Raims may live to regret letting this near-elite TE fall to NFC West rivals

When the Los Angeles Rams stepped up to the podium to announce the 46th pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, there had already been a mini-run on the tight end position. Both Michigan TE Colston Loveland and Penn State TE Tyler Warren were pounced on among the first 15 rookies selected in Round 1. But in Round 2, the New York Jets selected LSU TE Mason Taylor, the third-ranked tight end off the board.

I suspected that the Rams would make their move at the position. The fourth-ranked tight end was Miami TE Elijah Arroyo. The next tight end was Bowling Green's one-hit wonder, Harold Fannin Jr. The Rams had met with the first three tight ends taken off the board, plus Texas TE Gunner Helm, and finally with Nebraska TE Thomas Fidone II.

Gunner Helm lasted until the middle of Round 4. Thomas Fidone lasted until the start of Round 7. And the fourth-ranked Elijah Arroyo would hear his name called out by the NFC West Rival Seattle Seahawks just to picks later. Instead, the Rams opted for Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson. The move baffled me and many other contributors to draft coverage.

Don't panic. I've since warmed up to the addition of Ferguson. Rams GM Les Snead is convinced that Ferguson's passion and work ethic are unmatched by any other rookie tight end prospect in this draft. That is a ringing endorsement from the guy who was keen enough to realize what a huge coup the team could make in the 2024 NFL Draft by pairing up both Florida State OLB Jared Verse and DT Braden Fiske. No NFL draft analyst truly understood the move.

Advantage: Les Snead.

Elijah Arroyo was an oft-injured tight end in both 2022 and 2023 for the Miami Hurricanes. For many teams, he had to prove that he was unaffected by those injuries in 2024. Per his draft profile, he did exactly that. I'm not convinced that the Rams were as trusting that he had cleared medical flags.

The Seattle Seahawks were satisfied. They jump on Arroyo to claim him as the fifth tight end off the board. And they have had a fine eye at selecting tight ends. Current veteran tight end Colby Parkinson was formerly drafted and played for the Seahawks. He didn't exactly wow in his first season in the Rams offense while TE Tyler Higbee recovered from an ACL injury.

The Rams offense has typically called on wide receivers to emulate the more physical play of tight ends, allowing them to focus primarily on an 11-personnel base package. But with the addition of rookie TE Terrance Ferguson so early in the draft, are changes afoot? In plainer language, will the team find value in committing to 12-personnel offensive plays?

The Rams invested a valuable pick into rookie RB Blake Corum, only to allow him to collect dust on the bench.

The Seattle Seahawks do not suffer from hesitancy to get rookies involved. So it's quite likely that Elihah Arroyo will outperform Terrance Ferguson in his rookie season. That won't sit well with Rams fans who will notice that Arroyo was on the board and ignored by the Rams front office.

And it may not sit well with the Rams front office, either.

As always, thanks for reading.

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