Grading every Rams 2025 draft pick (with 1 bold prediction for each)

Day 3 picks

The Rams entered Day 3 with six picks, four falling in Round 6. The team emerged with four rookies, none of whom were selected in Round 6. This was Wheeler-Dealer Les Snead's wheelhouse. He not only knows who the team wants, but possesses an instant recognition of what that player is worth to get on the Rams roster.

If a trade partner exceeds the value of the targeted rookie? The deal is off. But if the target is worth it, both sides shake hands and the deal gets done. The Rams demonstrated that in the 2024 NFL Draft by trading up for DT Braden Fiske, costing them a Round 2 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

But Fiske proved worthy of that investment. Will the Rams' 2025 rookie selections from Day 3 prove to be worth their investments as well?

• DAY 3 PICKS
• Round 4 (117th overall) - RB Jaquez Hunter
• Round 5 (148th overall) - DT Ty Hamilton
• Round 5 (172nd overall) - ILB Chris Paul Jr.
• Round 7 (242nd overall) - WR Konata Mumpfield

Let's look at each rookie:

Round 4 - RB Jarquez Hunter

The Rams' running back room is a small army of carbon copies of the same running back. The Rams prefer their running backs under 5-foot-10, lighter than 215 pounds, and not too fast. The running backs accentuate elusiveness over speed or power. The Rams' rushing attack has grown stale. The team had just two rushes for 20+ yards and was ineffective at gaining yards consistently on the ground.

That may be changing now.

While not selected as early as RB Blake Corum with the 83rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter is a bit more intriguing because he breaks the mold of the Rams' stock running backs in several ways.

For openers, he is fast. That is, he is clocked in his 40-yard dash at 4.44 seconds. That is quicker than any other running back currently on the Rams roster. And that speed means explosive plays:

Another quality that I love about Jarquez Hunter is that he plays much larger than he stands. While he stands 5-foot-9 and tips the scales at 204 pounds, Hunter can and does move the pile. He is a north-south runner, preferring to break tackles rather than avoid them. And his audacity is contagious. He is that tough-as-nails guy that eventually has everyone around him rubbing dirt on sore spots and playing through.

He is a solid blocker on passing downs. He is a ferocious competitor. And he may be the first sign of a changing role for the Rams' running backs in 2025

Bold Prediction: Jarquez Hunter will have more than 2 runs of 20+ yards
Initial Grade for this pick: A

Round 5 - DT Ty Hamilton

The Los Angeles Rams had to see the deep defensive lineman talent in this draft and salivate a little. After all, Michael Hoecht was the last remaining undrafted defensive lineman from 2020, and the team has lost two other key veterans to free agency as well.

It is time to replenish the ranks. Curiously, Ty Hamilton would have been the eighth-ranked defensive lineman in the 2024 NFL Draft, practically ensuring that he would have come off the board in Day 2. But thanks to the depth and talent in this year's draft, he was there for the taking on Day 3. And yes, he is an athletic freak who can slide up and down the defensive front and give plenty of flexibility to DC Chris Shula/

Ty Hamilton is a run-stuffing specialist for Rams fans who have been nervous about the team's run defense. Better still, he is versatile enough to line up alongside Poon Ford for an added oompjh on short-yardage situations.

Unlike the 2020 NFL Draft, the team did not choose from the stragglers after other teams had depleted the shelves. In this draft, the Rams waded into the fray and chose one of the most versatile and productive defensive linemen in the draft. And due to the abundance of talent at the position, the Rams selected a 2024 Day 2 talent on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft.

While not likely to dethrone anyone from a starting role in 2025, Hamilton is certainly talented and NFL-ready enough to give the Rams' defensive line rotation enough quality snaps to keep everyone rested. And there will not be a sudden drop in run-stuffing or pass-rushing prowess during the handoff.

He is the right guy for the Rams role at the position.

Bold Prediction: He will record 4+ tackles for a loss in 2025
Initial Grade for this pick: A+

Round 5 - ILB Chris Paul Jr.

