March draft thread

Adam Schefter@AdamSchefter
Ohio State WR Carnell Tate, a potential top 10 pick, was timed by several NFL executives and GMs on Saturday with a 40 time in the range of 4.45-4.47 seconds.

Field Yates@FieldYates
2 things I’d chime in with here:

1. Tate’s speed was rarely an issue on tape. He’s also an awesome route-runner, with great hands and body control

2. I’ve had evaluators share with me that his time was sub 4.50 as well. His speed isn’t viewed as a concern

Top 10 player to me

Sam Block@theblockspot
Before his 40 time…
Carnell Tate – The best WR in the Class.

After his 40 time…
Carnell Tate – The best WR in the Class.

…

from https://www.nfl.com/prospects/carnell-tate/32005441-5414-3045-dbdb-77216e7df5a8

Prospect Info
College: Ohio State
Junior
Height: 6’ 2’’
Weight: 192 lbs
Arm: 31 3/4’’
Hand: 10 1/4’’

Overview

Ascending “Z” receiver who continues to step out from the shadow of Ohio State teammate Jeremiah Smith. Tate has good size but would benefit from more play strength. He builds momentum quickly on intermediate and deep routes, utilizing speed and tempo to pressure cornerbacks. He can win over the top on verticals or separate over the first two levels with route savvy and separation burst. Tate tracks throws at top speed and makes his adjustments to run under them. He combines timing, body control and catch radius to dominate air space and consistently lands on the winning side of contested catches. Pass catching comes effortlessly with soft, strong hands and he consistently works back on throws to keep ballhawks from hawking. Tate displays rare polish for a player his age and has the talent to become a heralded pro within his first three seasons.

New thread, old topic.

If I was an NFL GM, I would strongly consider taking Kenyon Sadiq in the top 15.

He is arguably the most athletic TE ever, with insane flashes, ridiculous football IQ, and he aced every NFL combine interview.

An NFL coach said: "It was the best interview I've ever had." pic.twitter.com/s1nUhZbR7i

— Cam (@42Cyc) March 1, 2026

from The Athletic, Everything we learned about all 32 teams at the 2026 NFL combine: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7077535/2026/03/02/nfl-combine-2026-takeaways-free-agency-plans/?campaign=17105581&source=athletic_targeted_email&userId=603890

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams really do not value the combine. General manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay have routinely not attended the annual event, but it was jarring to spend most of the week in Indianapolis and to see almost no presence from the franchise and to hear about that absence from staffers on other teams. Los Angeles does risk giving up some intel — namely in meeting with lots of prospects, a process that is more limited after the combine — but it does speak to the franchise’s resistance of groupthink culture in order to find specific fits to draft and develop in their schemes and cultures that can pounce on market inefficiencies. It can be seen as a bit of an arrogant approach, but it’s hard to argue with the track record that has taken mid-round players such as Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Byron Young and Quentin Lake and turned them into stars. — Nate Atkins

wv wrote:

zn wrote:

***
this is a really deep draft at CB. It’s not as flashy at the top as some CB drafts, but it’s solid. Rams need to add more than one anyway. They may not get the best one but they need to get at least 2 good 1s, and they can.

It will be interesting to see their strategy. (its easy to trust them, given their draft success in the past). I mean, Someone special might drop down to 13 or be in range for a small trade-up. What do they do, then? Stick with CB or would they take a difference-maker at another position?

Maybe they take 3 CBs. I dunno.

w
v

That’s the big question. Or, one of the related big questions. Do they stay with CB at 13 even if the guy that’s there is really more of a lower 1st round pick? Do they use the 13 on an exceptional player who is not a CB? Do they trade down from 13 and then take up to 3 CBs this draft?

Rams 2026 NFL Mock Draft Roundup: Cornerbacks, offensive skill players common projections in Round 1 after combine

Wyatt Miller

https://www.therams.com/news/rams-2026-nfl-mock-draft-roundup-cornerbacks-offensive-skill-players-common-projections-in-round-1-after-combine

With the 2026 NFL Draft under two months away, and the scouting combine now over, mock draft season is in full swing.

Rams fans have increased interest in the draft this year, with the team owning the No. 13 overall pick via last year’s trade with the Falcons, as well as the No. 29 overall pick. Cornerback has been the most common projection for Los Angeles in the first round, but some offensive skill players have also entered the conversation after the combine.

Here’s how analysts think the Rams will use those first-round selections as of March 2.

Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports: Tennessee CB Colton Hood (13th overall) and Alabama QB Ty Simpson (29th overall)

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah went on record saying Hood has “first-round tape” and backed that up with “first-round testing” at the combine last week.

In his lone season at Tennessee last year, Hood registered an interception and nine passes defended to go along with 50 tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, his 83.3 coverage grade among cornerbacks ranked second in the SEC during the regular season and 18th in the FBS (min. 300 coverage snaps). He produced the 10th-fastest 40-yard dash time among cornerbacks at the combine (4.44 seconds) to go along with the fifth-best vertical leap (40.5 inches).

