Rams 2026 NFL Draft Grades: Full Breakdown of Every Pick

The 2026 NFL Draft is officially in the books. Coming into the draft, the Rams didn’t have many glaring needs and that’s exactly how they approached it. They certainly surprised the football world when they selected Ty Simpson 13th overall. However, he gives them a future after Matthew Stafford.

Overall, the Rams made five selections. Let's go through each pick and grade the selection.

Round 1, 13th Overall - Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

Ty Simpson is largely considered the worst pick of the draft and that might be the case. However, if this works out, in three years when Matthew Stafford potentially retires and Simpson looks good, this will be seen as a great move.

By taking a quarterback now, the Rams give themselves flexibility at the trade deadline to move their 2027 first for a proven player if needed. Some will say that the 13th pick was too early, but if the Rams liked Simpson, quarterback is not a position to mess around with when it comes to value. This pick is going to need time, but you can see where the Rams were coming from with the selection. It may not be the ‘win now’ pick that some wanted, but the Rams didn’t need to make a ‘win now’ pick given the strength of the roster.

Round 2, 61st Overall - Max Klare, TE, Ohio State

The Rams didn’t come into the draft needing a tight end, but nobody would have been surprised had they taken Kenyon Sadiq in the first round. Klare signals that the Rams are planning on leaning into some of the 12 and 13 personnel packages that they found success with last year.

Coming into the draft, the Rams didn’t have any glaring needs. That gave them the flexibility to approach it with next year in mind and prepare for players leaving and add depth with a best player available approach. Both Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen are on expiring contracts. Klare was in contention for the draft’s top tight end before transferring to Ohio State. If Klare works out, it might be the steal of the draft.

Round 3, 93rd Overall - Keagen Trost, OT, Missouri

Coming into the draft, the Rams did have a need on the offensive line. While the starting five are firmly in place, four of them are in the final years of their contracts. Additionally, the Rams lacked depth behind them. Trost may not be a future starter, but he is a high-floor player who can provide depth at four of the five positions. Trost is an older prospect, but is a strong fit.

Round 6, 197th Overall - CJ Daniels, WR, Miami

Outside of Simpson, Daniels may end up being the Rams’ best pick of this draft. When we look at this class in five years, it’s possible Daniels is seen as a home run pick. He may not be the next Puka Nacua, but he’ll be able to compete with Konata Mumpfield and add important depth at the wide receiver position.

Round 7, 232nd Overall - Tim Keenan III, DL, Alabama

After being criticized for how they handled the first two days, the Rams finished the draft very strong. Selecting Keenan raises some questions about how the team views Ty Hamilton. However, he is a prototypical nose tackle. He doesn’t add a lot as a pass rusher, but he does all of the dirty work in the middle of the defensive line.

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Rams Final Draft Grade

This class isn't as bad as the media is making it out to be. Was it different than what everybody expected? Certainly. That also doesn't make it a bad class. The Rams clearly had a plan and followed their 'why' and their process. That's the most important thing. It's impossible to grade a draft immediately after the fact, but if Ty Simpson works out, this is a home run. The Rams didn't sacrifice their Super Bowl window and still have one of the best rosters in the NFL.

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