2022 NFL Draft: Live Updates, Results and Tracker
While Los Angeles Rams General Manager Les Snead’s mantra to, uh, “forget” them picks has quickly caught on, and found its way onto a T-shirt that he wore to his team’s Super Bowl parade, there’s an important caveat. It doesn’t actually mean that the Rams don’t want to use any of their draft picks — they’re just willing, and eager, to trade premium picks for premium veteran players.
The Rams are one of eight teams without a first-round pick in this year’s draft — which will be a record if all eight of those teams do not trade back into the round. Los Angeles got there as a result of last year’s fruitful trade for quarterback Matthew Stafford. But the defending champions have a total of eight picks in this year’s draft, which is the median number of picks leaguewide.
“What people forget about the Rams — I mean, everyone is focused on those first-round picks — but they’ve drafted and developed players really well, middle and late,” Tom Telesco, general manager of the Los Angeles Chargers, said at a news conference this week.
There’s a wide range, though, for the number of picks teams have entering this year’s draft, in part because of the fervent trade market. The Miami Dolphins, who sent five draft picks to Kansas City for wide receiver Tyreek Hill — including three picks in this year’s draft — currently have just four selections. The Las Vegas Raiders, who shipped first- and second-rounders to Green Bay for receiver Davante Adams, have five picks, the next fewest. Four teams have six picks: the Carolina Panthers, the Chicago Bears, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Washington Commanders.
On the opposite end, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City lead the league with 12 picks each, including back-to-back first-rounders, Nos. 29 and 30, for Kansas City. The Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans, both among the eight teams with multiple first-round picks, have 11 selections in this year’s draft. The Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles have 10 picks apiece.