“The Rams need to bolster their secondary, and Hood is a physical, ultra-competitive press-man specialist with elite perimeter run-support skills,” Wilson wrote.

With their second selection of the first round, Wilson has the Rams choosing what would likely be the eventual successor to the 2025 MVP, quarterback Matthew Stafford. Simpson only started 17 collegiate games, but when those games are played for Alabama, that experience holds extra weight. He is widely thought of as the QB2 in this draft after Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, and his skill set as a pocket passer is somewhat similar to Stafford’s.

In another CBS Sports article, Josh Edwards said that Simpson had “only two bad throws” during his combine workout, and “showed little wasted movement in his footwork.” He added that Simpson’s performance furthered his case to be the second quarterback taken in the 2026 draft.

“Some Rams fans may not love the idea of taking Simpson, but I can’t say it loudly enough: fit matters,” Wilson wrote. “And if Matthew Stafford plays another year — or two — Simpson has the game to flourish in Sean McVay’s offense.”

Nate Tice and Charles McDonald, Yahoo! Sports: Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq (13th overall) and South Carolina CB Brandon Cisse (29th overall)

Sadiq is the definition of a combine riser. His 4.39 40-yard dash was the fastest by a tight end at the combine since at least 2003. He added a 43.5-inch vertical and a 11-foot-1 broad jump for good measure, both of which ranked second among tight ends this year.

Sadiq led the Ducks with 51 receptions and eight touchdowns in 2025 and ranked second on the team with 560 receiving yards. That production made him a consensus top two tight end in this class, but his combine performance catapulted Sadiq to the top of the positional rankings in most analysts’ eyes.

If the Rams were to select him at 13, it would be the second time in as many years where Los Angeles picked an Oregon tight end with its first pick in the draft. Normally, that would raise some eyebrows, but after the Rams’ 13 personnel sets took the league by storm last season, there’s a clear role for Sadiq in this offense.

“Sadiq would give Sean McVay another field stretcher and yards-after-catch option while still deploying heavy bodies, with some grit as a blocker as a nice bonus,” Tice and McDonald wrote. “Sadiq would not only help the Rams for 2026, but he also shores up the position long-term for the Rams as they have several pending tight end free agents in 2027.”

Tice and McDonald use the Rams’ second pick in the first round to address the cornerback position. Most mock drafts have the Rams opting for defense first and offense second, so Cisse hasn’t been linked to Los Angeles as commonly as Hood. The South Carolina standout caught one interception and registered six passes defended in his lone season with the Gamecocks while starting all 12 games in 2025.

“NOW is when the Rams add to their defensive backfield, this time with Cisse, who my friend Derrik Klassen from The Athletic described as ‘a safety playing the cornerback position,'” Tice and McDonald wrote. “I think Cisse needs to improve in his game recognition, but he has the feistiness and explosiveness to help out somewhere, whether it’s on the outside or with a move into the slot (the Rams loved their dime personnel packages under d-coordinator Chris Shula). His scrappiness and tackling ability will give him fans.”

Trevor Sikkema, PFF: LSU CB Mansoor Delane (13th overall) and Indiana WR Omar Cooper Jr. (29th overall)

Delane’s ball production has been a resounding strength throughout his four-year college career, as he’s intercepted eight passes and defended 35 in 44 collegiate games. After three years at Virginia Tech, Delane transferred to LSU prior to the 2025 season, where he registered a career-high in passes defended (13) and caught two interceptions.

At six feet tall and 187 pounds, Delane boasts impressive athleticism and intelligence, a combination that makes him as dangerous to target as any player in this draft.

“The Rams have big-time secondary needs heading into free agency. If Delane makes it to them here at No. 13, it’s hard to think he won’t be their guy,” Sikkema wrote. “He has so much inside-out versatility as a man-coverage defender. There was no athletic testing for him at the combine, but that shouldn’t matter much.”

Cooper was a key piece of Indiana’s 2025 National Championship team, leading the Hoosiers in receptions (69) and yards (937) while catching 13 touchdowns in 16 games. His absurd toe-tap touchdown against Penn State made waves around the college football world, and certainly piqued the interest of NFL clubs, but Cooper is more than just a contested-catch specialist. He’s a crisp route runner with reliable hands and high-end physical traits that he established last week.

“Cooper made himself some money at the combine,” Sikkema wrote. “He was already seen as a player with a very high floor, namely the ability to play all three receiver spots with reliable hands and good contested-catch ability. But after running a 4.42-second 40-yard dash and jumping 37 inches in the vertical, he checks the athletic boxes for a higher ceiling, too. He could be the Rams’ succession plan for Davante Adams.”

