“You get paranoid,” is exactly how Carolina Panthers GM Dan Morgan described the three-day adversity we’ve come to know as the Draft. Smack dab in a race against other front offices employing every trick in the book to one-up each other, the Panthers’ problem centered around one particular name: Tetairoa McMillan.

The same McMillan who led all FBS freshmen with 702 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, then finished his junior year third in the nation with 1,319 yards on 84 receptions, and finally concluded his CFB career with 3,423 yards—the most in Wildcats program history—while clinching the top five spot in school history with 213 career receptions and 26 touchdowns. No wonder Morgan was willing to go the extra mile to put his team’s name on the wide receiver… Which, thankfully, they finally did. But not without some meticulous planning.

What made the situation especially charged was that the Los Angeles Rams weren’t just idly browsing the draft board—they were circling the top picks, too, even considering moving up to eighth at one point. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done. Earlier this week, in a behind-the-scenes Draft day video posted by the Panthers, Brandt Tilis (Panthers’ Executive VP of Football Operations) confirmed, “The Rams wanted to come up. And when you’re coming up from that far…the compensation becomes a lot trickier.” Meaning?

“The value going up there, teams were asking (for) too much or more than we would give,” Rams GM Les Snead had confirmed in a different conversation. So, despite multiple teams throwing the “Hey, if our guy is there at eight, would you move?” question the Panthers’ way, it seems like they had the exact blueprint of how to succeed. “Once we saw T-Mac there, obviously the excitement was there. We had some trade discussions going on at the time, but I was kind of hoping that the trade would fall through because I really wanted to take T-Mac,” Morgan also revealed in the video released earlier this week.

But, like they say, all’s well that ends well. It seems like the front office can finally ride off onto the sunset (until next year’s draft) knowing they utilized their 8th pick well. Now as McMillan finds himself signed with a four-year, $27.93 million rookie deal, we’ll wait to see how he capitalizes on his “super smooth, super natural hands” and “great catch radius”.

As for the Rams, that doesn’t necessarily mean Los Angeles got the short end of the stick.

Trade moves by Sean McVay in the Draft

Drafting a top receiver was one of the Rams’ biggest offseason needs, especially with Cooper Kupp (reluctantly) moving on after a storied run in L.A. Sean McVay had clearly zeroed in on McMillan, hoping to land him as a dynamic new target for Matthew Stafford. But Dan Morgan’s message to Les Snead and company was firm: “They’re going to have to go above and beyond.”

The Rams huffed and puffed, but ultimately decided it wasn’t worth emptying the draft cupboard. To make the jump to No. 8, they would’ve had to sacrifice multiple premium picks—and perhaps a future first as well. That’s a big ask, especially for a team still trying to rebuild depth after years of win-now moves.

Instead of mortgaging their future, the Rams decided to trade down. They moved out of the 26th pick after the Falcons came calling, eager to grab edge rusher James Pearce Jr. The Rams accepted, collecting two picks in return, including Atlanta’s 2026 first-round selection, a potential goldmine depending on how the Falcons perform next season. Besides, they managed to get veteran Davante Adams as well.

Apart from this, the Rams selected Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson with the 46th overall pick. They also rounded out the draft by grabbing Konata Mumpfield, a speedy receiver from Pitt who could surprise if he shines in camp.

The Rams didn’t walk away with McMillan. But, for GM Les Snead, it was about playing the long game. Whether they regret not pushing harder for McMillan remains to be seen. But in the ever-unforgiving arms race of the NFC, staying flexible might be their smartest play yet.