Les Snead is entering his twelfth season as General Manager of the Los Angeles Rams and was hired for the position in February of 2012.
In his role, Snead partners with Head Coach Sean McVay to direct all personnel decisions for the club. In addition, he coordinates all aspects of the club's football operations with the Head Coach and joins forces with C.O.O/Executive Vice President of Football Operations Kevin Demoff and Vice President of Football & Business Administration Tony Pastoors to direct the team's business ventures.
Snead's tenure has been marked by strategic, aggressive moves that have created a strong core nucleus of talent and depth throughout the roster.
Snead set his philosophy in motion just days after his hiring and has continued it through the 2023 NFL Draft.
After guiding the Rams through an organizational rebuild and transition back home to Los Angeles, Snead and the Rams have continued to thrive in the contention phase of NFL roster building and have created a team-building philosophy and model that other clubs have started to emulate.
Under Snead's guidance, the Rams recorded five consecutive winning seasons (2017-22), reaching the postseason four of the last six with two Super Bowl appearances and one world championship.
The Rams' Super Bowl LVI victory in 2021 was made possible due to a series of trades executed by Snead for established and proven players.
In January of 2021, Snead traded for veteran QB Matthew Stafford. Ahead of the team's final preseason game, Snead acquired former RB Sony Michel from the Patriots. Additionally, following a strong start to the season, Snead made more moves to complete an already talented roster, acquiring star outside linebacker Von Miller and signing former WR Odell Beckham Jr. Each addition proved to be paramount to the Rams' championship run.
Since becoming General Manager, Snead has orchestrated 45 trades and selected 110 players in the NFL Draft. Five of those draft selections have received All-Pro honors, which ranks among the most drafted All-Pro selections since 2012.
During Snead's tenure, the Rams have also acquired All-Pro players such as DB Jalen Ramsey, LB Bobby Wagner and recently retired T Andrew Whitworth.
In the 2023 Draft, the Rams were without a first-round pick for the sixth-straight season after trading picks to acquire proven talent and reward the team's core nucleus with long-term contracts following the 2021 season. With 14 draft selections in rounds 2-7, Snead added youth and depth to a roster that lost players who were instrumental to the team's success in recent years. With his first pick on Day 2 in the second round, the Rams added to the interior of the offensive line with OL Steve Avila out of TCU. In round three, the Rams replenished talent on the defensive front with OLB Byron Young out of Tennessee and Kobie Turner from Wake Forrest.
The Rams were the busiest team in the NFL on Day 3, selecting two-time college national champion QB Stetson Bennett out of Georgia in the fourth round. Snead used the fifth round to add talent to both sides of the ball, selecting OLB Nick Hamptonfrom Appalachian State, OT Warren McClendon Jr. from Georgia, TE Davis Allen out of Clemson, and WR Puka Nacua from BYU. With three selections in the sixth round, Snead drafted DB Tre Tomlinson, who was the winner of the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award as college football's best defensive back, as well as RB Zach Evans from Ole Miss and LB Ochaun Mathis out of Nebraska. The Rams also selected P Ethan Evans from Wingate, DB Jason Taylor II out of Oklahoma State, and DE Desjuan Johnson from Toledo in the seventh round.
In the 2022 NFL Draft, the Rams were busy on Days 2 and 3 with eight selections in Rounds 3-7. Snead's first selection in Round 3 was Wisconsin G Logan Bruss to help solidify a strong position group that featured two Wisconsin Badgers at the time in T Rob Havenstein and G David Edwards. With the team's seven picks on Day 3, Snead added depth to the secondary by selecting DBs Cobie Durant (Round 4) from South Carolina State and Derion Kendrick from (Round 6) from Clemson, as well as Safeties Quentin Lake (Round 6) out of UCLA and Russ Yeast (Round 7) fron Kansas State. He also added to the offensive backfield with the selection of RB Kyren Williams (Round 5) out of Notre Dame. Snead and his staff then made a late round trade with Tampa Bay to select OLB Daniel Hardy out of Montana State.
