Rams show no signs of halting 2027 preparations in 2026 draft

The Los Angeles Rams pulled off the shocker of the day by drafting quarterback Ty Simpson at 13th overall in the first round. The move does little to help the 2026 roster aside from providing a likely upgrade at QB2 ahead of Stetson Bennett. What it does, instead, is give the Horns a possible franchise passer of the future. For now, Simpson will learn valuable lessons as Matthew Stafford's apprentice.

After that doozy, surely general manager Les Snead would get down to business on Day 2. Rams fans already know better, or they should. With the 61st overall pick, Snead & Co. selected Ohio State tight end Max Klare. Really? Another tight end? Given the other options available, anyone who called that one is either a genius or lying.

Yet again, it's a pick geared toward the future. Next offseason, Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen will be free agents. Tyler Higbee will be a year older. Klare will fit right in ... in 2027. In the present tight end rotation, which includes 2025 second-rounder Terrance Ferguson, there isn't room for everyone.

Rams have made a point of prioritizing the future in the draft

Snead's third-round selection, Missouri tackle Keagen Trost, actually matches some semblance of expectations. Tackle depth was a known need entering the draft. Trost isn't necessarily a name Rams fans were thinking of, but he could work his way into some rookie snaps.

That said, he won't be starting ahead of Warren McClendon or Alaric Jackson Jr. Just as important as securing immediate depth, and maybe even more so, is Trost's potential as a future replacement for either current starter. 

Barring an extension, McClendon will be a free agent next offseason. Jackson's contract expires a year later. The clock is ticking, and the Rams have done their best to stay ahead of it in the draft. 

Nowhere was that mindset more apparent than at the quarterback position in Round 1. With the hole at WR3 as big as any on the roster, reaching for a quarterback projected as a late first-rounder at best was certainly a statement. The Rams took Simpson even though receiver Makai Lemon was still on the board. So was defensive end Rueben Bain Jr., a top-eight projected pick. 

Whatever you think about Lemon's limitations outside the slot or Bain's short arms, those two had a better shot at contributing as rookies than Simpson will scanning an iPad on the sidelines. As a potential starting QB, however, his future equity is greater by default. With Stafford likely nearing retirement, the Rams elected to safeguard the future at the most important position by calling Simpson's name at No. 13.

Even taking Klare on Day 2 reinforces how little they are panicking over the present. Wide receiver Chris Brazzell would have made a lot of Horns fans happy. But Snead wasn't about to let immediate appeal dampen his evaluation of future upside. Klare at tight end it is. 

A year-and-a-half from now, when all three, even Simpson, could be starting in the Rams' rotation, we might be thanking Snead for his foresight. What fans can count on entering Day 3 is a continued emphasis on drafting for the future, not the present. 

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