Over the last two seasons the Los Angeles Rams have mostly spent their top capital in the NFL draft on what are typically considered luxury picks.
In 2025 they traded out of the first round and selected TE Terrance Ferguson in the second. Sean McVay recently re-asserted his belief that the Rams would have taken Ferguson in their original slot.
This offseason the Rams followed up that decision by taking a quarterback 13th overall, Ty Simpson, who in the most promising scenario may not play for multiple
seasons. LA then returned to the tight end pool in back-to-back years and drafted Max Klare from Ohio State and Purdue.
Tight end historically has not been considered a high value position. Sure, there are elite players across the NFL that can transform their offense and create inherent advantages over defenses; however, in the aggregate they are still paid a fraction of what most receivers get in free agency and are in general drafted in lower positions.
It’s rare to see a tight end be a building block of a team. This is the risk the Rams run by spending two of their best recent picks at the position. And that is risky by itself before you count the fact Simpson is also a longer term play.
The NFL’s forces of parity are strong and unseeable. They constantly push and pull teams back toward mediocrity. While the Rams have enjoyed long-term success and rebuilt their roster on the fly after a significant regression in 2022, they still run the risk of falling short of a Super Bowl in this still-new era of the team.
Will opportunity cost catch up to Los Angeles?
The Rams could easily regret not drafting a receiver and finding a running mate for Puka Nacua, or possibly even looking for an off ramp versus signing Nacua longer term. There are a handful of players to pay along the offensive and defensive lines. While these position groups may be set for now, letting a player walk here and there could diminish their outlook in the short and long term. Even the rebuilt secondary could probably use a promising rookie to develop under the stewardship of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson. Emmanuel Forbes should still play a fair amount of snaps and is only an injury away from returning to the starting lineup.
Have the Rams gotten too cute with their early draft approach over the last two years? Should they be eating more of their vegetables rather than splurging for the craft cocktail?
