When Round 1 comes calling Thursday night, the Los Angeles Rams are expected to make a first-round pick. It’s foreign territory for an organization that has not selected in the first round since taking Jared Goff No. 1 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.
At least, the expectation is that Los Angeles will make its first-round selection (19th overall). With general manager Les Snead calling the shots, we can never be too sure.
What we do know is that a report surfaced on Wednesday indicating Trey Hendrickson has requested a trade from the Cincinnati Bengals. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report this big news.
Hendrickson, 29, has been among the best pass rushers in the NFL over the past three seasons, recording a combined 76 quarterback hits, 39.5 sacks and 34 tackles for loss in Cincinnati. This past season saw the former third-round pick out of Florida Atlantic register a career-high 17.5 sacks.
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Los Angeles Rams Could Make A Play For Trey Hendrickson
If you’ve followed the Rams at all this offseason, you know full well that they have been linked to EDGE rushers leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Snead and Co. would love to find a partner to go with standout 2023 rookies Byron Young and Kobie Turner on the defensive front seven. That’s especially true following the retirement of defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The GM also wouldn’t commit to standing pat in talking to media in the lead up to Thursday’s NFL Draft.
“All three of those options are probably as real as it can get, in a reality, for sure, and we’re going to explore all three,” Snead on whether the Rams will trade down, stand pat or move up from 19.
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Why Trey Hendrickson Makes Sense For The Rams
The veteran’s production aside, Los Angeles has done well to manage its salary cap situation. The reason Hendrickson has requested a trade is due to the fact that Cincinnati is unwilling to commit to him long-term.
This would not be an issue for the Rams. While they are currently just $1.48 million under the 2024 NFL salary cap, a few restructures would enable the Rams to digest what would be a $14.8 million cap hit for Hendrickson. Moving forward into 2025, Los Angeles is expected to have as much as $30 million to work with. Meanwhile, the 2024 figure would be lowered considerably with an extension.
Attempting to take out the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West, the Rams need to add to their defensive front. That much is already known.
As for the cost to acquire Hendrickson, it would not take the Rams’ first-round pick. Instead, they could probably offer up a third-rounder (99th overall) and a conditional 2025 pick to get this done.