Much has been made about the Los Angeles Rams and the expectation that the 2026 offense will be multiple tight end heavy. The signs may certainly be there, but an offense headed up by Mathew Stafford, Puka Nacua, and Davante Adams is not suddenly going to check itself. And Head coach Sean McVay didn’t bring in Kliff Kingsbury to slow down the proceedings, not with his up-tempo background.
Behind Nacua and Adams, positional versatility and/or run after catch may become the determinant factor as to who
gets the most reps. Expect fewer huddles and more hurry-up creating more possibilities of mismatches, speed, size, or power. Versatility allows the Rams to line up quickly in multiple formations without substitution packages, not allowing the opposition time to substitute and possibly forcing them into vanilla/standard defenses. Run after catch becomes important on quick reads, short and mid depth routes and again, mismatches.
There are 10 Rams receivers in camp competing for six likely openings. Fact is, the players down the depth chart may be all battling for a single place on the opening roster. Let’s meet the prospects.
The one-two punch
Puka Nacua – 6’2” 201 lb. 4.57/1.62 forty 4.36 shuttle 7.32 3cone 33” vert 10’1” broad
Entering his fourth season with the Rams and the final on his rookie contract. There aren’t enough superlatives to describe what his presence means to the L.A. offense. He’s averaged 103 catches for 1397 yards and 19 touchdowns on a 72.5 catch percentage. He’s drawn All-Pro honors in two of three seasons.
Davante Adams – 6’1” 212 lb. 4.51/1.60 forty 4.30 shuttle 6.82 3cone 39.5” vert 10’7” broad
Adams returns for his final year under contract to the Rams. Even at 34, he still runs sharp routes, gets clean releases off the line of scrimmage, and is threat near the end zone. Just a solid year puts him well into the all-time Top 10 for receptions, Top 20 for yards, and Top 5 for touchdowns.
Likely WR#3 battle
Jordan Whittington – 6’1” 205 lb. 4.47/1.55 forty 4.12 shuttle 6.80 3cone 36” vert 10’ broad
He’s been knocking on the door for two seasons, now it’s time for Whittington to lock down the WR#3 role. He’s played in 32 games with nine starts, 721 offensive reps and 338 more on special teams. Whittington’s pro career thus far mirrors his college work. Best suited to a supporting role, he does the dirty work with toughness and full effort.
Plays to his size and has sneaky athleticism. With L.A., he’s done most of his work underneath, as an outside check down target, over the middle, and on screens. He lacks tempo as a route runner, but is sharp out of his breaks and has a mix of moves/releases. Reads defensive leverage to find open zones. Hands are good and he adjusts to off-target balls with plus body control and ball-tracking. Has shown the ability to run after catch in the open field and this has resulted in a job as the Rams primary kick returner. Can line up anywhere in any formation. Rugged blocker.
Konata Mumpfield – 5’11” 188 lb. 4.59/1.54 forty 4.19 shuttle 6.77 3cone 36” vert 10’4” broad
Fans have a hard time getting fired up about a Round 7 wide out who isn’t particularly big, long, or fast. In his first training camp, Mumpfield showed the Rams he could play football. Coaches were impressed with him from the beginning of preseason and it carried through the season, He played in all 20 games, getting in 436 offensive reps, he added 73 snaps on special teams. The ST work was done early in the year and waned to nil by the playoffs.
Coaches praise his crisp route-running, showing an understanding of angles, alternating tempo, and feel for space. Crafty, more than speed-based, although his athletic testing numbers shows excellent burst, short area agility, change of direction, and lower body explosiveness. He was not targeted much (23 regular season, 6 playoffs) and had a catch percentage under 50 percent.
Xavier Smith – 5’9” 174 lb. 4.48/1.52 forty 4.16 shuttle 7.19 3cone 36.5” vert 9’8” broad
L.A,’s primary punt returner for the past two seasons, Smith took on a much bigger role in the Rams 2025 offense. While his stats were modest over 233 receiver snaps, he offered a deep threat and averaged 17 yards per catch. In the Rams mold of late round/undrafted prospects that have proven to overcome and advance, the diminutive speedster entered college as a walk-on and left with a truck full of accolades, including being a finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in the FCS.
