VAN NUYS, Calif. – Well, the streak was short-lived.

Last year, the Rams picked in the first round of the NFL Draft for the first time since 2016. This year, they elected to trade out of the first round, moving back 20 spots in a deal with Falcons on the first night of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead spoke with the media afterward to discuss that, closing the gap between their first two picks by trading back, and other key topics.

More on those takeaways below.

Value in trade with Falcons "too good to be able to pass up"

Snead said the team ran through the scenario of acquiring a future first-round pick in the event a quarterback falls in the draft and a team that really like that quarterback gives up that future first. But that scenario involving a future first was one they weren't expecting.

The Falcons traded up to pick 26 to take Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr.

"Usually it is a QB," Snead said. "But you can't plan for that one."

The deal with the Falcons allowed the Rams to move back 20 spots, from pick No. 26 to pick No. 46. They also included the No. 101 pick (one of their two third-rounders) in the package, but it netted them a Day 3 pick (No. 242, seventh round) and that 2026 first from Atlanta.

So, instead of staring at the 64-pick gap between selections that they originally faced heading into Day 1, they now have 44 picks between their first two scheduled picks entering Day 2.

"It's really, now, at that point, all the work that goes into setting a board – that is, I always say that's board-specific to each team, specific to us, based on needs, fits, players we like," Snead said. "So now it truly is looking up and waiting and seeing and at that point, using the board. That's why we stacked it."

McVay said being able to move back just 20 spots and also get a future first-round pick is a "big deal."

"Real credit to Les," McVay said. "(Vice president of football and business administration) Tony (Pastoors) had a bunch of great dialog with teams throughout, and ended up exactly where we wanted to be. To be able to get a future one is a big deal, to just move back 20 spots. So obviously, the next couple days will be exciting, but (we) feel really good about the way that tonight unfolded for us."

Little discrepancy between value in late first round and middle of the second round

Asked about the perceived "flat" value of the draft from roughly pick 20 to pick 50, McVay said "I think the biggest thing too, is there's a lot of appreciation for, let's just say, your top 100 players, and there's maybe not as big of a discrepancy between those guys that are in that top 15 to those guys that are maybe in our 85 to 100."

"Les and his group, our coaches working in collaboration, there's a lot of appreciation for a lot of players that will be pulled off the board tomorrow and in the early parts of Saturday," McVay said. "And so I think looking at where our team is overall, the value that we were able to get to be able to move back just 20 spots, felt like it was too good to be able to pass up. And we're gonna come away with some good football players tomorrow, for sure."

Rams did explore trading up

Snead confirmed Los Angeles did look into trading up in the draft, but the asking price from other teams was too high.

"The answer was yes, but it was really for no particular player," Snead said.

"The value going up there, teams were asking (for) too much or more than we would give."