2 NFL Experts dissect Rams draft needs and project Rams draft strategy

Secondary needs

I have to be careful to explain what I mean here. Secondary needs are simply strategic or less urgent positions to be addressed in the draft. The Rams roster has some clear needs for depth at positions where the starting player is getting up in years, has shown some regression in durability, and may opt to retire in the near future. As of right now, three players seem to fit that criteria. They are RT Rob Havenstein, TE Tyler Higbee, and QB Matthew Stafford.

Secondary 'need': Offensive tackle

When it comes to offensive tackle, the Rams have tried to address the backup offensive tackle role. The team is moving away from swing tackle Joe Noteboom in 2025, as his durability concerns hit critical mass last season. Can the team rely upon Warren McClendon Jr., AJ Arcuri, and KT Leveston to handle any need to fill in at offensive tackle in 2025?

If the average pattern develops this year, the Rams will need to have seven games with an alternate offensive tackle available, and one of those games is very likely to include the need to swap in offensive tackles at both positions. Do the Rams have that capacity on the roster right now? If Leveston pans out in 2025, the answer is yes. But are the Rams comfortable turning over the keys to a starting RT role to any player on the roster right now? I'm not convinced that the coaches are that warm and fuzzy.

I suspect that the Rams view a Day 1 offensive tackle as overkill. Rob Havenstein and Alaric Jackson are the presumed starting offensive tackles in 2025, and Warren McClendon Jr. is the presumed swing-tackle who will take over for outbound OT Joe Noteboom. But the Rams will want to add more OL talent, perhaps as many as four or five rookie prospects during and after the 2025 NFL Draft.

Current starting left tackle Alaric Jackson signed with the Rams after the 2021 NFL Draft. So it's not when offensive linemen are added. The important thing is that they are added.

Secondary 'need': Tight end

The Rams have shown persistent resolve in adding an elite tight end to the roster in each of the past two drafts. In 2023, the Rams tried without success to trade into Round 1 to select Utah TE Dalton Kincaid. In 2024, the team tried to trade up to select Georgia TE Brock Bowers. The team was denied last year as well. In 2025, both Penn State TE Tyler Warren and Michigan TE Colston Loveland are viewed as elite tight ends. If the Rams agree, and follow their historic pattern of trying to trade up to be in position to select one or the other, fans should prepare now for Day 1 fireworks out of Rams GM Les Snead.

Beyond Warren and Loveland, draft profiles of the remaining tight ends spin off in a variety of directions. But what were common elements that seemed to attract the Rams to either Kincaid or Bower in the past? They are fluid pass catching tight ends with a full command of route trees, soft hands, and the ability to tack on yards after the catch.

Tight end prospects to keep on your radar screen for the Rams in Round 1 include: Michigan TE Colston Loveland, LSU TE Mason Taylor, and Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr., Given the history of tight ends in past drafts, the Rams are almost certain to have two options at the tight end position at the 26th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. Will the Rams pull the trigger for a rookie tight end in 2025? I like the chances of the team doing so.

Secondary 'need': Quarterback

When it comes to how the Rams view their succession plan behind veteran Matthew Stafford this season, I have no problem with the way the team is currently constructed. The team has starting quarterback Matthew Stafford, veteran backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, and reserve quarterback Stetson Bennett. How long the Rams can rely on Stafford to fill the starting quarterback role? And the answer to that question dictates how the team approaches this draft.

While the quality of available quarterback prospects may not excite many NFL fans, the lack of teams who will shop for quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft will create some intriguing opportunities. When the Rams step up to the draft podium, some draft analysts expect only two quarterbacks to be off the board. If that scenario plays out, the Rams could be looking at quarterback prospects that include:

• Miami QB Cam Ward (off the board)
• Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders (off the board)
• Mississippi QB Jaxson Dart
• Louisville QB Tyler Shough
• Texas QB Quinn Ewers
• Alabama QB Jalen Milroe
• Syracuse QB Kyler McCord
• Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel

It's the abundance of quarterback talent at the end of Round 1 that legendary Rams quarterback Jim Everett used to assert that the Rams are likely to trade back from the 26th overall pick. He has a legitimate point. I cannot see the Rams investing a Round 1 pick into a young quarterback to bury him on the depth chart for a year. It's far more likely that the team invests a Day 2 or Day 3 pick into the quarterback position.

Multiple teams face the dilemma of choosing elite talent early in Round 1, while needing a young quarterback. The wisest strategy for those teams becomes choosing the most talented player on the draft board in Round 1. Then, using their early Round 2 pick and package other picks to pry the Rams late Round 1 pick away, and use the 26th overall pick to address a promising quarterback prospect to their roster.

The Rams would love to add picks in Rounds 2 and 5. If a talented tight end prospect is there in Round 2, so much the better.

These are not the ONLY positions that the Rams may address in the 2025 NFL Draft. But they are positions that the Rams almost certainly will address at some point during the draft. Keep in mind that the Rams have mastered their past two drafts with insightful strategies that have buoyed an aging team into a very competitive roster while becoming younger and younger.

I'm incredibly encouraged by this Rams draft insight from Mina Kimes and Sam Monson. Hopefully, you will feel optimistic as well. As always, thanks for reading.

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