With the ball in his hands, he’s not a dancer. More of a one-cut linear runner, who gets north/south in a hurry. In the open field he can stack moves at speed and uses head/shoulder feints rather than stop-and-go cuts on a dime. Stellar burst and long speed. Has more than speed to create separation, shows good moves off the line, fairly sharp and very quick in/out of breaks, and doesn’t fear the middle.
The rookie
CJ Daniels – 6’2” 202 lb. 4.62/1.61 forty 4.27 shuttle 7.03 3cone 34.5” vert 10’3” broad
The most recent addition to Rams wide receiver room, L.A. took him in Round 6 of the 2025 NFL Drafts. Evan Craig penned a bio on Daniels in June, while JB Scott gave fans a look at his analytics in April.
Has the appropriate “Rams WR” frame. Hasn’t shown he can create a lot of space in man coverage, but makes up for it with stellar contested catch ability and is very good at finding open areas of zone coverages. Understands how to his arm length, strong hands, and body positioning. Very good ball tracker. Loose limbed with good body control. I would rate his route running as adequate and based on guile and IQ, rather than speed and burst. Can Daniels be the latest Rams mid/late round receiver to push for play time?
On the outside, looking in
Brennan Presley – 5’8” 176 lb. 4.53/1.64 forty 4.07 shuttle 6.71 3cone 34” vert 9’11” broad
Well-polished for an undrafted player, Spent the bulk of last season on the practice squad, elevated only once, for the 11/23 game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In college, he was Oklahoma State’s all-time receptions leader and returned both punts and kickoffs, averaging over 1000 all-purpose yards per season. Lauded by coaches for his work ethic, leadership and competitive fire.
Predominantly a slot receiver. Ran a lot of short/mid length routes. Shows good hands, tracks well, and transitions from catch to pass fluidly. Although he can bullied in man/press, he has a good feel for soft areas in zone and finds a way into use when the QB is forced out of the pocket. Presley offers similar WR/KR value as Xavier Smith. The X-Man may be faster, but film shows Presley to have better open-field moves. In his first three college seasons, he not only worked as a returner, but played on coverage as well.
Tyler Scott – 5’10” 177 lb. 4.39/1.51 forty 4.25 shuttle 6.99 3cone 39.5” vert 11’1” broad
An interesting acquisition, L.A. signed Scott to the practice squad last October after his release by the Seattle Seahawks. The Rams are his fourth team since being drafted by the Chicago Bears (2022) early in Round 4 (#113). His play time has been modest, 459 offensive snaps and another 90 on special teams as a kickoff returner, all in his first two seasons with the Bears. He was on the practice squad full-time with the Colts, Seahawks, and Rams.
On the Feldman’s Freaks List for speed/athleticism/strength.Wicked fast with good, not great hands, a former running back with excellent open-field shiftiness. Tracks ball well, good hand/eye coordination and has body control to identify and corral errant throws. Came into the pro’s as a development project on route running and physicality at the catch point. Played almost exclusively outside in college, but fits better into the slot role as a pro.
Mario Williams – 5’9” 170 lb. 4.50/1.53 forty 4.16 shuttle 6.96 3cone 33” vert 10’ broad
A hotly pursued four-star recruit, originally signed with Oklahoma, moved on to USC and then, interestingly, stepped down to Tulane. On film, hard to miss the similarity in how Williams was employed by Tulane and how the Rams used Tutu Atwell, lots of over and dig routes, both staples of the Rams outside passing scheme. In the OU/USC offense, he was used on short, quick throws to rely on his open field running. His overall route running is fairly polished at all three depth’s.
