For another year, the Los Angeles Rams are unlikely to get much value out of their rookie class. Given the success that recent Super Bowl winners have had thanks to contributions from rookies, is the draft Les Snead’s biggest blindspot and could it hold the Rams back from winning the Super Bowl in 2026?
2026 class probably won’t contribute
Ty Simpson was drafted to not play this year. That’s the first sign that once again L.A. still doesn’t intend to let rookies to help the team win games.
Max Klare played so many snaps in the first preseason
game that fans can’t expect him to play a lot in the regular season, or that the tight end depth chart has changed in his favor at all since the start of training camp. Klare is not only behind Terrance Ferguson, but at least two other tight ends, if not three.
And now Keagen Trost, the Rams’ third-round pick, is set to miss a few weeks with injury. Trost was already trending to ride the bench this season with an eye on 2027, but rookies missing August is a bad sign for their immediate development. It comes across as a “red shirt year”, which we already knew.
Furthermore, and to be expected, sixth and seventh-round picks C.J. Daniels and Tim Keenan III are just battling for a spot on the 53-man roster. Daniels looks firmly entrenched behind four receivers, at least, and someone like Xavier Smith makes the most solid argument to be the fifth. That puts Daniels in a position where he may need someone to get injured before he moves up the depth chart.
This is rather normal for the Rams. And the Rams usually make the playoffs. So what’s the problem?
Nobody’s saying there’s a problem.
However, the Rams haven’t won or reached the Super Bowl since 2021, which must make Sean McVay—a Super Bowl winner—feel rather uncomfortable. In the most competitive division in the NFL, and the harder conference of the two, every small advantage you can get matters.
Yet — aside from trading a first-round pick for Trent McDuffie — the Rams didn’t use their potential advantage with the draft at all.
McDuffie is one player and a major use of the draft pick they got from the Atlanta Falcons. It doesn’t change the fact that their five other picks may offer zero value to the team in 2026, and that’s something past Super Bowl winners haven’t done.
Every team that has won the Super Bowl since the Rams has gotten major contributions from their rookie class, even including one with McDuffie.
2022 Chiefs: McDuffie, Karlaftis, Pacheco, Watson
In 2022, the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Trent McDuffie and George Karlaftis in the first round, Jaylen Watson (another Ram) and Isiah Pacheco in the seventh. These were all MAJOR contributors to the team in 2022, en route to a 38-35 win over the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
Other draft picks that year like Leo Chenal, Bryan Cook, Skyy Moore, and Joshua Williams also had contributions as rookies. The Rams may get less from their entire rookie class than Kansas City got just from Joshua Williams that season.
The other team, the Eagles, didn’t get as much from their rookie class as the Chiefs, but still added Jordan Davis, Cam Jurgens, and Nakobe Dean.
2023 Chiefs: Rashee Rice
Kansas City had fewer openings in 2023 because their 2022 class was so good, but second-round pick Rashee Rice had 79 catches for 938 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie. He was the second-most important skill player in the playoffs behind Travis Kelce.
The Chiefs also got contributions from fourth round corner Chamarri Conner, especially in the playoffs.
2024 Eagles: Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Jalyx Hunt
Two years ago, Philadelphia overhauled their secondary with draft picks and it immediately paid off: Quinyon Mitchell finished second in DROY voting and Cooper DeJean was fourth. They were both major players in the playoffs too, including a pick-six for DeJean and two picks for Mitchell—and they were both first-team All-Pros in 2025.
The Rams didn’t want to risk going this route despite having two first-round draft picks. Instead, they went with Simpson and McDuffie for picks, while signing Watson to fill the other corner role.
The 2024 Eagles, who went 14-3 and beat the Chiefs in the Super Bowl by a lot, also had rookie contributions from Will Shipley and Jeremiah Trotter, Jr.
2025 Seahawks: Grey Zabel, Nick Emmanwori
The Rams got three up-close looks at Seattle’s rookie class last year, including the NFC Championship game. Zabel fixed Seattle’s greatest weakness on offense and even got some votes for OROY despite playing guard. Emmanwori finished second in DROY voting and had three pass breakups in the NFC Championship.
The Seahawks specifically targeted finding immediate contributors in the 2025 draft, including trading up for Emmanwori at the top of the second round when they knew he could be the exact type of “Kyle Hamilton-ish” player that head coach Mike Macdonald didn’t have yet and could use as early as Week 1 of his rookie season.
Seattle also got contributions from Tory Horton, Robbie Ouzts, Elijah Arroyo, and Rylie Mills. Horton was only a fifth-round pick, but had five touchdowns in eight games. Mills missed virtually all of the season, but had a sack in the Super Bowl.
Speaking of which, the Patriots also had a ton of contributions from their 2025 draft class.
The Patriots drafted 11 players in 2025, including starting tackle Will Campbell, starting center Jared Wilson, running back TreVeyon Henderson, kicker Andres Borregales, and starting safety Craig Woodson, adding up to well over 100 combined games by their rookies.
The Rams have taken a complete opposite approach
There is no one way to win a Super Bowl and L.A.’s plan could end up being the best one. The Rams were criticized for how they built the 2021 roster and look how that turned out.
But if the Rams don’t win the Super Bowl, if they don’t even get that far, the little extra they left on the table by not trying to get even one 2026 contributor directly from the draft, that could be the decision people question the most. Not one expected contributor.
A keen eye? Or a blind spot?
