What did the Rams pass on in the draft when they traded for Ramsey in 2019?

[WarlordJC]

Let's honestly debate whether the Rams would've been better off not trading for Ramsey in 2019. I'm torn on that. Yes, he was a lockdown corner for a couple of seasons, but then he demanded a huge salary and priced himself off the Rams--but not before spoiling the trade market by stating his strong preference for Miami. On balance, I don't think the Rams got full value for their two #1s and a 4th rounder for Ramsey and his three seasons

First off, I realize that hindsight is 20/20, and there's no guarantee the Rams would have made these picks if they hadn't traded them for Ramsey.

The Jags did a bad job with those picks themselves.

Even so, with the way Snead has been drafting, maybe the Rams could have done even better without Ramsey. First of all, they could have just drafted a CB or two themselves instead of spending two #1s plus a fourth on Ramsey:

What were Ramsey's PFF scores and ranks at CB during his seasons on the Rams?

• 2019 (9 games): PFF grade not explicitly listed for this partial season with the Rams, but his overall performance included 33 combined tackles, 1 interception, and 5 pass breakups. His PFF grade was likely lower than his peak years due to limited games and adjustment to a new team.
• 2020 (15 games): PFF grade of 77.3, ranked T-8th among CBs.
• 2021 (16 games): PFF grade of 84.4, ranked 1st overall among CBs.
• 2022 (17 games): PFF grade of 86.4, ranked 3rd among CBs (behind Sauce Gardner and Patrick Surtain II).

Those are very good if NOT great stats, but were they worth those two 1s and a fourth?

The Rams could have kept their picks and tried to draft a good CB early:

Top CBs Available at or After No. 20 in 2020

1. Jaylon Johnson (Chicago Bears, No. 50 overall, Round 2)
   • Accolades: Pro Bowl (2023), Second-Team All-Pro (2023)
   • PFF Grades: 91.0 (2023, 2nd among CBs), 82.7 career average
   • Stats (2020-24): 15 INTs, 55 PBUs, 69.2 passer rating allowed, 55.9% completion rate allowed
   • Impact: Johnson has emerged as a lockdown CB, with a 2023 season where he allowed just 0.7 yards per coverage snap. A full-time starter since his rookie year, he signed a 4-year, $76M extension in 2024.
   • Availability: Selected 30 picks after No. 20, easily within reach for the Rams if they'd kept their pick that season.
   • He's arguably been better than Ramsey, especially if you value turnovers! Ramsey had 10 total INTs in 2019-2022 on the Rams.
2. L’Jarius Sneed (Kansas City Chiefs, No. 138 overall, Round 4)
   • Accolades: No Pro Bowls, but First-Team All-Pro (2023)
   • PFF Grades: 88.6 (2023), 80.1 career average
   • Stats (2020-24): 10 INTs, 40 PBUs, 66.7 passer rating allowed, 56.8% completion rate allowed
   • Impact: Sneed was a key part of the Chiefs’ back-to-back Super Bowl wins (2022-23). Traded to the Titans in 2024 for a 3rd-round pick, reflecting his value. Versatile in man and zone coverage.
   • Availability: Picked in the 4th round, well after No. 20. A steal for Kansas City.
   • He has also basically matched Ramsey for INTs.

Top CBs Available at or After No. 25 (1st Round) in 2021

1. Greg Newsome II (Cleveland Browns, No. 26 overall, Round 1)
   • Accolades: No Pro Bowls or All-Pros
   • PFF Grades: 78.7 career average, 80.2 in 2023
   • Stats (2021-24): 2 INTs, 29 PBUs, 73.4 passer rating allowed, 58.2% completion rate allowed
   • Impact: Newsome has been a reliable starter for Cleveland, playing 83% of defensive snaps in 2024. Strong in man coverage, he’s a key part of a top-tier Browns secondary.
   • Availability: Picked one slot after No. 25, making him a realistic option for the Rams if they'd kept that pick.
2. Elijah Molden (Tennessee Titans, No. 100 overall, Round 3)
   
   Accolades: No Pro Bowls or All-Pros
   • PFF Grades: 74.2 career average, 77.8 in 2024 with Chargers
   • Stats (2021-24): 4 INTs, 11 PBUs, primarily a slot CB/safety hybrid
   • Impact: Molden has been a versatile nickel defender, starting 22 of 56 games. Less impactful as a pure CB.
   • Availability: Available at No. 25 and No. 130.