With a total of nine picks in the 2021 Draft, Snead and his staff selected four offensive players and five players to bolster the defense. On Day 2 in the second round, Snead selected WR Tutu Atwell out of Louisville and LB Ernest Jones from South Carolina in Round 3. The following day in the fourth round, the Rams picked DL Bobby Brown out of Texas A&M, DB Robert Rochell out of Central Arkansas, and former WR/TE Jacob Harris out of Central Florida. For the team's three picks in the final round, the Rams selected former RB Jake Funk out of Maryland, WR Ben Skowronek out of Notre Dame, and former OLB Chris Garrett out of Concordia-St. Paul.
Leading up to the 2020 NFL season, Snead led negotiations in the signing of free agent and former OLB Leonard Floyd, who registered 29.0 sacks and started every game in his three years with the Rams. Snead also signed former DL A'Shawn Robinson, a linchpin of the Rams defensive front, and former Pro Bowl K Matt Gay.
Snead added offensive support with the Rams' first two picks in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft by selecting RB Cam Akers out of Florida State and WR Van Jefferson out of Florida. The team's later picks such as former OLB Terrell Lewis (Round 3) out of Alabama, former DB Terrell Burgess (Round 3) out of Utah, and S Jordan Fuller (Round 6) out of Ohio State helped improve a defense that eventually became the league's number one ranked unit during the regular season. That draft class also included selections such as TE Brycen Hopkins (Round 4) out of Purdue and G Tremayne Anchrum (Round 7) out of Clemson.
The Rams made six trades in the 2019 NFL Draft, including a trade out of the first round to acquire additional draft capital. L.A. used its first pick of the draft to select former S Taylor Rapp out of Washington in the second round before making three selections in the third round that included key contributors such as former RB Darrell Henderson out of Memphis, former DB David Long Jr. out of Michigan and former OL Bobby Evans out of Oklahoma. The 2019 Draft class also featured late round picks such as former DT Greg Gaines, former G David Edwards, and former S Nick Scott. All of the 2019 draftees played significant and meaningful snaps during their time with the Rams.
Snead took a different approach to the 2018 offseason compared to previous years, making trades to acquire players and bolster draft capital. From the start of the new league year on March 14 through the completion of the 2018 NFL Draft, Snead and his staff executed 11 trades that resulted in the acquisition of players such as former CBs Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, as well as former WR Brandin Cooks. Additionally, the Rams landed coveted free agent and former DT Ndamukong Suh.
Prior to the start of the 2018 season, L.A. rewarded two former first-round picks in DT Aaron Donald and former RB Todd Gurley II with long-term contracts, making both Donald and Gurley the highest paid players at their positions following a 2017 season when they won Associated Press Defensive and Offensive Player of the year accolades, respectively.
In the 2018 Draft, Snead selected 11 players, despite not having a pick in the first two rounds. L.A. used its first two picks on offensive linemen picking OL Joseph Noteboom out of TCU and C Brian Allen from Michigan State. The Rams used seven of the remaining nine selections to bolster depth along the defensive front. All 11 picks were on the roster entering the 2019 offseason program.
From 2012-2017, Snead made 52 selections in the Draft, with five earning All-Pro honors, the most in the league during that timeframe.
Snead's draft choices included back-to-back Associated Press Rookie of the Year honorees in Donald (2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year) and Gurley (2015 Offensive Rookie of the Year). Both players went on the earn AP Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year honors following the 2017 season. The Rams have reaped early dividends from many of Snead's initial selections, particularly in the early rounds. Of the 13 players Snead selected in the first or second round of his first four drafts, seven were named to the Pro Football Writers of America AllRookie Team following their first season. In total, 10 players drafted by Snead have made an All-Rookie Team.
Despite not owning a first-round selection, Snead was active in free agency during the 2017 offseason to supplement the young talent accumulated through the draft on the Rams roster. The first moves made by Snead with Head Coach Sean McVay were the signings of former Pro Bowl T Andrew Whitworth and former WR Robert Woods.
