Louis Riddick names Rams top draft need in NFC Championship Game

The Los Angeles Rams lost to the Seattle Seahawks. Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba shredded the secondary for 153 receiving yards and a touchdown. Worse still, he caught 10 of 12 passes thrown his way. The rest of the offense hauled in 15 of 24 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns. JSN was practically the workhorse of the Seahawks offense.

And LA's secondary had no answer for him.

ESPN's NFL analyst Louis Riddick saw what was happening and spouted a reaction on social media that was perfectly timed. In the heat of battle, Riddick identified a huge hole in the team's strategy. The current defensive backs didn't have a chance of stopping JSN.

The Seahawks offense borrowed an LA trick, lining up the wide receiver in the backfield. Whenever that happened, he caught a pass. Even Tom Brady in the broadcast booth called out the oversight, accurately predicting who the pass would go to simply from the offensive formation.

It was just one of several huge factors that led to the loss.

Rams shopping list has to address secondary shortcomings

While the LA Rams roster was content to ride the same bodies in the secondary, defensive backs don't have the overdrive to be effective in the playoffs. And the same pass rush that put up 16 quarterback sacks in last year's postseason was only able to muster five sacks in three games this year.

The team cannot afford to allow quarterbacks sufficient time to shred the secondary. No, it's not a dumpster fire. The team extended defensive back Quentin Lake, which is a huge step in the right direction. But the team is scheduled to lose cornerbacks Ahkello Witherspoon, Derion Kendrick, Cobie Durant, and Roger McCreary.

The team had to shop for cornerbacks simply from the number of expiring contracts.

Still, the team has to up the priority. A Day 1 selection of a cornerback feels very much like a must, not just a convenient want. Coincidentally, the rookie class of 2026 is loaded with elite cornerback prospects.

Rams general manager Les Snead has not targeted defensive backs successfully in previous drafts. But he will need to up his game, as this secondary needs help. Instantly and desperately.

As always, thanks for reading.