The Rams fanbase was ready to march on Castle Frankenstein with torches and pitchforks if the team did not draft an inside linebacker in the 2025 NFL Draft. For anyone who expected any inside linebacker to hear his name called out on either Day 1 or 2, that was never going to happen. The Rams football organization no longer views the position to be worthy of that level of investment.

Any more than the Rams are likely to spend a Round 1 pick on a running back

What the Rams did do may have been even more impressive. The Rams landed a Top Five inside linebacker on Day 3 and Round 5 of the draft. He is the ideal partner to Rams inside linebacker Omar Speights as he is a smaller and rangier linebacker. While Speights digs in his heels to thump the ball carrier, Paul's rangy and ferocious presence makes him the ideal partner in the heart of the Rams defense.

Unlike the Rams trying to get everything checked off by starting two identical linebackers, Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom, in 2024 without much success, Paul gives the Rams an entirely new skillset that checks off what Speights lacks: Namely, range and pass coverage.

Paul not only brings a defensive upgrade, but he is a special-teams aficionado. The Rams have many ways to deploy Paul to make a noticeable impact on the outcome of games. The Rams brought back Troy Reeder and added veteran Nate Landman to the linebacker room. No matter. This young man can play.

Bold Prediction: Chris Paul will earn a starting role by mid-season
Initial Grade for this pick: A+

Round 7 - WR Konata Mumpfield

The ho-hum Los Angeles Rams offense had grown stale because the 2024 Rams roster held the same duplicates in the running backs room, tight end room, and wide receiver room. The Rams' front office is doing its part to change direction. Now, let's see how the coaches handle a new chapter in the Rams offense. Rookie TE Terrance Ferguson is more pass-catcher than a blocker. Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter has the power to run through you and the speed to run away from you. So what about the wide receiver position?

The Rams selected Pittsburgh Panthers WR Konata Mumpfield. He stands 5-foot-11, weighs 186 pounds, and runs a 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds. He is a wide receiver who fits the moniker: 'Jack of all trades, master of none." And it's that Swiss army knife versatility that makes Mumpfield in the Rams' offense.

With the Rams' wide receivers room featuring at least two high-volume players in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, plus a seemingly impossible commitment to increase the workload for Tutu Atwell, the team needs a can-do-it-all-well-enough backup receiver who will benefit from patience and coaching, but whose ceiling creates value for the team.

That player is Konata Mumpfield

Let's get right to it. ESPN NFL analyst Louis Riddick (a former NFL GM) loves the fit of Mumpfield on the Rams roster. He endorses Mumpfield's ability to play in the slot or on the outside, runs great routes, and is tough as nails. All Day 3 rookie selections have a mixed bag of things you will love about them and things you won't love about them. The secret is to ensure weaknesses are coachable and that passion is there.

Konata Mumpfield is a very passionate player who arrives a bit raw. But even with that said, I find no trouble envisioning ways for this offense to take full advantage of his skill set effectively

Bold Prediction: Konata Mumpfield will gain over 200 receiving yards
Initial Grade for this pick: B+

If you are reading this far, you certainly deserve a round of applause. The Rams' rookie draft class of 2025 is not as obviously elite as recent drafts. But this class was never intended to be loaded with stars to be sent out on stage. To make a compelling Broadway show work, you have to have top-notch stagehands, directors, and understudies. This draft class may seem like understudies, but their roles are every bit as important to win the Super Bowl this year.

The Rams' front office earned its pristine reputation in this draft. There simply was no low-hanging fruit for a team that made the last first selection in this draft and settled for six picks over the eight picks held as the three-day event started. The Rams were not rubber-stamping rookies. This was a finely choreographed draft case study of a team navigating all around to address all roster needs (save the cornerback position, but the Rams have a plan to address that).

The topper for me was the likelihood that by trading out of Round 1 in the 2025 NFL Draft, part of the Rams' compensation is the Atlanta Falcons' Round 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. In the past five drafts, the average spot for the Falcons' first pick is ninth overall. That will almost certainly put the Rams among the NFL teams with the most firepower in the 2026 NFL Draft.

For that, I am overwhelmingly pleased with the Rams rookie draft class.

Overall Initial Draft Grade: A+

As always, thanks for reading

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