Draft week is finally here. The action gets underway on Thursday evening, and the Los Angeles Rams unusually hold a top 15 selection. It’s their earliest pick since they took Jared Goff first overall in 2016. Since LA rarely picks in the first round and often trades their selections for veteran players, like they did earlier this offseason in exchange for Kansas Ctiy Chiefs corner Trent McDuffie.
There are a few thoughts I can’t shake just days before the draft. This is what is on my mind.
First round picks are five-year investments, not one
A lot of
those in the Rams community are saying that the 13th pick should follow suit in LA’s offseason plan to go “all in”. That whoever the team takes in the first round must be able to contribute in year one and help Los Angeles Rams the Super Bowl.
But draft picks are five-year investments. It’s simply not wise to distill a player’s capabilities down to how ready they are to produce in their first season.
This is the Rams’ earliest pick since 2016. They are in position to come away with a franchise building block for the foreseeable future, even if they already have plenty of promising, young talent on the roster.
What if the top two or three receivers are on the board, meaning the team won’t be able to fill one of the biggest remaining needs? What if the best option is someone like Spencer Fano who probably projects as a backup in 2026 with potential to be a high level starting guard or tackle thereafter? Simply put, most fans would be disappointing if the Rams do indeed select Fano.
That doesn’t make sense. LA is in a position to come away with a good player. Asking them to boom or bust as a rookie is ill-advised. We need to move off this thought process.
Is this the year LA takes a quarterback?
I still wonder about the Rams’ intention behind hiring former head coach Kliff Kingsbury as an offensive assistant. Kingsbury has a track record of working with quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray, and Jayden Daniels.
Can we read the tea leaves and conclude that LA brought in Kingsbury—probably on a short-term basis until he gets his next coordinator or head coaching role—to groom a young quarterback like Ty Simpson or Drew Allar?
Backup quarterbacks do not receive much attention or repetitions during the season. While McVay and the offensive staff are focused on Matthew Stafford and the starting offense, Kingsbury could split off and give most of his attention to the usually neglected. This could prime the young player to take over as soon as 2027.
Rams’ words on special teams must be backed with action
The Rams say the want to get better on special teams after the third phase acting as their Achilles heel in 2025. The team must backup these words with action and invest in talent to improve the overall ecosystem on special teams.
This weekend I posted a list of potential candidates who could contribute right away.
We know that LA could reasonably improve at returner over Xavier Smith and Ronnie Rivers. Teams across the NFL are creative in how they are approaching kick returns, and the Rams are leaving a lot of meat on the bone if they continue to neglect returns under the modern rules.