In the 2017 NFL Draft, Snead maneuvered trades to select former TE Gerald Everett out of South Alabama. The Rams used three of their first four selections on pass catchers, selecting WR Cooper Kupp and former WR Josh Reynolds, in addition to DB John Johnson III with the second of two third round selections. Johnson re-signed with the Rams this past offseason. As a group, the 2017 draft class started 26 games as rookies, led by Johnson who started 11 games at safety. The 2017 rookie class was highlighted by Kupp being named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.
Kupp went on to eventually capture the receiving triple crown, becoming the first player since 2005 to lead the NFL in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in 2021. Kupp also won the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year Award and became Super Bowl LVI MVP that same season.
The 2016 season kicked off with a blockbuster pre-draft trade from No. 15 overall to No. 1 overall with the Tennessee Titans to select Cal QB Jared Goff. The trade sent the Titans the Rams' firstround draft pick (No. 15), two second-round draft picks (No. 43, No. 45), and a third-round draft pick (No. 76) in 2016. Tennessee also obtained Los Angeles' first-round and third-round picks in the 2017 NFL Draft.
In addition to receiving the No. 1 overall pick, Los Angeles received the Titans' fourth-round (No. 113) and sixthround (No. 177) selections in 2016. The Rams' 2016 Training Camp roster was the youngest roster in the NFL.
Since the Snead administration has been in place, the Rams boasted the youngest roster during the 2012, 2014, 2016 and this year's 2023 season.
The Rams were the second youngest team in 2015. In 2015, Snead led a draft that focused on revamping the run game. The process began by selecting Gurley No. 10 overall and then selecting four offensive linemen with the team's next six selections, highlighted by Rob Havenstein Havenstein, who has gone on to start all 116 regular season games played and 10 postseason contests with the organization.
The Rams boasted the third-youngest offensive line in the NFL during the 2015 season, which showcased Havenstein who did not allow a sack as a rookie. Gurley became just the third Rams rookie running back to eclipse the 1,000-yard rushing mark since Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson (1983) and Jerome Bettis (1993). Gurley led all rookies in rushing and finished third among all NFL runners in rushing yards (1,106). His season culminated with a Pro Bowl berth, Pro Football Writers of America Rookie of the Year Award, and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, marking the second-consecutive year that a Rams rookie took home NFL rookie honors (Donald –DPOY 2015). Gurley had his best season as a pro in 2018, leading the league with 2,093 scrimmage yards and 19 total touchdowns.
Snead and his staff made a total of 11 selections in the 2014 draft. With their first-round pick, they selected Donald, a Pittsburgh All-American who earned Pro Bowl honors and was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the year after posting 9.0 sacks, the second most by any NFL defensive tackle that season. Donald bested his rookie performance in year two and garnered 11.0 sacks, which tied for most in the league at his position on his way to his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod and went on to win Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2018. After becoming the highest paid-defensive tackle in NFL history, Donald thanked Snead and the Rams with a franchise-best 20.5 sacks, the most by an interior defensive lineman in league history, earning his second-consecutive AP Defensive Player of the Year honor.
Since Donald was drafted in 2014, he's been selected to the Pro Bowl every season and has received First-Team All-Pro Honors seven times.
Snead and his staff have had plenty of success with undrafted free agent signings over the last eight years. Of the 53 players on the team's final roster in 2016, 15 joined the Rams as undrafted rookie free agents under Snead's watch. That group included former Pro Bowl P Johnny Hekker, former LS Jake McQuaide and former special teams standout LB Cory Littleton, who blocked two kicks during the 2017 season.
Other undrafted free agent signings that have contributed to the Rams success have been G Coleman Shelton, T Alaric Jackson, DL Marquise Copeland, OLB Michael Hoecht, OLB Keir Thomas, and former QB John Wolford.
