Rams’ 2025 draft obsession with tight ends is already haunting them

It's no secret the Los Angeles Rams have tried to draft a tight end since their meltdown season in 2022. What prompted L.A. to prioritize a rookie tight end after a 5-12 season is anybody's guess. The challenge with fixating on a specific position in any draft is that strategy is broadcast to all 32 NFL teams. That gives other general managers valuable intel.

General manager Les Snead tried to trade into Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft for tight end Dalton Kincaid. One year later, Snead was working the phones once more to trade up for tight end Brock Bowers. The rumored efforts were even confirmed by multiple sources.

The failed strategy was as good as a flashing neon sign for Los Angeles' targets in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The same trade-up strategy surfaced again in the 2025 draft. Targets may have been wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, tight end Colston Loveland, or tight end Tyler Warren. Frustrated by the lack of willing trade partners, Snead chose to trade back into Round 2 to the 46th overall pick.

But that is where things get interesting, and frustrating.

Week 3 loss to Eagles revealed glaring flaw in Rams' draft strategy

The Rams' fixation on tight ends allowed teams to play the draft board with better mastery. One such savvy draft move was performed by the Arizona Cardinals, who shrewdly sat at No. 47 overall to draft Michigan rookie cornerback Will Johnson. He was projected as a Round 1 prospect and had starter written all over him.

Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 200 pounds, Johnson was an ideal addition to a secondary that many respected NFL analysts listed as a L.A. need, not a want. He is a strong and fluid cornerback, a physical sort who can withstand the brutality of defending big tight ends and wide receivers. And so far, he is outstanding in his coverage, with Pro Football Focus grades that are very impressive at 77.8 pass coverage and 77.9 overall after two games (Johnson was an injured scratch in Week 3).

Instead of grabbing a need in Johnson, Snead opted for tight end Terrance Ferguson, who has played just four offensive snaps over three weeks; a sharp contrast to Johnson's 107 defensive snaps so far.

Yes, Ferguson's workload was significantly reduced in the early part of the season by a training camp injury. But Los Angeles already boasted three competent tight ends. The willingness to invest in bench-warming offensive rookies may be strategic for the future, but it's a drain of resources that creates a surplus of developmental players who cannot all be carried on a 53-man roster.

It was clear in Week 3's brutal loss to the Philadelphia Eagles that the absence of veteran corner Ahkello Witherspoon was indeed a huge one, and it's fair to wonder if Johnson could have been a key difference maker.

Snead's squad boasts four tight ends, who have contributed a combined nine catches out of 12 targets for 67 yards and two touchdowns.

That three-game collective is less than several individual tight ends' numbers to date.

Many fans would assuredly be thrilled to have Johnson on the roster right now instead of a weekly inactive candidate in Ferguson.

As always, thanks for reading.

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