Rams don't expect CJ Daniels to make fans forget draft-day gambit

Many, if not most Los Angeles Rams fans have come around on the decision to use the 13th pick on quarterback Ty Simpson in this year's draft. That said, it didn't sit so well with some that, after passing on USC's Makai Lemon in the first round, the Rams then waited until late on Day 3 to address the receiver position. 

When they did, it was to trade up for Miami wideout CJ Daniels in the sixth round. While he brings his own promise and intrigue, the selection doesn't offer the immediate upside that drafting Lemon, Denzel Boston, or even Chris Brazzell II would have earlier in the draft.

Rookies or not, Lemon or Boston would likely enter training camp as easy favorites to win the WR3 role. Daniels won't. That's not his job. 

The Rams didn't draft Daniels to compensate for neglecting the position in earlier rounds. They made the selection with a clear role in mind, adding a tough, physical depth option lower down in the rotation, with a relatively high floor for a sixth-round rookie.

Rams won't ask Daniels to be something he's not

Clearly general manager Les Snead and his scouts saw potential in the sixth-year senior, or they wouldn't have burned additional draft assets to move up for him. Despite being the third option at Miami last season, Daniels took on a larger role in the red zone. Among Hurricanes pass-catchers, he finished second with seven touchdowns.

In Los Angeles, Daniels will jockey for depth-chart priority with Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith, and Konata Mumpfield, a 2025 seventh-rounder. Most likely, the Rams will lean on last season's formula. Puka Nacua and Davante Adams will account for the vast majority of receiver targets, with a battalion of tight-ends bringing up the rear. 

The young wideouts will fight for the scraps. 

That might be all this offense needs. Nacua is at worst a top-two receiver in the league. After the league in receiving scores, Adams might actually be even more productive this year, given good health and more time to sync up with Matthew Stafford in the offseason, after the latter's back problems made that impossible in 2025. 

Daniels won't be Lemon. He won't be Boston. He won't be Brazzell or Skyler Bell or even Ted Hurst. If Nacua or Adams misses more than a handful of games, not having a legitimate third option - or even a quality WR4, by some standards - will come back to bite them. 

The Rams will cross their fingers for Adams' hamstrings and ask Daniels to simply be himself. If he can be an auxiliary target who puts himself in the right spots, at the right time, that should be enough. 

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