The reigning Super Bowl champions should have plenty of company sitting out the first round of the NFL draft next week.
The Los Angeles Rams haven’t made a selection in the opening round since taking Jared Goff in 2016 and don’t have another first-round pick until 2024, but this year they’re set to be part of a record eight teams that have traded away their first-round picks in what has become a growing trend in recent years.
Whether it’s teams emulating the Rams’ model of flipping uncertain picks for cost-controlled rookies for more proven veterans with more lucrative contracts, or others that followed the path the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills used by trading future first-round picks to move up to take a potential franchise quarterback, teams are opting out of the first round of the draft at a furious pace.
This will mark the third time in four years that at least seven teams won’t make a pick in the first round – barring one of those teams trading back up, something that happened just twice in the first 52 years of the common draft.
SiriusXM analyst Mark Dominik said the increased salary cap, more power for players and general managers who are willing to take more risks have led to the change.