{"id":874826,"date":"2026-04-26T03:30:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T03:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/874826\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T03:30:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T03:30:20","slug":"los-angeles-rams-final-2026-nfl-draft-class-rams-have-their-smallest-draft-class-in-a-decade-despite-super-bowl-window","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/874826\/","title":{"rendered":"Los Angeles Rams Final 2026 NFL Draft class: Rams have their smallest draft class in a decade despite Super Bowl window"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Rams<\/a> have finalized their 2026 NFL Draft class, and it\u2019s a small one with plenty of question marks to wonder about.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Rams<\/a> have had the first draft class in recent memory that has actually angered the vast majority of their fan base. A year after getting the fewest contributions from a rookie class they have had in years, the Rams opted to not take a single player who projects to have a major role in 2026. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a fascinating decision-making process in a Super Bowl window. They made just five picks in this year\u2019s draft, their fewest since 2016.<\/p>\n

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Rams 2026 NFL Draft classRound 1, No. 13: Ty Simpson<\/a>, QB, Alabama<\/p>\n

The pick was a strange one from the start, made even worse by Sean McVay\u2019s opening press conference on draft night.<\/p>\n

The Rams have already admitted that Matthew Stafford<\/a> will be extended soon. A source told ESPN that \u201cIf Simpson never starts on his rookie contract, that would be a win for the Rams.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s a quick-game thrower who took snaps in a pro-style offense for Alabama. McVay and Snead have both pointed to his background as a coach\u2019s son for his acumen and work ethic.<\/p>\n

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Round 2, No. 61: Max Klare, TE, Ohio State<\/p>\n

Max Klare was a strong addition for the Rams in the long-term. Max Klare can do a bit of everything as a tight end. He’s a high-effort run blocker, he can threaten up the seams, and he’s outstanding settling down and finding holes in zone coverage. There’s some hidden athleticism there. Klare can do some damage after the catch with his speed. He’s not much of a tackle breaker, but he’s a pullaway threat with his speed.<\/p>\n

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Perhaps the best trait about Klare is his reliability as a receiver. Klare dropped just two balls on 55 targets, and he attacks the ball well in the air. I love his ability to adjust and contort his body in the air to snag passes away from his frame. He\u2019s in a stacked room for 2026, but he can be the long-term TE2 and reliable contributor in the Rams\u2019 heavy personnel offense.<\/p>\n

Round 3, No. 93: Keagan Trost, OL, Missouri<\/p>\n

Keagan Trost has flown under the radar in this draft class, but I think there’s some hidden potential to unlock with his game. Despite nearly 50 games at tackle in college, I thought he should move inside in the NFL. A move inside would allow Trost to show off his great power in the run game and create displacement at the point of attack while also limiting his exposure to speed on the outside. He’s on the smaller end at 6’4 with sub-33″ arms, and he lacks the range on the outside to handle NFL speed. <\/p>\n

However, the Rams have announced him as a tackle, and highlighted his versatility as a swing lineman.<\/p>\n

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I have my misgivings about using a top-100 pick on a depth player who might be a swing tackle at best. Additionally, they should extend both Steve Avila<\/a> and Kevin Dotson<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Round 6, No. 197: CJ Daniels, WR, Miami<\/a><\/p>\n

CJ Daniels is an interesting fit as a Rams\u2019 wide receiver. He\u2019s an average athlete who won\u2019t threaten defenses vertically or after the catch. Daniels is a strong contested catch receiver who competes throughout the route and brings good size at 6\u20192, 202 pounds.<\/p>\n

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Daniels\u2019 lack of speed shows up against press coverage, as every play becomes a contested situation because of that. He has had multiple injury-ridden seasons on his resume as well. His lack of production and special teams ability is a tough pill to swallow here, and the Rams traded three draft picks to land him.<\/p>\n

Round 7, No. 232: Tim Keenan III, DT, Alabama<\/p>\n

A depth nose tackle, he brings some solid power and ability to hold up at the point of attack. Much like Poona Ford<\/a>, he is short and stout as a defensive tackle. What you see is what you get. He\u2019ll hold the point of attack well and plays with good leverage. Additionally, he was a team captain for the Tide. The Rams wanted to improve their run defense and depth at nose tackle, and Keenan is that.<\/p>\n

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Keenan is a very limited athlete who has struggled to maintain his weight and didn\u2019t have much production in his final season. He won\u2019t offer much, if anything, in the passing game, but he is a solid run defender.<\/p>\n

Full Rams Draft Class<\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick 13:\u00a0Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama<\/p>\n

Round 2, Pick 61:\u00a0Max Klare, TE, Ohio State<\/p>\n

Round 3, Pick 93:\u00a0Keagan Trost, OT, Missouri<\/p>\n

Round 6, Pick 197:\u00a0CJ Daniels, WR, Miami (FL)<\/p>\n

Round 7, Pick 232:\u00a0Tim Keenan III, DT, Alabama<\/p>\n

\"Sean<\/p>\n

Sean McVay and Les Snead following the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Rams News<\/p>\n

AJ Schulte <\/a> April 24, 2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Los Angeles Rams have finalized their 2026 NFL Draft class, and it\u2019s a small one with plenty…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":874827,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2079],"tags":[3990,7,118501,25023,1014,58,2444,2611,32,27254,216,6,10997,424,20581,20708],"class_list":["post-874826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-rams","tag-draft-class","tag-football","tag-keagan-trost","tag-kevin-dotson","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-rams","tag-losangeles","tag-losangelesrams","tag-matthew-stafford","tag-max-klare","tag-miami","tag-nfl","tag-poona-ford","tag-rams","tag-steve-avila","tag-ty-simpson"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116468897003390721","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874826","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=874826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/874826\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/874827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=874826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=874826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=874826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}