To a man, the Los Angeles Rams safety unit are all on board for 2026. New money was doled to primary starters Quentin Lake and Kamren Curl, locking them through 2028. Kamren Kinchens sees a lot of action and remains on his rookie contract through 2027.
The remainders, Jaylen McCollough, Josh Wallace, Tanner Ingle, and Nate Valcarcel do not have enough accrued pro seasons and are tied to the Rams for the near future.
Since the Rams have decided to run it back, pining for a rangy free safety falls on
deaf ears—again, unless some late round special teams candidate can strut his stuff in camp. Here’s a look at the safety prospects with draftable grades from my Top 300 Big Board.
Round 1
Caleb Downs – Ohio State 6’ 206 lb.
Offers corner/safety versatility. Natural instincts and IQ. Consistently physical no matter his role.
Dillon Thieneman – Oregon 6’ 201 lb.
Can fill many roles. Stellar Combine testing. Good burst, angles and tackling. Rangy ballhawk.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren – Toledo 6’4” 201 lb.
Long and lanky. Good recognition and awareness. Physical at catch point and vs run. Creates turnovers
Round 2
AJ Haulcy – LSU 6’ 215 lb.
Thick build. Shows instincts, awareness, and read/react traits. Adept at both run and pass.
Round 3
Genesis Smith – Arizona 6’2” 203 lb.
Plus athlete with strong zone skills, rangy and good processor. Need tackle form work, but willing.
Kamari Ramsey – USC 6’ 202 lb.
Coverage-first prospect with positional versatility. Strong instincts to the ball. Needs work on tackling.
Zakee Wheatley – Penn State 6’3” 203 lb.
Well-rounded game. Not super fast, but athletic and covers ground. Willing vs run, but needs strength.
Round 4
Bud Clark – TCU 6’1” 188 lb.
Stellar range and ballhawking. Creates turnovers. Good tackler, but needs play strength.
Jalon Kilgore – South Carolina 6’1” 210 lb.
Size to ride TE’s, speed to stick to backs. Willing physical tackler. Positional versatility.
VJ Payne – Kansas State 6’3” 206 lb.
Size, length, athleticism. Adept in-close or deep. Rangy ball hawk with hand/eye coordination.
Round 5
Michael Taaffe – Texas. 6’ 190 lb.
Former corner, good ball tracking and read/react. Improved as a tackler with lots of special teams work.
Louis Moore – Indiana 5’11” 191 lb.
Strong instincts and IQ. Fringe average athlete, tight hips. Solid in zone and good tackler
Round 6
Jalen Huskey – Maryland 6’1” 196 lb.
Former corner, strong in short/mid coverage. Good instincts and angles. Needs play strength.
Jakobe Thomas – Miami 6’1” 211 lb.
Aggressive, downhill defender. Creates splash plays. Needs to clean up tackle form.
Robert Spears-Jennings – Oklahoma 6’2” 205 lb.
Stellar linear speed and pro-level physicality. Good tackler, needs coverage polish.
Round 7
Cole Wisniewski – Texas Tech 6’3” 219 lb.
Could be S/LB hybrid. Smart, instinctive, and a good tackler. Average athlete.
Bishop Fitzgerald – USC 5’11” 202 lb.
Good cover guy, but average athlete and film exposes weakness in run defense.
Lorenzo Styles – Ohio State 6’1” 194 lb.
Uber-fast and athletic. Played safety, corner, and special teams. Maybe a returner?
Dalton Johnson – Arizona 5’11” 192 lb.
Solid cover guy, with some attitude as a tackler. Deep special teams background.
My guys
It’s a fairly deep safety class, but the Rams cupboard appears full. The only realistic possibility of L.A. targeting a safety early in the proceedings is BPA and that strategy is highly subjective. So, I’ll just skip over all those tantalizing early prospects and start at Round 6.
Robert Spears-Jennings is a big, fast thumper. His addition would upgrade the roster’s athleticism, physicality, and special teams. Dalton Johnson brings positional versatility, good tackling and a long history of special teams work. First thing that jumps into my mind with Lorenzo Styles and his linear speed, is lining him up deep on kickoff returns.
Two sleeper prospects that I like are Wydette Williams of Ole Miss and Karon Prunty of Wake Forest. Williams is a good zone pass defender and aggressive in run defense. Made the jump from D2 to SEC play. Prunty has good size, speed, and agility. Brings corner safety/versatility. Hard-charger that made the jump from a high-level FCS competitor to a starter in the ACC.
Who should the Rams draft, a high-end prospect to push for a big role or a developmental candidate that can help out on special teams?
