Rams Draft History Suggests 2026 Pick Won’t Be the Obvious Choice

History says the Rams won’t follow the mocks. Here’s why and which under-the-radar prospects make sense.

Oct 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon (6) runs for a first down before he is stopped by Michigan Wolverines linebacker Jimmy Rolder (30), defensive back Rod Moore (19) and defensive end Cameron Brandt (9) in the second half at United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

When it comes to the Los Angeles Rams and the NFL Draft, fans and analysts have come to expect the unexpected. This isn’t a team that drafts chalk. When everybody expects them to draft one player at a certain position, general manager Les Snead tends to go in a completely different direction. 

That has been the case throughout much of the Snead and McVay era going back to their first draft in 2017. Back in their first draft, many thought that the Rams would prioritize wide receiver early, needing to rebuild that position group. Given the connection to Los Angeles, many thought that JuJu Smith-Schuster was a near-lock to go to the Rams. Instead, with the 44th overall pick, the Rams selected a tight end out of South Alabama in Gerald Everett. 

It has generally been difficult to predict what direction the Rams will go in the draft in large part because they haven’t had a first-round pick. Getting the first-round correct is difficult as it is. Anything beyond that is icing on the cake. However, the Rams have tended to go to a completely different position altogether or take a player that wasn’t even on many people’s radar. 

Rams Have a Pattern of Draft-Day Surprises

For example, in 2019, it was widely considered that the Rams needed a center. Before trading out of the first round, they were consistently considered a fit for Erik McCoy, Elgton Jenkins, and Garrett Bradbury. Instead, the Rams traded down and took a box safety in Taylor Rapp. 

Josh Uche was a popular pick for the Rams in 2020, but they took a running back in Cam Akers with their first pick. The top three options for the Rams in 2021 were center Creed Humphrey, cornerback Elijah Molden, and wide receiver Dee Eskridge. Snead and Co. passed on Humphrey and Molden completely and took a small wide receiver in Tutu Atwell. 

With a need for a cornerback in 2022, it was thought that the Rams may target Zyon McCollum. Instead, they selected an offensive tackle in Logan Bruss. Needing an edge rusher across from Leonard Floyd, Will McDonald was a popular choice for the Rams in 2023. McDonald ended up going 15th overall, but B.J. Ojulari was also considered a fit. Instead, the Rams drafted a big offensive guard in Steve Avila. 

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler and ESPN’s Matt Miller were the only analysts to correctly peg the Rams as a team targeting Jared Verse. Others expected the Rams to target offensive tackle Tyler Guyton or Amarius Mims, quarterback Bo Nix, and edge rusher Laiatu Latu. Last year, tight end Terrance Ferguson was an unexpected pick after safety Malaki Starks, linebacker Jihaad Campbell, and offensive tackle Josh Conerly were popular Rams picks. 

For the most part, the Rams tend to keep things close to the vest when it comes to their draft plans. They don’t tend to host top-30 visits and therefore players that they may be interested in don’t get reported. 

What That Means for the 2026 NFL Draft

That leads us to the 2026 NFL Draft. With a little more than a week to go before draft night, the Rams are commonly seen as a Makai Lemon team. The Lemon connection makes sense. Lemon played at USC and his skill set is very similar to what the Rams have typically targeted. 

At the same time, Lemon is almost too easy. It’s very possible that the Rams take him, but his skillset largely coincides with what Puka Nacua does well. It’s also been popular to give the Rams a tackle at 13th overall. While it’s not impossible, Alaric Jackson is locked up on the left side and after holding down the right side for much of last season, there seems to be some interest in extending Warren McClendon. 

Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq has been a common Rams target as well. Sadiq may be more likely than some prospects, but the Rams brought back Tyler Higbee and will look for the continued development of Terrance Ferguson. The Rams may take a tight end, but that player may come in the later rounds. 

Don’t Be Surprised by These Rams Targets

There are two under-the-radar prospects that keep coming to mind. Back in 2023, the Rams showed how important the guard position was to their offense by drafting Steve Avila 36th overall. They also extended Kevin Dotson in 2024. Avila and Dotson’s contracts are up at the end of the year. It may not be the popular choice, but Penn State’s Olaivavega Ioane would make a lot of sense as a left guard who could take over for Avila. 

While the focus seems to be on the 2027 draft class, the quarterbacks in that group are no secret. There’s a reason why the Arizona Cardinals moved on from Kyler Murray and replaced him with Gardner Minshew. The Cleveland Browns have stood pat at quarterback and are rolling with Shedeur Sanders. Geno Smith has made a return to the New York Jets, but Smith just played the Las Vegas Raiders into the number one overall pick. 

Tanking may not be a thing in the NFL, but teams are well aware of the potential of the 2027 quarterback class. To put it simply, while the Rams may want a rookie quarterback in 2027, they may not be in position to take one, depending on where they are drafting. If they are selecting beyond pick 25, it’s unlikely that one of Julian Sayin, Dante Moore, Arch Manning, and LaNorris Sellers fall that far. 

It’s possible that the Rams could look to take advantage of the lack of perceived value of this quarterback class and target Ty Simpson as the heir to Matthew Stafford. Stafford and Simpson share the same agent. 

Again, the Rams could go the easy route and simply take Lemon as many are predicting. However, that’s rarely been the way things have gone when it comes to the Rams and the NFL Draft.