against the Indiana Hoosiers in the 2025 Big Ten Football Championship.
Fox Sports’ Ben Arthur projected Styles to the New York Giants with the fifth-overall pick. This Heavy Sports Rams trade pitch uses the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart to illustrate how much it might cost to land Styles in LA.
Rams get:
- 2026 first-round pick (No. 5 overall)
Giants get:
- 2026 first-round pick (No. 13 overall)
- 2026 second-round pick (No. 61 overall)
- 2027 first-round pick
- 2027 second-round pick
According to Sports Info Solutions’ Alex Vigderman in April 2025, “future picks are discounted to just one-third of their current counterparts.”
LA’s two outgoing 2026 picks in this proposal are worth a combined 1,442 points. The 13th pick is worth 1,150 points, and the second-rounder is worth 292 points. LA’s future first (valued one round down from the Rams’ original 29th overall slot in 2026) is worth 213 points.
Their future second-rounder would be worth just 97 points, based on Vigderman’s findings.
The Rams would be sending a total of 1,734 points to the Giants. That is more than what the fifth overall pick in 2026 is worth (1,700). It still might not be enough.
Rams Have History of Trading Up
GettyLos Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead recalls a story about the time the team shared a Seattle hotel with a furry convention..
A trade to move up in the draft for Styles would be bold for the Rams. That is on-brand for Snead and Co. The Rams traded out of Round 1 entirely during the 2025 draft. They flipped a first-round pick for cornerback Trent McDuffie this offseason.
Fittingly, NFL.com’s Matt Okada highlighted Snead and the Rams among “front offices most likely to move up or down.”
“NFL IQ has collected a wealth of helpful data on the current GMs/decision-makers, extending back up to 15 drafts,” Okada wrote on April 14. “Unsurprisingly, the Rams stand out — since becoming GM in 2012, Les Snead has moved down from a pick an absurd 25 times (though he’s also moved up 15 times).”
Snead has said that it is unlikely the Rams trade the 13th overall pick for a veteran player.
That leaves a Rams draft-day trade for Styles on the table, even if it remains highly unlikely. They are also prepared to make the selection in that slot if that is how the draft, which begins on April 23, plays out.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Rams Urged to Swing Blockbuster Trade for Dynamic Champion appeared first on Heavy Sports.