It had been a couple years since the Los Angeles Rams had traded a first-round pick for a player. They must have been antsy.
The Rams pulled off a big trade Wednesday (which can’t be official until the start of the league year next week), acquiring cornerback Trent McDuffie from the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs got back the 29th overall pick of this year’s draft, a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick this year, and a third-round pick in 2027, according to ESPN.
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Patrick Mahomes summed up the trade pretty well.
Who won the trade? Here are the grades:
Rams fill their biggest need
Among all potential contenders in 2026, the biggest weakness among them was probably the Rams’ cornerbacks or the Texans’ offensive line. The Rams made a pretty nice fix at their weakest spot.
McDuffie is a very good cornerback and he’s just 25 years old. The 2022 first-round pick was a first-team All-Pro in 2023 and second team in 2024. He had some injuries last season but still was the 12th-best cornerback in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus’ grades. He’s one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. We have no idea if the 29th pick of this draft will be any good.
Trent McDuffie is on the move, after being traded from the Chiefs to the Rams. (Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
(Bryan Bennett via Getty Images)
But the cost is steep. The Rams sent four picks and now have to extend McDuffie, who is on the final year of his rookie deal. The Rams have a surprising amount of cap space to get that done, but it will be expensive. The Rams did pretty well in maneuvering in the trade. They kept the 13th overall pick, which they acquired from the Falcons. This year’s draft class isn’t very good, so trading a late first isn’t as damaging as it would be most years.
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The Rams are in a win-now mode due to their talented roster and also Matthew Stafford’s age. McDuffie fits that build very well, while filling a massive need. It just was costly, which keeps the grade down just a bit.
Grade: B
Chiefs get plenty of picks
The Chiefs were in a bit of a bind when it came to the salary cap. They’re already struggling to pay everyone, and McDuffie was going to be very expensive. So will cornerback Jaylen Watson and safety Bryan Cook, who are set to become free agents in a week.
It had to hurt to give up an elite player in his prime, but that’s life in a salary-cap league.
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The Chiefs did get some valuable picks back. While a late 2026 first-round pick doesn’t have as much juice as it might in other years, it’s still a first-round pick. They have two now, with the Rams’ pick to go with their own pick which is ninth overall. The 2027 third-round pick has plenty of value if that draft class is as good as NFL teams believe it will be.
This probably wasn’t what the Chiefs wanted. In a perfect world they’d keep all their stars, including McDuffie.
Grade: B
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