Jan. 7, 2026, 7:00 p.m. PT

The Los Angeles Rams have two picks in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft and can go in a lot of different ways.

Assuming the team keeps both selections, general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay have the opportunity to add key pieces to either side of the ball and shore up clear positions of need. They can also add a young quarterback to learn under Matthew Stafford or take the reigns in 2026.

There is a lot of time to figure that strategy out, though. For now, the Rams are focused on the postseason. The team knows it owns the No. 13 pick from the Atlanta Falcons, but the team’s own selection remains a mystery until the rest of the postseason plays out.

Yahoo Sports’ Nate Tice mapped out how he thinks the first round will go in this April’s draft and went in a very odd direction for L.A. With obvious needs at cornerback and offensive line, Tice instead went with … a linebacker and tight end.

Tice picked Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles at No. 13 and Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 29 (yes, that’s 2025 second-round pick Terrance Ferguson’s college teammate).

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Here’s the explanation:

The Rams use their first of two first-round picks on Styles to solidify their linebacker room. Styles has an element of speed and range to his game that the Rams could really use, and he would give them a much sturdier front seven than the boom-or-bust one they have.

A shiny toy for Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay to close out their second first-round pick. The Rams already have a couple talented tight ends in Colby Parkinson and Terrance Ferguson, but Sadiq can be the true gamebreaking receiving threat that opens up another door for what’s already an elite offense.

Styles is a surprising, but not awful, choice at No. 13. He tallied 82 combined tackles in 2025 and another 100 combined tackles in 2024. Styles has also registered nine sacks in 43 games over three seasons. He’s big (6-foot-4, 243 pounds), experienced (53 games across four collegiate seasons) and has a pedigree to be an impact player immediately.

However, he’s not a clear need. Nate Landman is a great interior linebacker, Omar Speights is solid enough to start and the Rams have a lot of edge rushers already. Styles would be a luxury pick at No. 13 at a position the Rams typical reserve for late-round selections, undrafted free agency or the the veteran free agent market.

Sadiq would be an even worse pick, though. While the Rams leaned into their tight end room in 2025 and Tyler Higbee is likely on his way out soon, the Rams simply don’t need another player in Sadiq’s mold. His 46 receptions for 531 yards and eight touchdowns in 2025 are nice, but the Rams drafted almost the same player from the same school a year ago in Ferguson. The emergence of Colby Parkinson and the continuity of Davis Allen are other things to consider here, too.

Sadiq wouldn’t have a clear path to playing time, which would be a waste of a first-round pick with other positions on the table late in the first round.

Again, the Rams have a lot of time before they decide on how they draft in the first round. But this direction would raise huge question marks if Snead and McVay go down this route.