Top CBs Available at or After No. 130 (4th Round) in 2021

1. Deommodore Lenoir (San Francisco 49ers, No. 172 overall, Round 5)
   • Accolades: No Pro Bowls or All-Pros
   • PFF Grades: 78.6 career average, 82.1 in 2024
   • Stats (2021-24): 5 INTs, 21 PBUs, 71.2 passer rating allowed
   • Impact: Lenoir has become a reliable starter for the 49ers, playing 88% of snaps in 2024. Strong slot and outside coverage skills.
   • Availability: Available at No. 130.

How about other players available in those slots those years--that the Rams could've picked if they hadn't traded for Ramsey.

The Jaguars traded Jalen Ramsey to the Rams on October 15, 2019, receiving:

• 2020 first-round pick (No. 20 overall)
  • Player selected by the Jaguars: K’Lavon Chaisson (EDGE, LSU)
  • Chaisson has five sacks in his career=huge miss for Jags
• 2021 first-round pick (No. 25 overall)
  • Player selected by the Jaguars: Travis Etienne (RB, Clemson)
  • Rushed for 1,000 back to back=solid pick
• 2021 fourth-round pick (No. 130 overall)
  • Player selected by the Jaguars: Jordan Smith (EDGE, UAB)
  • Been on the Practice Squad more than once=total wasted pick

Pro Bowlers Available (Picked at or After No. 20 in 2020)
The following players, drafted at or after No. 20 in the 2020 NFL Draft, have earned at least one Pro Bowl selection:

1. Justin Jefferson (WR, Minnesota Vikings, No. 22 overall)
   • Pro Bowls: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
   • Notes: Selected by the Vikings two picks after Chaisson, Jefferson has become one of the NFL’s premier wide receivers, with over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first four seasons.
2. Brandon Aiyuk (WR, San Francisco 49ers, No. 25 overall)
   • Pro Bowls: 2023
   • Notes: Drafted by the 49ers, Aiyuk has developed into a key offensive weapon, earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2023.
3. Tee Higgins (WR, Cincinnati Bengals, No. 33 overall, Round 2)
   • Pro Bowls: None, but often considered a high-impact player; included for context but does not qualify as a Pro Bowler.
   • Notes: While Higgins has been a consistent performer, he has not yet made a Pro Bowl, so he’s not counted here.
4. Michael Pittman Jr. (WR, Indianapolis Colts, No. 34 overall, Round 2)
   • Pro Bowls: 2024
   • Notes: Pittman earned his first Pro Bowl selection in 2024, with over 1,000 receiving yards in multiple seasons.
5. Jonathan Taylor (RB, Indianapolis Colts, No. 41 overall, Round 2)
   • Pro Bowls: 2021
   • Notes: Taylor led the NFL in rushing yards (1,811) and touchdowns (18) in 2021, earning first-team All-Pro honors.
6. Antoine Winfield Jr. (S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, No. 45 overall, Round 2)
   • Pro Bowls: 2021, 2023
   • Notes: A standout safety, Winfield has been a cornerstone of Tampa Bay’s defense, earning first-team All-Pro in 2023.

Pro Bowlers Available (Picked at or After No. 25 in 2021)
The following players, drafted at or after No. 25 in the 2021 NFL Draft, have earned at least one Pro Bowl selection:

1. Travis Etienne (RB, Jacksonville Jaguars, No. 25 overall)
   • Pro Bowls: 2024
   • Notes: As the Jaguars’ selection, Etienne is included. He missed his rookie season due to injury but has since become a reliable dual-threat back.
2. Creed Humphrey (C, Kansas City Chiefs, No. 63 overall, Round 2)
   • Pro Bowls: 2022, 2023, 2024
   • Notes: Humphrey has emerged as one of the NFL’s top centers, earning consistent Pro Bowl nods and anchoring Kansas City’s offensive line.

Pro Bowlers Available (Picked at or After No. 130 in 2021)
The following players, drafted at or after No. 130 in the 2021 NFL Draft, have earned at least one Pro Bowl selection:

1. Trey Smith (G, Kansas City Chiefs, No. 226 overall, Round 6)
   • Pro Bowls: 2024
   • Smith was a sixth-round gem for the Chiefs, starting on their offensive line and earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2024.

In those two years, the Rams did draft RB and WR: Cam Akers and Tutu Atwell. As you can see, if they hadn't traded for Ramsey, they could've drafted far better RB and WR in those slots.

So, I think the Rams have learned their lesson: if you make good draft picks, you're better off keeping high picks.

