Will the Rams leave the draft with not one, but maybe two receivers out of Texas Tech? Les Snead has shown some interest.
The first is Reggie Virgil, a transfer from Miami of Ohio to Texas Tech in 2025 who had 705 yards as a senior with the Red Raiders as they reached the College Football Playoffs. The year before, Virgil broke out as a junior with 816 yards and 19.9 yards per catch with Miami (OH).
Virgil’s most noticeable trait, whether it’s a good thing or not, is the 190 lbs he carries on a 6’3 frame.
The elephant in the room is that frame. At 190 pounds on a 6’3″ build, he is going to get pushed around by NFL corners who play with physicality, and his contested catch numbers back that up. He has the speed and body control to win when he has a step, but winning at the catch point against press-man coverage in tight windows is a different story. His drop rate is another flag. Those are traits that can be partially addressed with added strength and continued technical refinement, but the margin for error is slim for a receiver who does not profile as a separator with elite burst or wiggle after the catch.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com projects Virgil as a player who could be a WR4 and a special teamer.
He’s light on his feet to elude press. He can run challenging routes underneath, but he could use more attention to detail on some simpler routes. He has strong hands and good body control to win when contested. He’s not special in any one area but is solid in most. Virgil could compete for a role as a WR4 with special-teams value.
This screams as a sixth round pick receiver, barely pitting him over someone like Jordan Whittington and that’s only because Whittington is already entering year three with little hope for a bigger role.
That doesn’t make Virgil stand out much, he’s not going to replace Davante Adams, but if the Rams are meeting with him then certainly there’s some interest in kicking the tires, especially given the potential for special teams value. Going back to NFL Draft Buzz, they like his route running foundation and special teams value:
Virgil fits best in an offense that values speed on the outside and can scheme him into one-on-one opportunities down the field. He has the tools to be a legitimate deep threat at the next level, and his route-running foundation is better than most Day Three receivers. In a system that lets him work as a primary boundary receiver with complementary intermediate targets mixed in, he can carve out a role as a fourth or fifth receiver who keeps defenses honest with his vertical ability. Special teams experience on multiple units adds further value. He has a real chance to stick on a roster, but his ceiling depends heavily on whether his body can hold up to the physical demands of the NFL.
The other Texas Tech receiver, Caleb Douglas, may have caught Les Snead’s eye at the Senior Bowl:
Douglas, like every college football player, is also a transfer.
He spent two years at Florida prior to transferring to Texas Tech in 2024 and immediately posting 877 yards that season. He then had 846 yards and seven touchdowns in 2025.
The Red Raiders have long been known for explosive receiving numbers that could inflate a player’s value and 2025 is really no different. Maybe the numbers aren’t as high as they were with Michael Crabtree and Wes Welker, but we’ve yet to see much receiving talent come out of Texas Tech to the NFL recently.
Erik Ezukanma, for example, was a fourth round pick in 2022 who failed to make it in the NFL. Josh Kelly had over 1,000 yards with Texas Tech in 2024 and didn’t reach the NFL.
Do Douglas or Virgil have much more hope than that?
Zierlein seemed even lower on Downs than he is on Virgil, only saying there are “flashes” that make it possible that he could make a “roster as a backup”:
Douglas is a long, slender outside target with good production but uneven tape. He has enticing moments, showcasing his catch radius/ball skills on fades and deep throws. Douglas’ focus drops and an inability to win contested catches at a high enough rate can’t be overlooked, though. He shows quick acceleration for a tall receiver, but his top-end speed is relatively non-threatening to defenses. Douglas can expect to be crowded by NFL cornerbacks and forced to prove he can uncover. There are flashes to build on, but he’ll have to battle to make a roster as a backup.
Douglas does have 4.39 speed, but both he and Virgil had problems with drops.
NFL Draft Buzz thinks he could be a Z in the NFL, if he gets that far:
His best fit is as a Z on the perimeter in a scheme that designs vertical shots and red-zone fades for him. The athletic profile and two years of steady production at Texas Tech give him a real shot to stick as a third or fourth receiver who contributes on designed deep balls and in the red zone. If the hands clean up and he learns to use his frame more aggressively at the catch point, there is upside beyond that initial role. The floor is a practice squad receiver who needs time to put the physical tools and the consistency together.
It’s really impossible to predict which of these receivers would get drafted first because it really just depends on how the teams feel after these meetings. It’s not as simple as it might be to project a first round pick because by the fifth round teams are really just going off of vibes.
Who gives Snead better vibes?
By the end of the draft, it’s possible L.A. has snagged one or both of these receivers, or lured them in as free agents, but more than likely it’ll still be neither. Even so, the interest is telling and the Rams won’t be going into rookie camp without new blood at receiver.
