TE Colby Parkinson among Rams players in danger of being benched for a rookie

As the Los Angeles Rams make their final preparations for the 2025 NFL Draft, I must admit that I am a bit torn over the direction this team may go. There are positions on this team that are not as deep or talent-laden as other positions, and those seem to make the most sense for the team to address in the first two days of the draft. But as the team steps up to the podium late in Round 3, what will they do?

By many accounts, that is the area of this draft with the most bang for the buck. Talent is very abundant in this draft in the middle rounds. Perhaps not at the All-Pro level, but certainly at the NFL competent starter level. It's that abundance of talent that may not immediately address a team's need that has me stuck at the crossroads.

One of the positions that I expect the Rams to address in the draft is the tight end position. Even though the team is saturated with tight ends who all made the 53-man roster, the combination of Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, and Davis Allen feels a bit like a committee of players who can be swept to the bench if the team adds an accomplished rookie.

• Tyler Higbee - Tyler Higbee is still the most productive tight end on the Rams roster, but he is 32 years old, and his injuries will eventually catch up to him.
• Colby Parkinson - A huge-bodied tight end who can catch passes and block like an offensive lineman. He was not nearly as productive at receiving as the team hoped, but he remains a huge body who can block.
• Davis Allen - The youngest tight end, Davis Allen, flashed significant potential in his rookie season. But he suffered from a serious sophomore slump. Still, he is the least expensive, can block, and may reclaim the promise of his rookie season.

If the Rams finally land a tight end after two drafts of attempting to do so, the addition could me demoting one of the current tight ends on the roster.

Veteran TE Tyler Higbee will be secure in his starting role. His return in the final games of 2024 marked a significant surge of production for the Rams' offense at that position. I cannot see an untested rookie tight end claiming a starting role for the team too quickly.

Similarly, I do not see the Rams cutting ties with the ultra-inexpensive Davis Allen. Allen is entering the third of four seasons of his rookie contract. While not the top performer at tight end on the team, he may be the best bargain. As teams make the tough decisions to pare their rosters to the 53-man limit, cost does play an important part in the gyrations to fit everyone under the annual salary cap limits.

That leaves TE Colby Parkinson standing in the NFL version of musical chairs. He did not generate the type of offense that he signed up for. He struggled to earn the tight end role on the team that forced the coaching staff to rotate in Hunter Long and Davis Allen as the season wore on, hoping to find someone who could lay claim to Higbee's successor.

If the Rams follow suit with past efforts, this team will emerge with a talented rookie tight end. That will place the new player in line as the obvious successor to Higbee. Who might that be? I don't know yet, but several very talented tight ends are up for grabs this year. Hopefully, the Rams break the funky strategy of benching rookie offensive skill players for a year.

Any rookie tight end selected in 2025 will need live offensive snaps to develop and grow. That almost certainly means bumping Colby Parkinson to the bench this season. If not, the team risks never developing a talented successor to Tyler Higbee. That is worse than never drafting one in the first place.

As always, thanks for reading.

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