5 talented rookies who could spectacularly fall to the Rams on Day 1

Mock drafts, NFL rumors, and the latest rookie prospects are undoubtedly what all fans of the Los Angeles Rams may encounter in the final days leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft. But this is the time of excitement, not frustration. The Rams enter the draft with eight picks, three in the first two days of selections.

Eight players, no matter when or if they hear their names called out, can all have impactful rookie seasons for the Rams. It's no accident that that the team continues to flourish despite fielding one of the youngest rosters of all 32 NFL teams. The Rams simply know their stuff when it comes to selecting players who not only can play but do so with a passion that burns.

Round 1 of the NFL Draft is often viewed as a function of raw rookie talent. But that is not how this works. The first round of picks is more about team needs than player potential. If a team is comfortable with their roster at a specific position, it takes an epic level of talent to be selected at the same position by that team.

And due to the NFL allotting one pick per round to each team, teams only have one opportunity to claim a rookie prospect in that round (barring trading picks). So, a team will seek to address the positions on the roster with the greatest need early, as those players offer the best chance to make the biggest upgrades on the overall roster.

But at the 26th overall pick in Round 1, followed by the 90th and 101st picks in Round 3, can fans truly count on 'impact' players in the 2025 NFL Draft? Yes, with no reservations. This is the team that found RB Kyren Williams and WR Puka Nacua in Round 5 of the 2022 and 2023 NFL Drafts, respectively. So it's not a question of can the team find talent, but when.

Someone will fall. I suspect that NFL teams will allow many quarterbacks to tumble in Round 1, simply because the competition for early selection from non-quarterback positions is too fierce. What about non-quarterback players?

I ran countless numbers of NFL Mock Draft simulations, and paid special attention to the unlikely occasions of an early selection falling to the Rams at the 26th overall pick. If the Rams are patient enough to stand pat at 26, who might fall to them? Some incredibly talented rookie prospects, that's who. Such as:

(5) RB Treveyon Henderson

When it comes to the 2025 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams need another running back on the roster like a submarine needs screen doors. Still, the explosiveness of Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson makes even me sit up and take notice. After all, the Rams may love what RB Kyren Williams has done for the offense. But if the team has greater talent and a higher ceiling at the running back position, could the team do even more damage?

I have been reluctant to dive into the running backs up for grabs in the 2025 NFL Draft, but now that I have begun to look closely, there is so much talent that its impossible not to hope that one of these explosive playmakers find their way to the Rams offense. Of the top five, Ohio State rookie RB prospect TreVeyon Henderson is the most appealing to me:

Now, don't get me wrong, talent is abundant in the 2025 NFL Draft. When the Rams selected RB Kyren Williams (6.00 draft grade) in 2022, he was the 14th-best running back in that draft class. When the Rams selected RB Blake Corum (6.15 draft grade) in 2024, he was the eighth-best running back in that draft class. In the 2025 NFL Draft, the eighth-best running back is Arizona RB Jacori Croskey-Merril, with a draft grade of 6.18.

But the Rams could aim higher, much higher. Let's take a quick overview of the top running backs in this draft class:

1. Ashton Jeanty | 5-foot-9 | 211 pounds | No 40 time
2. TreVeyon Henderson | 5-foot-10 | 202 pounds | 4.43 seconds 40-yard dash
3. Dylan Sampson | 5-foot-8 | 200 pounds | 4.42 seconds 40-yard dash
4. Omarion Hampton | 6-foot-0 | 221 pounds | 4.46 seconds 40-yard dash
5. Quinshon Judkins | 6-foot-0 | 221 pounds | 4.48 seconds 40-yard dash
6. Bhayshul Tuten | 5-foot-9 | 206 pounds | 4.32 seconds 40-yard dash

As you can see, everyone in the list is swift. The Rams running backs are elusive, but none have the kind of speed and explosiveness that this group can bring to the offense in 2025.

There are many reasons to love Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty, but he will almost certainly come off the board quickly. And there is a great deal of buzz over North Carolina RB Omarion Hampton, a huge power back who runs like lightning. TreVeyon Henderson is a nice blend of power and speed. Due to the proliferation of so much talent at the running back position, Henderson is projected to come off the board early in Round 2.

But he is very tempting to the Rams at the 26th overall pick as well. He offers tremendous offensive prowess in both ground and aerial assaults. Best of all, he is unselfish. The Rams do not have a player like TreVeyon Henderson on the roster. But, they could.