The Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams should have plenty of company sitting out the first round of the NFL draft next week.
The franchise that hasn't made a selection in round one since taking Jared Goff in 2016 and doesn't currently have another first-round pick until 2024, is set to be joined by a record seven other teams that have traded away their first-round picks in what has become a growing trend in recent years.
Whether it’s teams emulating the Rams' model of flipping uncertain picks for cost-controlled rookies for more proven veterans with more lucrative contracts or others that followed the path Kansas City and Buffalo used by trading future first-round picks to move up to take a future franchise quarterback, teams are opting out of the first round of the draft at a furious pace.