Good hand catcher away from his body, nice hand/eye coordination in tight coverage, and liquid fast in transition to run. Begins with tempo and then explodes into another gear, whether running after catch or off route breaks. Stellar feet and very sharp on cuts. Quicker than fast, but 4.5 is more than adequate. Willing and able on balls over the middle. Williams’ twitchy move skills and short area agility will be of help in countering press coverage. He’ll need to prove there is more growth available.
Tru Edwards – 6’2” 198lb. 4.57/1.59 forty 4.27 shuttle 7,28 3cone 39.5” vert 10’7” broad
Took the long road to the NFL, a juco stop, a year at Hawaii, and finished at Louisiana Tech. Well put together and room for more muscle, if needed. As attested by his Pro Day numbers, Edwards has adequate speed and short area agility with good length, explosive leaping skills, and a strong upper body. At the college level, he was often used on tunnel and quick, outside screens.
On film, where he shines is contested catches and fearlessly attacking the middle of the field. He tracks the ball very well and uses big, strong hands to snatch it at its highpoint. Good body control helps him haul in errant throws. Has potential as an open-field runner. Not wicked fast or bursty, but has a quick catch/run transition. He appears a long strider with buildup speed and more swervy through traffic than a sharp cutter. Breaks arm tackles and is tough for one guy to bring down. Played mostly out of the slot, but also outside, in bunch sets and in motion.
2026 outlook: Who’s out and who’s in?
At first glance, it would appear that five spots are locked up and just maybe, that is mostly due to the power of incumbency. Although, seemingly thin behind the Top 2, overall, this years wide receiver room, has the feel at least, of being fairly deep in skills, but shallow in experience.
Last year’s undrafted rookies, Brennan Presley, Tru Edwards, and Mario Williams all had successful preseason outings. Against lesser competition and simple schemes indeed, but all three showed themselves to run sharp routes, create separation, and have good hands. Presley strikes me as having a high floor. He can wear a lot of hats on offense and special teams. Plenty of return work, both punts and kickoff as well as gunner on coverage. He gets his the hard way, grinding. Edwards fits the Rams mold of size, toughness, and contested catch ability. He can run after catch, as well. Williams stands out on tape has having the natural traits of a receiver, flowing fluidity and potential. Size and a lack of return experience in his past may limit him.
Tyler Scott is the big mystery and has a boom/bust vibe. Coming out of college, he was tagged with high-end potential. He needed polish and play strength, but offered playmaker traits and more importantly, versatility to line up anywhere on offense and be of value in the return game. So far, he hasn’t played up to expectations. L.A. wide receivers coaches Eric Yarber, Rob Calabrese, and Robert Woods are tasked with rehabilitating him. Scott’s progression would be big (and welcome) news.
I expect WR#6 goes to CJ Daniels, the Rams are usually on board with rostering their drafted rookies. Injuries that put incomers behind creates the exception. Daniels appears to have the IQ and toughness McVay covets and in the L.A. precision-style offense, his relative lack of burst/speed won’t be much of a consequence. A steady all-around game matched with his toughness/physicality at the point of contested catches and in the middle of the field fits in very well with the Rams.
In the battle for WR#3, I like Jordan Whittington over Konata Mumpfield and Xavier Smith. When re-watching his film, he is the most versatile, moveable piece and has the most balanced tools of the in-house prospects. Also fits as a willing blocker. Rams coaches like the cut of Mumpfield’s jib which means a lot, but I can’t help but have the feeling that he is the most vulnerable as far as possible replacement. Smith has the special teams upside, but it’s fair to say his performance has been only adequate as a punt returner.
Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are a pair of wild cards to draw to. Nacua just keeps getting better and fans should fully expect Adams to perform much closer to his career catch percentage (63%). Indeed, injuries are a concern with Nacua’s play style and Adams’ upward creeping age, but a couple of games apiece, if not paired up can be filled in.
The 2026 Rams wide receiver corps has star power at the top, but needs a breakout player to surface below that threshold. Should the better athletes of the group get a longer look or should the Rams stay with the hard-nosed, effort/IQ prospects?
