New Rams Rumors on A.J. Brown Pursuit, Trading 2027 NFL Draft Picks After Ty Simpson Pick

One reason the Los Angeles Rams made an aggressive move to take Ty Simpson with a first-round selection in the NFL draft is because it gives them more flexibility to use 2027 picks in potential trades.

Per The Athletic's Nate Atkins, the ability to land a potential long-term franchise quarterback now "helped drive the decision" for the Rams as they consider how aggressive they want to be in trading future picks even though returning to the A.J. Brown talks isn't expected to be part of the discussion:

"The Rams can now be more aggressive in trade talks with their 2027 draft picks, a factor that helped drive the decision to take a quarterback now rather than wait a year, a team source told The Athletic. The Rams see established NFL players as having a greater impact than rookies, which illustrates their trade for (Trent) McDuffie.

"That aggressiveness is not expected to target Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown despite earlier trade talks, a team source told The Athletic."

Earlier this month during an appearance on 97.5 The Fanatic (h/t Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire), ESPN's Adam Schefter said that the Rams and Philadelphia Eagles were "further along than people realized" when they were discussing a deal for Brown.

The Rams were also reportedly engaged in trade talks involving Davante Adams, but a deal only would have happened if they had acquired Brown.

Even though the Simpson pick at No. 13 overall was perhaps the biggest surprise of the entire draft, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero indicated Rams general manager Les Snead made it clear they wanted to take him in the first round as far back as the Rose Bowl in January.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Rams made the Simpson pick with the assumption they won't be picking that high in the first round for many years.

Since they are clearly all-in right now on Simpson as their long-term answer at quarterback, the Rams have given themselves flexibility to make more bold moves in the future.

Few teams in the NFL are as aggressive at trading draft picks as the Rams. They traded away one of their two first-round picks this year to acquire Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs.

During the peak of the "F Them Picks" era, the Rams went seven consecutive years from 2017 to 2023 without a first-round pick.

Despite their lack of premium draft assets over the years, there's never been any real drop in performance with the exception of an injury-plagued 2022 season.

The Rams have made the playoffs in seven of the past nine seasons. They have played in the Super Bowl twice, winning once during the 2021 season. They have won at least 10 games in three consecutive seasons, the second-longest active streak in the NFC after the Eagles.