Over the past five years, there may not be two general managers who have navigated their roster situations better than two in the NFC West. Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead shifted from an all-in approach to needing young, inexpensive talent and kept the team competitive. John Schneider of the Seattle Seahawks controversially moved off of players like Russell Wilson, DK Metcalf, and Geno Smith and, behind good drafting, put together a Super Bowl-winning roster.
These have been two of the best general managers in the NFL, both of which had a crucial three-year stretch. Snead and Schneider had to navigate similar obstacles to keep their teams competing. For Snead, it was finding a way to keep the Rams competitive after the ‘F them picks’ era. Many expected the Rams to implode. The Seahawks were expected to be in a rebuild and instead ended up being a top contender behind Schneider’s team-building. It’s hard to say which general manager did it better, but we can certainly compare resumes.
Snead started this stretch with a Super Bowl win, but it was moves from the Rams general manager that got them there. The biggest swing was trading Jared Goff for Matthew Stafford before the season. During the season, the Rams traded for Von Miller and were able to add Odell Beckham Jr. midseason after he was cut. Trading for Miller ended up being the move that the Rams needed for a boost in the postseason and the complementary piece for Aaron Donald.
While the 2021 season was impressive for Snead, it’s everything that happened afterward that’s worth even more praise. When the Rams went 5-12 in 2022, the narrative from the media that the bottom would eventually fall out felt vindicated. This is a team that hadn’t had a first-round pick since 2016. In 2023, they took on over $75 million in dead cap. The 2023 draft class ended up being franchise-altering.
Without first-round picks or salary cap to work with, the Rams were still able to retool the roster. Had the Rams swung and missed in 2021 and then drafted poorly, the bottom would have fallen out. That’s exactly what happened to the Cleveland Browns after missing on Deshaun Watson. Their 2022, 2023, and 2024 classes have left a lot to be desired. It’s a reason why they will be drafting inside the top-5 for a second consecutive season in April.
In 2023, the Rams were able to draft instant contributors in players like Steve Avila, Byron Young, and Kobie Turner. While they may have gotten lucky with Puka Nacua in a sense, he’s a player that fit perfectly for how the Rams use their receivers. The selections of those four players powered an unexpected playoff appearance in 2023. The Rams then went on to win the division the following season with help from the 2024 draft class.
Between 2023 and 2024, the Rams drafted:
- iOL Steve Avila
- EDGE Byron Young
- DT Kobie Turner
- OT Warren McClendon
- WR Puka Nacua
- P Ethan Evans
- EDGE Jared Verse
- DT Braden Fiske
- S Kam Kinchens
It’s a reminder that good drafting fixes everything. All of those picks outside of Verse were outside of the first-round. Verse won Defensive Rookie of the Year and Nacua had the best season for a rookie wide receiver of all-time. Hitting on mid to late-round draft picks is the difference between good and great draft classes. The 2023 group was a great draft class and allowed the Rams to recover from the salary cap and losing Aaron Donald. That doesn’t mention Kyren Williams or Quentin Lake from the 2022 class that have both been extended. The total approximate value for the 2022 to 2025 draft classes for Snead via Pro Football Reference is 290.
Instead of the bottom falling out, the Rams were able to re-build a foundation and sustain success. With money to spend, the Rams and Snead signed Poona Ford, Davante Adams, and Nate Landman in free agency last offseason. Those three players fueled the Rams’ success in 2024.
Other notable moves from Snead that are worth mentioning are drafting Warren McClendon in 2023 who looks slated to take over as the future right tackle. Between signing Alaric Jackson as an undrafted free agent and drafting McClendon in the fifth-round, the Rams haven’t had to spend high draft capital at tackle. Snead also traded for Kevin Dotson before the 2023 season. Dotson has been one of the best guards in the NFL since joining the Rams. Snead acquired him for a swap of day three draft picks.
John Schneider (2021-2025)
Following 2021, the Seahawks were coming off of their first losing season since 2011. Instead of handing out an extension to quarterback Russell Wilson, the Seahawks traded him away to the Denver Broncos for a handful of draft picks. Schneider took a chance on a reclamation project in former first-round pick Geno Smith and returned to the playoffs. Those draft picks turned into cornerback Devon Witherspoon, offensive tackle Charles Cross, and edge rusher Derick Hall.
After missing out on the postseason in 2022 and 2023, Schneider made three more bold moves. Despite criticisms in the media, Schneider traded quarterback Geno Smith, fired Pete Carroll, and traded wide receiver DK Metcalf. The Seahawks proceeded to take a chance on another reclamation project in Sam Darnold to replace Smith. They also hired a hot defensive coordinator in Mike Macdonald to replace Carroll’s outdated defensive schemes. Trading away Metcalf opened up more opportunity for Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
While the signing of Darnold worked out, it’s the team around the quarterback that was the engine of the roster. Schneider built a situation in which many quarterbacks would have thrived. Instead of asking his quarterback to uplift the roster, Schneider built a roster to uplift his quarterback.
Much like the process with Snead, good drafting fueled everything. Following a series of bad draft classes, Schneider’s 2023 and 2024 classes fueled a Super Bowl winning roster. Between 2023 and 2024, Schneider drafted:
- CB Devon Witherspoon
- WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- EDGE Derick Hall
- iOL Anthony Bradford
- DL Byron Murphy
- TE AJ Barner
- iOL Grey Zabel
- S Nick Emmanwori
Witherspoon and Emmanwori are key to what the Seahawks are able to do defensively while Smith-Njigba just won Offensive Player of the Year. Murphy and Zabel have played key roles in the trenches and Hall forced a fumble against Drake Maye in the Super Bowl.
Again, that doesn’t include the 2022 class in which Schneider drafted Cross, Boye Mafe, Kenneth Walker, Abraham Lucas, Coby Bryant, and Riq Woolen all back-to-back-to-back. The total approximate value of the 2022 to 2025 classes for Schneider is 298. That’s only eight points higher than Snead during that stretch.
That also doesn’t mention the Seahawks trading for Rashid Shaheed during the season, which was a season-altering move in the same way that trade for Miller was for the Rams. Schneider also traded for linebacker Ernest Jones last season. Trading for Jones was key in Schneider building one of the best defenses of the modern era for the second time. He’s now built both The Legion of Boom and The Dark Side. Signing Cooper Kupp also added a veteran presence to the offense that was needed.
What may put Schneider slightly ahead of Snead during this stretch is his ability to hit on a head coach hire while also moving off of not one, but two quarterbacks. Choosing which general manager navigated their situation better is like splitting hairs. These were two all-time great stretches for an NFL general manager and both will be remembered as such.
