{"id":777096,"date":"2026-02-26T07:32:05","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T07:32:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/777096\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T07:32:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T07:32:05","slug":"what-the-rams-must-prioritize-in-the-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/777096\/","title":{"rendered":"What the Rams Must Prioritize in the Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6c\">The Los Angeles Rams were one of the most complete teams in the NFL last season, with them looking like Super Bowl contenders for the majority of it. They failed to meet those expectations, but their success showed they have what it takes to win the big game as long as they can get there. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6f\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/rams\/onsi\/los-angeles-how-can-significantly-improve-their-offense\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sean McVay<\/a> and the rest of the Rams&#8217; coaching staff successfully addressed a significant portion of their needs last offseason, which directly contributed to their success. They now face an offseason where they have to make the correct decisions once again. What&#8217;s one position that cannot be left untouched if they want to win in 2026?<\/p>\n<p>What They Must Prioritize<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/01kja6gcc32skhnb4tzy.jpg\" alt=\"Matthew Stafford\" title=\"Matthew Stafford\" width=\"2164\" height=\"1217\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"6s\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) changes signals at the line in the first quarter in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6w\">Josh Edwards writes for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nfl\/news\/nfl-team-needs-scouting-combine-free-agency-draft\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CBS Sports<\/a>, and he wrote an article breaking down which position every team must value throughout the drafting process. The Rams&#8217; biggest weakness last season was their inability to prevent big plays from opposing passing attacks, which is why they should prioritize cornerbacks in the upcoming draft. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6z\">&#8220;Cornerback had already been a need for Los Angeles, but\u00a0Derion Kendrick,\u00a0Decobie Durant,\u00a0Roger McCreary\u00a0and\u00a0Ahkello Witherspoon\u00a0are already hitting free agency. Los Angeles has not invested in the position apart from trading for\u00a0Jalen Ramsey,\u00a0Marcus Peters\u00a0in the past&#8221;, said Edwards. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/01kja7nsga7q48q6vxr2.jpg\" alt=\"Ahkello Witherspoon\" title=\"Ahkello Witherspoon\" width=\"2521\" height=\"1418\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"79\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jan 13, 2025; Glendale, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (4) against the Minnesota Vikings during an NFC wild card game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7d\">The Rams had a chance to draft a cornerback in last season&#8217;s draft cycle, and while it may not have changed their final outcome, it could&#8217;ve been the difference that propelled them past the Seattle Seahawks in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/rams\/onsi\/los-angeles-learned-from-demoralizing-championship-loss\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NFC Championship Game<\/a>. However, there&#8217;s no reason why they can&#8217;t address their need this time around, with two first-round picks to work with and sufficient cap space to boot. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7g\">&#8220;The time may have finally come for it to be a higher priority.\u00a0Offensive tackle may be a need unless the Rams are fine with Warren McLendon serving as\u00a0Rob Havenstein&#8217;s\u00a0replacement. Wide receiver would not be a surprise either as they prepare for the eventuality that\u00a0Davante Adams\u00a0moves on or retires&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/01kja7trx3t5q0zjfbkc.jpg\" alt=\"Davante Adams\" title=\"Davante Adams\" width=\"2682\" height=\"1508\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"7q\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver  Davante Adams(17) during pregame warm ups before the NFC Wild Card Round game between the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7u\">Nothing else should matter for the Rams other than finding their next star in the backfield. They have young players they can rely on in both their wide receiver room and offensive line, on top of having budding prospects who can develop into starters. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7x\">They simply don&#8217;t have that in their secondary, and with that many free agents hitting the market, it&#8217;s time for them to focus on what the future looks like for their defense. A perfect fit could be a player like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/rams\/onsi\/los-angeles-fa-signing-that-just-makes-sense\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jamel Dean<\/a> to give them a boost, as well as drafting a cornerback in later rounds as a player they can develop. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"80\">Never again miss one major story related to your beloved Rams when you sign up for our 100% FREE newsletter that comes straight to your email with the latest news. \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/rams\/newsletter\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">SIGN UP HERE NOW.<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"83\">Ensure you follow on X (Twitter)\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ramsinsideronsi?s=21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">@RamsInsideronSI<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/BrockVierra\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">@BrockVierra<\/a>. Please let us know your thoughts on what the Rams need when you like our Facebook page\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61566999038635\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Los Angeles Rams were one of the most complete teams in the NFL last season, with them&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":777097,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2079],"tags":[7,1014,58,2444,2611,6,424],"class_list":{"0":"post-777096","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-rams","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-los-angeles","10":"tag-los-angeles-rams","11":"tag-losangeles","12":"tag-losangelesrams","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-rams"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116135774552584843","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777096","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777096"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777096\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777097"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777096"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777096"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777096"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}