Insider notes on LA Rams: Unspectacular draft, decision to select Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson, and more

The Los Angeles Rams are a bit of a draft oddity. For years they seemed to care little about the April event, trading away picks for veterans and spending most of the seven rounds on lounge chairs around a swimming pool. Yet starting in 2023, they reversed course and committed themselves to the draft and have done a bang-up job. They hoped to keep that momentum going this year.

Speculation was that the Rams would select one of the top cornerbacks with their pick or perhaps a tight end if a top prospect at the position fell into their laps. Instead, they traded out of the frame altogether, surrendering the 26th pick to the Atlanta Falcons for the team’s first selection in next year’s event as well as their choice in Round 2. With that pick, number 46, they chose tight end Terrance Ferguson of Oregon. A solid all-around player at the position, Ferguson is a reliable pass catcher who effectively does the job blocking. He’s not super fast, and I had Ferguson graded as a late-Day 2 prospect, but he’s NFL-ready and has minimal downside.

In Round 3, the Rams chose Josaiah Stewart, the pass rusher from Michigan. Stewart is an intense edge rusher who nicely fits the defense employed by Los Angeles. It’s an interesting selection, as the Rams already have two devastating pass rushers in Byron Young and Jared Verse, yet Stewart was good value in the third round and will do well as a rotational defender.

Running back Jarquez Hunter was the next selection in Round 4, and like Stewart, he’ll be a good rotational/situational player on the depth chart. Hunter is an explosive playmaker who beats defenders into the open field and regularly picks up big chunks of yardage from the line of scrimmage.

The team selected a pair of defenders in the fifth round, tackle Ty Hamilton and linebacker Chris Paul Jr. Hamilton is an undersized three-technique defender with great quickness. His game is very similar to players the Rams already have on the depth chart such as Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske. Paul is an athletic prospect who needs to elevate his game. Some graded Paul as a Day 2 prospect, which I never understood. He had great upside but showed limited consistency on the college field.

Konata Mumpfield was the team’s final pick. He’s a solid receiver with return skills, yet he has no outstanding physical trait in his game.

The Rams did not sign many free agents, and looking at the list, I don’t see any who’ll make the active roster. I do like Bill Norton, the wide-bodied, two-gap defensive tackle from Texas who can line up on the nose.

Grade - B: This draft is an unspectacular collection of players overall, yet the early selections will end up as situational players right off the bat and see action as rookies. You must factor in that the Rams gained an additional first-round pick in next year’s draft, which raises the overall grade of this group.