Los Angeles Rams trade away another former second-round pick

The Los Angeles Rams may be 2-3 but they’re clearly better than expected and may very well factor into the playoff hunt at the end of the season. At the same time, they’re also continuing to move on from players they’ve drafted or acquired through other means in recent seasons.

Wide receiver Van Jefferson has been dealt to the Atlanta Falcons in exchange for late-round pick swaps.

Cooper Kupp is obviously back from his injury, Puka Nacua has emerged as a rookie sensation, and even Tutu Atwell has seemingly broken through a bit after two seasons of injury and ineffectiveness. That left Jefferson with little room to operate, and he only played two snaps last week against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Jefferson had 50 catches for 802 yards and 6 touchdowns in the Rams’ Super Bowl season in 2021, but since then he has just 32 catches for 477 yards and 3 touchdowns. Heading over to the Atlanta Falcons means playing on the same team as his dad Shawn Jefferson, who was there for three seasons.

This is the second time this season that the Rams have moved on from a recent second-round selection. Running back Cam Akers was taken five spots before Jefferson, and through a combination of injury and ineffective performance, he fell out of favor and was traded to the Minnesota Vikings just last month.