Did the Rams Waste Valuable Draft Picks This Offseason?

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. When the Los Angeles Rams made the decision to grab running back Jarquez Hunter out of Auburn, the move appeared to be another masterclass from Les Snead. Snead and Hunter are alums of the same school, Hunter was a massive producer in college, despite not having a consistent passing attack to back him with, and at that time, Kyren Williams' future beyond this season was unclear.

To execute the move, the Rams had to do a bit of business. Sitting with the 127th pick, the Rams traded that selection and their 190th pick to move up ten spots, selecting Hunter with pick 117.

Since then, Hunter has yet to record a single NFL carry or play a single snap this season and it appears he won't this season, barring a turn of events.

McVay Fails to Mention Hunter

Hunter, who has been inactive for multiple weeks, was not mentioned by head coach Sean McVay in regards to a question on his division of running back carries. McVay did mention Kyren Williams, Blake Corum, and Ronnie Rivers. Rivers, who was signed to the active roster, was on the practice squad with Cody Schrader to start the season.

Schrader was called up week one to play special teams while Hunter was inactive for the season-opener. Schrader would then sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“No, it's that we have two backs that we feel great about," stated McVay. "[Running back] Kyren [Williams] is the lead dog. I think our skill players have done an excellent job. No skill player played more than 39 snaps. I want to say yesterday Kyren had 39 and I think Colby had 39. When these guys are really able to maximize it…Blake did an excellent job. They're both going to play. I think we're at our best when you're getting tight ends, receivers and multiple backs involved."

"We have great depth. We have a lot of confidence in all these guys. Kyren is the starting running back but man, I have a ton of confidence in Blake Corum. He's only getting better. This is going to be better for Kyren throughout the course of 17 games and if you earn the right to play after, I think Blake has done a great job and [Running Back Coach] Ron Gould does a really good job with that group as a whole. If [Running Back] Ronnie [Rivers] needed to get in there, there's a lot of confidence in Ronnie. But no changes, nothing like that. I just think the coaches have done an excellent job of being able to have a rotation that's in alignment with maximizing the total group whether that's [Wide Receiver Coach Eric] Yarber, [Pass Game Coordinator Nate] Scheelhaase and [Offensive Assistant] Rob Calabrese with the receivers, whether that's ‘Scooter’ with the tight ends or whether that's Ron Gould with the runners."

Aug 16, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Jarquez Hunter (35) enters the field against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"I've really been pleased with the way that [Offensive Line Coach] Ryan Wendell, Zak Kromer and [Consultant] Brian Allen have developed the depth of our offensive line. Knock on wood we've been able to stay relatively healthy, but you've seen [Offensive Lineman] Justin Dedich play. You've seen [Offensive Lineman] Beaux Limmer have to play. You’ve seen [Offensive Lineman] Warren McClendon do a good job, but I just love the depth of this group.”

If McVay's words are true, Hunter is fourth on the depth chart.

What Does The Future Look Like?

This isn't uncharted territory for the Rams, who prefer not to use rookie running backs. Both Williams and Corum did not get many carries as rookies before massively increasing their work load the next season.

The problem is that even if Hunter does play, he will get minimal opportunities to show what he can do. Williams signed a three-year extension that begins next season, the same year Corum will enter his third year in the league. The Rams love third-year players because it's the perfect combination of experience, growth, youth, and making the most of a low cap hit player.

So, where do the Rams go with Hunter?

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