 

[ScotsRam]

This is a really interesting hypothetical and I like how much thought and detail you've included. There are a bunch of players there that would have been able to help this team both at the time and in the future for sure, and thats before the cash considerations - what FAs for example could we have targeted without so many resources tied up in JR?

For me though, it's a pretty simple equation. Would we have won the Superbowl without Jalen Ramsey? In my opinion, the answer to that is no, and so I consider the trade justified.

 

[OnceARam]

That is an incredible amount of research. Did you use AI?

That said, it is not a hypothetical I want to entertain given how good JR was for us.

Also, how bad are the Jags at drafting!!! No wonder they kidnapped our intern to be their GM.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

They passed on Humphries.

None of those corners you listed had Ramsey's ability. Its rare to get a top talent like him outside of the top five. I think you make a mistake thinking about it by draft rounds. A first round pick in the 20's doesn't often equal a top five pick. In many drafts there are only 10-15 players with first round grades. If a team were to trade from the 20's to a top five slot it will take two first round picks. So, that's what it takes to get a player with top five talent like Ramsey.

What would it cost to get Micah Parsons? What did it cost to get Stafford? The draft picks are always going to be worth trading for proven players, especially when those picks are from 20-32. In that range its tough to draft elite level players.

 

[tempests]

If there was a trade I would take back, it would be Marcus Peters. Majority of the Ram fanbase was raving about what a steal we got. I was just hoping for a couple above average seasons from him and we never even got that.

Ramsey was one of the top defensive backs ever to play for the Rams. He generally played as advertised.

If we hadn't traded up for Jared Goff and waited one more year for a QB, we would've had our pick between Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. With the picks we traded away, could've drafted Derrick Henry or TJ Watt. The Rams were always giving up something to get something, but like you said, no guarantee the Rams even take any of those players. I prefer not to play those scenarios.

 

[dieterbrock]

2 1st round picks are absolutely worth a SB win
There is no debate

 

[Psycho_X]

Can't replace the swagger and attitude he brought. Our defense needed someone like that. You can come up with a hypothetical situation in almost any trade or draft pick that comes out better on paper but I wouldn't do it any other way if given the chance again. Can't argue with a trophy.

 

[Boston Ram]

Won a SB and that was a move that turned into other moves. There was a mindset to win! Analytics dont measure mindset and intangibles. Any trades that help win a SB are great trades. Do all those deals all day everyday. No brainer.

Thanks for all that research, very interesting to see it all mapped out like that. SB still the ultimate measuring stick for me

 

[Ramstien]

I would love seeing Ramsey wearing the horns this season. I believe he would settle the backend of this defense, to me he just has that it factor.

 

[Loyal]

TLDR.
SO we won a Super Bowl....

 

[WarlordJC]

If there was a trade I would take back, it would be Marcus Peters. Majority of the Ram fanbase was raving about what a steal we got. I was just hoping for a couple above average seasons from him and we never even got that.

Ramsey was one of the top defensive backs ever to play for the Rams. He generally played as advertised.

If we hadn't traded up for Jared Goff and waited one more year for a QB, we would've had our pick between Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. With the picks we traded away, could've drafted Derrick Henry or TJ Watt. The Rams were always giving up something to get something, but like you said, no guarantee the Rams even take any of those players. I prefer not to play those scenarios.

The Sammy Watkins trade was equally bad. He never really worked at his craft--and they had already signed Robert Woods as a free agent. Didn't Woods tell them that Watkins didn't really care about improving himself?

 

[WarlordJC]

That is an incredible amount of research. Did you use AI?

That said, it is not a hypothetical I want to entertain given how good JR was for us.

Also, how bad are the Jags at drafting!!! No wonder they kidnapped our intern to be their GM.

Yes, I used Grok3 AI to gather some data.

I hope their GM wasn't the brains of the Rams scouting staff! Guys used to say that Brad Holmes was the brains, and the Rams would miss him, but that was before the Rams drafted Kobie Turner, Puka Nacua, Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, and a few others.

 

[WarlordJC]

2 1st round picks are absolutely worth a SB win
There is no debate

If you put it that way, there is no debate.

Lots of guys here are saying the same thing: no Super Bowl win without Ramsey. That's a fair statement but can never be proven.

Of course, Ramsey was a lockdown corner--even though he didn't really get INTs--and he was one of their best players. He definitely helped, but just not really in the playoffs that year when he dropped a sure INT against the 49ers in the NFC Championship game and got pushed down and trampled to the ground--giving up a long TD--in the Super Bowl by Higgins.

