Today, the #Falcons have agreed to trade for #Rams 2020 2nd round pick, WR Van Jefferson per Ian Rapoport. It’s a 2025 pick swap — Falcons 2025 6th round pick for Rams 7th round pick. A low-risk, high-reward deal for the Falcons. So why did Rams make this deal?
Van Jefferson is a wide receiver who played college football at Ole Miss and Florida, and was drafted by the Rams in the second round (57th overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft. In 2021, he had 50 receptions for 802 yards and six touchdowns, helping the Rams win Super Bowl LVI. Then, Jefferson suffered a knee injury in Week 2 of the 2022 season and missed the next six games. He had returned in Week 9, but he was limited to just 21 receptions for 308 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games played, not a good stat. However, Jefferson is still a talented receiver with good speed and size. He is also a good route runner and has strong hands.
He is entering his fourth season in the NFL and pretty much his prime years. With Cooper Kupp back and the other Wide Receivers, Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell, outperforming Jefferson, it just doesn't make sense to keep him. He's also entering his final year of his rookie contract, so there's a good chance he goes anyway in the offseason with no room for him. So might as well trade him for something. Best they can do unfortunately is a 6th round pick and makes sense since he's a rental essentially. It's tough to see Van Jefferson go but this is what's best for both the Rams and Jefferson. Rams convert thier 2025 7th round pick to a 6th without hurting thier offense, while Jefferson goes somewhere else with a lot more opportunities. This isn't the best trade as they could have done a better trade if they waited closer to the trade deadline possibly so I'm grading this a B-.
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