Todd McShay of The Ringer posted 20 things he is hearing ahead of this week’s NFL Draft. He summarized his conversations with front offices and league sources in the days leading up to the first round on Thursday night.
What did McShay report about the Los Angeles Rams? Let’s take a look.
Are Rams out on first round receivers?
As of this writing, I think the Rams are more likely to draft a wide receiver in the second than in the first. What’s the difference between Makai Lemon and De’Zhaun Stribling in that system? They could also get Germie
Bernard or Chris Bell in the second. That frees up the Rams to use the 13th pick on their best player available. This pick is a huge deal in the league. If it’s not a receiver and it isn’t Simpson, who is it? They don’t have a glaring need. Their selection could throw off the plans for the next handful of teams and become one of the biggest pivot points in this first round.
Will Ty Simpson land in the NFC West?
More on the Cardinals: They absolutely dig Alabama QB Ty Simpson. They’re playing coy, but they like him. It’s like a secret crush that everyone’s aware of, and they’re hoping no one knows. That said, I keep hearing that there’s another team interested in Simpson, and I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s the Rams. I know they liked him during the college football season. If I’m the Cardinals and Simpson is our guy, I wouldn’t feel comfortable trading behind the Rams at 13.
TE Kenyon Sadiq falling?
Sadiq could be a target for Rams at #13 depending on the board falls. McShay thinks he will be available for the Panthers in the bottom 15 picks.
Kenyon Sadiq is another name to watch for Carolina. The Panthers had only 638 receiving yards from their tight ends last season, 30th in the NFL.
JB’s thoughts
On receivers: The value seems to be better with the second round group of receivers rather than picking one at #13. Carnell Tate and Jordyn Tyson would be first round picks in most drafts, but I’m not sure they are ordinarily top 15 talents. Makai Lemon should be a late first round pick or early second rounder, just based on where the top slot receivers are normally drafted. If the report turns out to be true, the Rams would be wise to draft the best player available instead of forcing need. This is their earliest draft pick since 2016.
On Simpson: It makes sense on the surface that if the Cardinals are interested so are the Rams. These two teams run the same offensive scheme and Simpson is commonly compared to a more physically talented Brock Purdy. If Purdy works for Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers, it’s reasonable that Mike LaFleur (a former Shanahan assistant) would find value in Simpson. LaFleur was the Rams’ OC last season and we can conclude that Simpson would also make sense for LA. Drafting Simpson grew more unlikely when the Rams traded their second of two first round picks to the Chiefs in the Trent McDuffie package; however, if Simpson falls into the late first round or day two, we could potentially see Los Angeles move up to futureproof the quarterback position for life after Matthew Stafford.
