Rams feel they already have a Super Bowl roster. Their draft approach confirms it

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That’s become the clear thread through two days and three Rams selections in this year’s draft. The bulk of their hay is in the barn this weekend, with no picks remaining in the fourth or fifth rounds before one in the sixth at No. 207 and three in the seventh at Nos. 232, 251 and 252. And given the way Day 3 is expected to fall off in talent with name, image and likeness causing so many prospects to return to college, it’s fair to say the Rams’ draft class is just about complete. Instead of going after wide receiver and linebacker, as many expected, the Rams zagged to positions not many saw coming for their first two picks. They took Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson at No. 13 in the first round and Ohio State tight end Max Klare at No. 61 in the second. Not until the third round, when they took Missouri offensive lineman Keagen Trost, did the Rams go after one of the positions often mocked to them early in the draft. And even that pick, like the two before it, is all about depth. That isn’t to say they didn’t have other ideas along the way. “Receiver is always in the mix here,” general manager Les Snead said. “… If the Rams are going to pick, there’s always a receiver that we’re going, ‘This guy or a receiver?’” But the Rams showed how much less they valued wide receiver as an actual need on the roster by taking Simpson over USC’s Makai Lemon, who could have been an impact boost after winning the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s top wide receiver last season. Lemon was on the radar, but the plan at No. 13 had been for some time to take Simpson as the quarterback of the future. “Like I’ve mentioned here, the sea is going to shape the 13th pick,” Snead said. “He had to fall.” The Rams did consider four different receivers on Day 2, coach Sean McVay said, but the draft board didn’t fall the way they hoped. They had to wait 28 picks on Friday to make their selection and didn’t have as much trade ammo to move up without fourth- or fifth-rounders in a draft where teams aren’t valuing late selections very much. In those 28 picks before theirs, the draft saw three wide receivers go in the first 15 of the second round. Of those, Washington’s Denzel Boston was a strong fit given the Rams’ ties to the Huskies’ program, and Alabama’s Germie Bernard had an obvious connection to the quarterback of the future they just drafted in Simpson. And so, for all intents and purposes, their wide receiver depth chart is now set with All-Pros Puka Nacua and Davante Adams as the leading forces and Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield and Xavier Smith as depth pieces. That depth proved to be lacking when Nacua and Adams both dealt with three-game absences last season and into the playoffs, but the Rams are banking on those young players taking another step. They’re also supplementing through a clear shift in their approach, as showcased by their second-round selection. “There’s nothing better,” Klare said, “than 13 personnel.” After living in three-receiver sets for almost the entirety of McVay’s first eight seasons in Los Angeles, the Rams pivoted last year to leading the league in three-tight end looks. It started as a way to supplement for a Nacua injury, then exploded in a 35-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in London and ultimately featured a group of Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Terrance Ferguson and Davis Allen all scoring at least three touchdowns amid Matthew Stafford’s league-leading 46-touchdown campaign that won him his first MVP award. And now, after re-signing Higbee for two more seasons and drafting Klare, the Rams have five tight ends who will all fight for playing time. “Max coming into the mix has the ability to be a move blocker,” McVay said. “He can play in-line and shows great run after the catch. The ability to be able to stay grounded in those catch transitions nowadays are really important. It’s one of our favorite things about him.” It was unique for the Rams to take Klare, not just because he’s a tight end but also because his profile is nearly identical to Ferguson’s. Both are second-round picks. Both are “move” tight ends, built closer to slot receivers than in-line players, whose focus in the NFL transition is about bulking up and refining blocking technique. Last year, that meant Ferguson barely played in the first half of the season, but he came on down the stretch and finished with 11 receptions for 231 yards and three touchdowns at 21 yards per catch. The depth of the group should allow the Rams to always have 13-personnel sets in their bag and to make it one of the focal identities of their offense again. Last year, it led not only to Stafford’s MVP breakthrough but also to a run game that spent most of the season near the top of efficiency charts, with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum combining for 1,998 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground as the Rams finished with the No. 1 scoring offense. The key to keeping that balance is ensuring the offensive line is strong, which is why Trost was selected in the third round. The Missouri product played all over the line across four different colleges, and the Rams see him as capable of backing up any of their five spots. They have guards Steve Avila and Kevin Dotson, right tackle Warren McClendon Jr. and center Coleman Shelton in contract years, giving Trost a chance to potentially become a replacement if he can emerge at a single spot in the next year. “The Rams want physical offensive linemen who are athletic and versatile as well,” Trost said. But concern remains if Adams or Nacua has to miss a game. Adams will turn 34 in December, and Nacua plays a high-volume, rugged, yards-after-catch style that consistently risks a violent hit. The Rams will need one of Whittington, Mumpfield or Smith to not only take a step forward, but a giant one if an injury does take place, given how much of the offensive approach is built around those two dominant receivers mirroring each other on two sides of the field. The Rams toyed with the idea earlier this offseason of trading Adams for Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown, but Brown is now expected to be moved after June 1 for cap purposes. The Rams are not expected to re-engage those talks, a team source told The Athletic. The past two offseasons have shown that the Rams see trades and free agency as the outlets for addressing needs, and the draft as a chance to upgrade talent long term. This year, Los Angeles saw one need far above all others in the secondary, which led to trading the No. 29 pick and three other selections to the Kansas City Chiefs for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, re-signing Kam Curl on a three-year deal and signing McDuffie’s running mate on the Chiefs, Jaylen Watson, to a three-year deal. They also knew they had to get stronger on special teams. Beyond hiring coordinator Bubba Ventrone and assistant Kyle Hoke, they signed linebacker Grant Stuard, who has been a staple in coverage. It’s likely that their three Day 3 picks will have a special teams focus, given how Ventrone has been empowered in past stops to scout and select those types. What the Rams need most is a punt returner. As McVay sat down to begin Friday night’s news conference, he cracked a joke. “What do you guys think? Am I angry right now?” he said. McVay said he had friends texting him about Thursday night’s news conference, when he had little to say about the Simpson selection and didn’t offer his usual smiles, jokes and energetic answers. McVay acknowledged that he wasn’t in the best mood but said it was unrelated to the job, and Simpson was a challenging selection to talk through in the aftermath. “I couldn’t be more excited about being able to add him but also understanding how much I love Matthew Stafford, how respectful you want to always be and to the way things can be interpreted,” McVay said. “The demeanor would’ve been stoic by nature because you are excited, but — it is Matthew’s football team. … Whenever that time comes for (Simpson) to get an opportunity to be Matthew’s successor will be on Matthew’s terms.” What unsettled McVay about the reactions to the news conference was the notion from some on the outside that he and Snead weren’t aligned on the quarterback they drafted to be their future. “The one thing that would never be doubted is we couldn’t be any more lockstep in every decision that we make,” McVay said. “… This is my buddy right here.” And together, they’ll have one more day to bring this draft class to completion. 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