Stop us if you’ve heard this before: The Los Angeles Rams have the best roster in the NFL.
That’s not news to anyone who’s been paying attention this offseason, and while it doesn’t guarantee a championship by any means it does illustrate why so many outlets (and sportsbooks) are favoring the Rams to win the Super Bowl this year.
Today, we’re taking a different sort of look at why the Rams have such a strong roster: How many players on this team are in the truly elite tier of their respective positions?
There is a ton of depth both offensively and defensively for this team, but where are the no-doubt best-of-the-best players?
Let’s dive into each position group and identify which Rams are clearly at the top of the class:
Quarterback
There’s a generally accepted upper echelon at quarterback, usually including Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, but it’s nearly impossible to go any farther without including Matthew Stafford at this point. And if you want to put him in front of any of those aforementioned three, you won’t meet much pushback these days after Stafford just won the league MVP award.
Who else could you put ahead of Stafford in the elite tier right now? Joe Burrow? No. Justin Herbert? No. Drake Maye? He was great in his runner-up campaign last year but it’s too early to go that far. It depends on how you want to define “elite” in this case, but Stafford is no worse than being right on the cusp if not all the way in the thick of that tier.
Running back
The Rams have two good to very good running backs on the roster, both of whom both put up solid counting stats and impressive advanced numbers. But no one is going to confuse either Kyren Williams or Blake Corum with the short list of the best backs in the league right this second.
Wide receiver
At this point, Puka Nacua is easily on the Mount Rushmore of wide receivers in the league right now. It’s Nacua, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson at the top of the position, then a mass quantity of players battling for fifth-best and beyond.
Pro Football Focus ranked Nacua as the best wide receiver in the league for 2026, and in 2025 he finished third in Offensive Player of the Year voting. His combination of unique skill set and production easily establishes his place among the NFL’s best receivers.
Tight end
There are plenty of good and interesting tight ends on this roster, but none crack the very upper echelon at this position relative to their peers. Colby Parkinson unlocks a ton for the Rams’ offense and Terrance Ferguson has a massive upside, but those guys aren’t quite on the level of a George Kittle (pending health), Trey McBride or Brock Bowers.
Offensive line
Tackles are in a strong place league-wide right now, to the point that the executives polled for ESPN’s position-by-position top-10 rankings didn’t offer up a single vote for Alaric Jackson. He’s a well-above average tackle, but it’s not an easy group to break into at the top.
Along the interior, there’s plenty of quality talent but again, it’s hard to usher any of that group, from Steve Avila to Kevn Dotson to Coleman Shelton, into truly rarified air as things stand today.
Defensive line
Kobie Turner deserves plenty of hype, attention and adulation, but he probably still falls just outside the top tier on the defensive line. There’s just so much talent in the league right now. Jeffery Simmons, Leonard Williams, Jalen Carter, there are so many high-quality interior players right now.
If you want to break it down to an extremely granular level, though, there’s a legitimate argument for putting Poona Ford at the very top of a run-stopping specialist ranking.
Edge rusher
The Rams have the best edge rusher in the NFL. Myles Garrett might be the best defensive player in the NFL, period. This one is obvious.
Linebacker
It’s almost become a meme when you listen to national analysis of the Rams that the franchise just won’t spend major resources on linebacker. Which, in the long run, is fine, considering how good the front, the edge and the secondary are. Nate Landman and Omar Speights are serviceable, which is good enough for this team, it’s just not going to land them near anyone’s top linebacker rankings.
Safety
This is another reliable, good position group for the Rams but one that lacks a true superstar. Both Kams, Curl and Kinchens, are valuable pieces to this defense and would play a big role for pretty much any team. They’re not Kyle Hamilton or Derwin James, though.
Cornerback
After being the biggest weakness on the defense a year ago, the Rams have not only turned it into a legitimate strength in one offseason, but they’ve added a bona fide elite talent in the room, too. Trent McDuffie is that guy. He’s arguably the best slot corner in the NFL right now, and even on the boundary he’s far above average. With that kind of versatility and a floor of “really good” compared to a ceiling of “best in the business,” it’s an easy call with McDuffie.
