Rams News: Wide Receivers For LA To Target In Various Rounds Of This Week's Draft

An insider weighs in.

Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead has a huge weekend ahead of him.

His team currently boasts 11 selections in this year's impending NFL draft, set to kick off on Thursday. Although the team uncovered a diamond in the rough in ex-BYU wide receiver Puka Nacua, selected with the No. 177 pick in the fifth round of the draft, it might still behoove Snead to add some more young wideout talent from among this year's crop of prospects, too.

The 6'2", 205-pound budding star achieved rookie-season records for receptions in a first season (105), receiving yards as a rookie (1,486), receptions in a rookie in a game (15), and receiving yards by a rookie in a playoff game (181). He was named to a Second-Team All-Pro team and a Pro Bowl squad.

Cameron DaSilva of The Rams Wire volunteered to offer Snead a helping hand from afar, in identifying intriguing receiver options for each of the draft's seven rounds. Let's take a look at some highlights.

DaSilva thinks that LSU's other talented first round wide receiver prospect, Brian Thomas Jr., could be there for the Horns with the No. 19 pick.

"Thomas is the perfect wide receiver target for the Rams," DaSilva writes. "He’s tall, has a huge catch radius and great downfield speed, which makes him a legitimate deep threat with his 6-foot-3 frame. When it comes to finding a complement for Nacua and [Cooper] Kupp, Thomas would be an ideal player to land in the draft. The only thing is, the Rams will have to take him in Round 1, and No. 19 might even be too late."

Texas wideout Xavier Worthy could be available in the second round, should Snead opt to go with a different position on Day 1.

"The Tutu Atwell pick hasn’t worked out, but there’s no question [head coach] Sean McVay wants to add speed to the Rams’ offense – and has wanted to for years," writes DaSilva. "Well, Worthy has plenty of it. He ran a combine-record 4.21 in the 40-yard dash, making him the fastest player in NFL combine history. He’s on the smaller side at just 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, but he’s a more polished receiver than Atwell."

When it comes to players who have unique commonalities with LA's current top two receivers, Nacua and Kupp, DaSilva identifies a fascinating flyer fit in the seventh round: UTSA's Joshua Cephus.

"Cephus is similar to Kupp and Nacua in that he won’t wow with his speed or physical traits, but he’s a reliable pass catcher who knows how to get open," DaSilva notes. "His drop rate in 2023 was only 1.1%, according to PFF, which is the second-lowest of any receiver in the class."

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