Ideal Rams mock draft lands elite TE Colston Loveland in huge offensive haul

The LA Rams have vied for a top-tier tight end in the past two NFL Drafts. The team swung and missed at trading up to select Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid in the 2023 NFL Draft, and failed to trade up to select Georgia tight end Brock Bowers in the 2024 NFL Draft. So entering any Rams mock draft in 2025, I had to lean heavily into a tight end early in the draft.

After all, the trend is rather obvious.

But there is a distinction to be made here. Team needs are vitally dependent upon who is projected to be available on the draft board. A team cannot select talented players if they are simply not there. That is why teams preload their rosters with free agents. The best strategy for any draft is to have a capable veteran available for all positions and let training camp give rookies the experience and opportunity to usurp their veteran teammates in starting roles.

On the sour side of things, the Rams roster continues to improve markedly with the arrival of each new rookie class, to the point of diminishing returns in terms of immediately impacting rookies in 2025. The good news is that the 2025 NFL Draft is abundant with talent at some key offensive positions that the front office is certain to target this year.

And so it goes, each year is a new and unique blend of quality players. Just check out one NFL Draft analysts views on the strength of this rookie class:

Of course, the fun of any NFL draft is not simply who might the Rams select, but the shrewd maneuvering needed to trade up or down the draft board to align their targets with value to optimize the Rams roster. How might that take shape this year?