Training camp will answer nagging Rams draft question still awaiting verdict

With training camp on the horizon, one of the few remaining questions on the Los Angeles Rams roster is who will fill the role of No. 3 receiver behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. The logically related question is whether the Rams made a mistake by passing on a receiver early in the draft. 

While sixth-rounder CJ Daniels will have every chance to claim the WR3 mantle for himself, he is not the default frontrunner that a first-rounder or a Day 2 pick could have been. 

As a result, the team will stage a wide-open melee during training camp and into the preseason to determine who, if anyone, is ready to step up as a third option. The outcome will also provide a verdict as to whether selecting quarterback Ty Simpson with the 13th pick, rather than a win-now contributor, was a mistake that will materially hurt LA's Super Bowl hopes this season. 

Rams need WR3 to please stand up in training camp

On the one hand, it's silly to expect a rookie receiver like Eagles first-rounder and would-be Rams pick Makai Lemon to move the needle all that much. On the other, the absence of a true third target could be a thorn in the Rams' side if either Nacua or Adams gets hurt - and both were banged up last season - and the offense stagnates. 

That absolutely could affect the team this season, particularly if opposing defenses wise up to Sean McVay's 13-personnel sets using multiple tight ends.

It wouldn't be fair, though, to pound the gavel before other receivers on the roster have had a chance to prove themselves. Los Angeles remains invested in Jordan Whittington, who enters Year 3 in need of a bounce-back campaign. Xavier Smith already emerged as a deep threat last season, a role he could further grow into. 

2025 seventh-rounder Konata Mumpfield made obvious strides as his rookie year progressed. He has as good a shot as anyone to claw his way up the depth chart. 

Then there's Daniels, who even as a 201st overall pick has an excellent opportunity to make some noise in the rotation. Maybe McVay even leans into tight end Terrance Ferguson, who averaged 21 yards per catch last season, as his de facto No. 3 receiver.

The Rams are not lacking for promising choices. And, in the end, Simpson, Matthew Stafford's heir apparent at the most important position, safeguards the future of the franchise better than a non-QB could. From that perspective, there's not much to quibble with over the pick.

With a one-two punch as dominant as Nacua-Adams, how much the offense really needs a WR3 will be debatable except in case of injury. The reality, though, is that the Rams do need someone to step up in camp or questions surrounding their draft strategy in an all-in season will resurface with renewed vigor.

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