Re the Higgins TD, I thought that was offensive pass interference, but even after the game, the refs said it wasn't because the officiating crew didn't believe it impacted the outcome of the play: "Our rule is that if there is a grab and twist and turn, there's enough for a foul," NFL official Robert Torbert told PFWA pool reporter Joe Reedy, adding the officials saw no twist-and-turn of Ramsey's helmet. "If there's just a rake across the facemask, where there's not a twist and turn even if there's a grab, there is no foul. The officials did not see any contact that rose to the level of a foul for a 15-yard facemask."

 

[RamBradford85]

In hindsight u get a superbowl but tbh I don’t think rams would have drafted any of those wr or cb especially wr don’t think any of them are ram types of receivers

 

[dieterbrock]

no Super Bowl win without Ramsey. That's a fair statement but can never be proven.

On the contrary, they did win with him.
What cant be proven is that the could have won without him
Aaron Donald was taken with the 13th pick.
There are 12 teams saying "what if we took Aaron Donald instead of __________"
The what if game is fun and all but is always one sided

 

[RamFan503]

If you put it that way, there is no debate.

Lots of guys here are saying the same thing: no Super Bowl win without Ramsey. That's a fair statement but can never be proven.

Of course, Ramsey was a lockdown corner--even though he didn't really get INTs--and he was one of their best players. He definitely helped, but just not really in the playoffs that year when he dropped a sure INT against the 49ers in the NFC Championship game and got pushed down and trampled to the ground--giving up a long TD--in the Super Bowl by Higgins.

Re the Higgins TD, I thought that was offensive pass interference, but even after the game, the refs said it wasn't because the officiating crew didn't believe it impacted the outcome of the play: "Our rule is that if there is a grab and twist and turn, there's enough for a foul," NFL official Robert Torbert told PFWA pool reporter Joe Reedy, adding the officials saw no twist-and-turn of Ramsey's helmet. "If there's just a rake across the facemask, where there's not a twist and turn even if there's a grab, there is no foul. The officials did not see any contact that rose to the level of a foul for a 15-yard facemask."

They can play CYA all they want. It was pretty universally acknowledged by not just Ram fans that it was a blatantly missed call.

 

[OnceARam]

Yes, I used Grok3 AI to gather some data.

I hope their GM wasn't the brains of the Rams scouting staff! Guys used to say that Brad Holmes was the brains, and the Rams would miss him, but that was before the Rams drafted Kobie Turner, Puka Nacua, Jared Verse, Braden Fiske, and a few others.

Nice job with Grok3. You got some AI skills. Football is tough with AI because football is so context dependent, so I am impressed.

Yeah, I was one of those that was worried about Brad Holmes being the brains of the organization. Glad McSnead proved that theory wrong.

Not too worried about the guy we lost to the Jags. I think he only recently started shaving.

 

[JYB]

If you put it that way, there is no debate.

Lots of guys here are saying the same thing: no Super Bowl win without Ramsey. That's a fair statement but can never be proven.

Of course, Ramsey was a lockdown corner--even though he didn't really get INTs--and he was one of their best players. He definitely helped, but just not really in the playoffs that year when he dropped a sure INT against the 49ers in the NFC Championship game and got pushed down and trampled to the ground--giving up a long TD--in the Super Bowl by Higgins.

Re the Higgins TD, I thought that was offensive pass interference, but even after the game, the refs said it wasn't because the officiating crew didn't believe it impacted the outcome of the play: "Our rule is that if there is a grab and twist and turn, there's enough for a foul," NFL official Robert Torbert told PFWA pool reporter Joe Reedy, adding the officials saw no twist-and-turn of Ramsey's helmet. "If there's just a rake across the facemask, where there's not a twist and turn even if there's a grab, there is no foul. The officials did not see any contact that rose to the level of a foul for a 15-yard facemask."

Why can't they just say, "we blew it"?

 

[Haden]

2 1st round picks are absolutely worth a SB win
There is no debate

Except that Ramsey was not responsible for the SB win. He got toasted by Chase in the SB. Had Aaron Donald not forced the errant pass into the ground from Burroughs at the end, Chase had beaten Ramsey for a game winning TD.

 

[Merlin]

Creed Humphrey (C, Kansas City Chiefs, No. 63 overall, Round 2)

"OH NO YOU DINT!"
~ @Loyal