Snead inherited a roster that had endured one of the most difficult stretches in league history in St. Louis from 2007 to 2011. The team posted a 15-65 record (.188 winning percentage), the worst ever by an NFL team during any five-year period. The Rams' 15 wins during that stretch were the fewest in the league, and Detroit, which had the second-lowest win total during the same time frame, recorded 10 more wins than the Rams with 25.
From 2012-15, the Rams logged 27 wins to increase their winning percentage to .422.
In the spring of 2012, Snead directed a trade that sent the second overall pick in the 2012 Draft to Washington in exchange for the sixth and 39th picks that year, along with Washington's first round picks in both 2013 and 2014. Snead made two additional trades in April of 2012 that allowed the Rams to make four of the first 50 selections in the draft. The surplus of picks allowed the Rams to strategically maneuver in the 2013 Draft as well.
With the Rams sitting at No. 16, Snead surmised that he wouldn't be able to stand pat and land highly-coveted WR/PR Tavon Austin, so he worked out a deal with the Buffalo Bills. The Rams moved up to Buffalo's eighth spot and selected the speedy playmaker from West Virginia. Austin scored six touchdowns as a rookie – four receiving, one rushing, and one on a 98-yard punt return. In the Rams' win at Indianapolis in 2013, Austin became one of three rookies in NFL history to score three touchdowns of 50 yards or more, joining Hall of Famer Gale Sayers and Randy Moss.
With the 22nd pick, which the Rams owned as part of the Washington trade, Snead made another deal that helped the club recoup a significant portion of what he sent to Buffalo. The Rams swapped places with the Atlanta Falcons, and with the 30th selection, Snead was able to secure the player he targeted at No. 22 - Georgia LB Alec Ogletree. As a rookie, Ogletree led the Rams with 155 tackles and added 1.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and an interception.
Prior to joining the Rams, Snead spent 13 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons serving as the club's director of player personnel from 2009-11, a pro scout, and the team's director of pro personnel. During his time in Atlanta, Snead was part of a personnel staff that signed, traded for, or drafted 16 players that earned Pro Bowl honors.Snead helped construct a roster that was one of the NFL's best over a four-year span. From 2008-11, the Falcons had four consecutive winning seasons winning 43 games, the fifth-most wins in the NFL over that time period. The Falcons played in one Super Bowl and two NFC Championship games during Snead's time with the club. Snead joined the Falcons after three seasons (1995-97) in the pro scouting department of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He was hired by the Jaguars prior to the franchise's first season and helped put together a team that garnered an AFC Championship berth in just its second year of existence. Jacksonville won its first division title in Snead's final year with the team.
Snead played tight end for Auburn from 1992-93 and was part of the Tigers' perfect 11-0 team in 1993. He also earned Southeast Region Academic All-American honors during his college career.
The Eufaula, Ala. native holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology and planned to attend medical school until he was offered a graduate assistant coaching position at his alma mater.
He earned a Master of Education degree at Auburn while working as a graduate assistant and he also served as an administrative assistant of football operations in 1995 at Auburn.
In addition to his duties with the Rams, Snead also sits on a pair of advisory boards, including GAMEBREAKER, a soft shell headgear company powered by D3O Impact Technology to help alleviate some of the abrasions that come with playing any contact or non-contact sport.
Snead also serves as a board member on the Curry School Foundation Board at UVA, a dynamic group of professionals who have committed themselves as fundraisers and ambassadors of the school, promoting Curry's work among their networks of colleagues and acquaintances.
Snead is married to Kara Henderson Snead, a former sports media personality who has worked for NFL Network co-hosting NFL Total Access and providing in-depth interviews, pregame and postgame reports and sideline reports for a variety of shows across the network including NFL Total Access, Around the League, NFL GameDay Morning and NFL GameDay Final.
Kara graduated cum laude from Duke University. She began her career as a production assistant at ESPN and later ABC News. Her on-air career began at NESN in 1998 as the co-host of NESN's "Front Row". From 2000 to 2003, she worked at CNN as a reporter and anchor.
Together, the couple has three children: two sons, Logan and Tate, as well as a daughter, Cannon.