Rams big board: First-round focus on defensive backs and wide receivers

Nate Atkins

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7074165/2026/02/28/rams-2026-nfl-draft-big-board/?source=emp_shared_article&unlocked_article_code=1.QFA.rXHA.p9Uqm0JsE3Tc&smid=ta-ios-share

INDIANAPOLIS — The Los Angeles Rams are through the NFL Scouting Combine, an event they barely participate in. They are two months away from the start of the NFL Draft, and this year is a big one for them with 10 total picks and two first-round selections, a clear departure from their recent norms.

With picks 13 and 29, the focus of this first 2026 big board will be on first-round options. We’ll split it into a few tiers, from dream scenarios down to fallback options.

Let’s get to it.

Tier 1: Home run swings

Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame: This is bold, not only because Love is unlikely to fall to No. 13 but because the Rams already have two running backs, Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, they like and have invested in, as well as a third in Jarquez Hunter, who they stashed as a 2025 fourth-round pick.

But if there’s an improvement out there for the Rams, it’s in a big-play machine like Love. He brought that with impressive consistency at Notre Dame, topping 1,100 yards and scoring at least 17 rushing touchdowns in each of the past two seasons. Love also had 55 total catches and five receiving touchdowns in that span. He’d be the definition of a luxury pick here, and it’s therefore unlikely but not impossible.

Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU: The Rams’ top need is clearly outside cornerback. If they have a lane to the best option in this year’s draft, that’d be a home run. Delane is receiving those kinds of rave reviews after he totaled six interceptions the past two seasons between Virginia Tech and LSU.

At a listed 6 feet, 190 pounds, he brings the press-man coverage skills and break-on-the-ball ability to be scheme-versatile. He could be the Rams’ best shot at finding a true lockdown No. 1 outside corner.

Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State: The Rams’ defensive concerns are mostly tied to the secondary, but they have a spot to upgrade at linebacker potentially. Styles could be that upgrade after he ran a blistering 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the combine to back up the 182 tackles and 17 tackles for loss he piled up on an elite Ohio State defense over the past two seasons.

Styles can thump in the run game and stick with fast tight ends in man coverage, which is what the Rams would need if they want another stalwart playing next to Nate Landman on the second level.

Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State: Similar to running back, this would be a bit of a luxury pick with how established the Rams’ top two options are, but they need a No. 3 receiver to replace the role they originally planned for Tutu Atwell — as well as a successor to Davante Adams, who enters a contract year at age 33.

Tate produced well but not off the charts at Ohio State, where he topped 700 yards in each of the past two seasons and scored nine touchdowns last year. But he was also playing sidekick to the phenom that is Jeremiah Smith. At 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, Tate profiles as a future No. 1 option but could find a great home in Los Angeles as a No. 2 to Puka Nacua.

Makai Lemon, WR, USC: Tate and Lemon are in a battle to be the top receiver taken in this year’s draft, so landing either one still feels like a high-end outcome for a team drafting No. 13. The Rams could keep Lemon in Los Angeles and develop him in that No. 3 role in Year 1 that expands in Year 2, and he can provide instant value given his strong blocking to answer for the deficiency that kept Atwell off the field when the Rams did play in 11 personnel.

Lemon broke out with 1,156 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns last season. So, unlike Tate, he has already faced the burden of playing as a team’s No. 1 option.

Tier 2: Great talent with a caveat

Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami: A year ago, it looked like the Rams were headed for a first-round offensive tackle pick to replace an aging Rob Havenstein. He indeed retired this offseason, but Los Angeles found a promising replacement in 2023 fifth-rounder Warren McClendon Jr., who is also entering a contract year.

So drafting a tackle high this year is about chasing a higher ceiling on a rookie-contract clock, and that’s where Mauigoa’s case lives. He made 42 career starts at Miami as a mauler for one of the most physical offenses that finished in the national championship game. If he’s the second tackle selected in this draft, that could be a justification for the Rams to make an upgrade and bump McClendon to a swing tackle role they also need to fill.

Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee: This fit is cleaner on paper, to be clear. McCoy fits like a glove for many of the same reasons Delane does. He’s a playmaker with two schools of evidence after intercepting six total passes at Oregon State and Tennessee in 2023 and 2024. He’s 6 feet, 193 pounds, and built to play press man and make plays in zone coverage.

The only question is whether he’s ready to fill the Rams’ CB1 role right away. If he’s part of a multi-player plan to address the position, the fit becomes even stronger.

Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State: As the Rams look at possible No. 3 receiver options who can blossom into a No. 2 in a year, Tyson will be on the radar. At 6-foot-2, 200 pounds with experience in different alignments, he checks several boxes in the receiving game. He showed that upside with 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024 and on a per-game basis last year with 711 yards and nine touchdowns in nine games.

Tyson dealt with a few injuries that cost him a few games and might have affected his run blocking, which will be a real focus for this position.

Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon: The Rams’ second biggest need is arguably safety, but it’s going to require the right fit to capitalize on the versatility of Quentin Lake. That’s why Caleb Downs isn’t on this list, despite how great he is. With Kam Curl headed to free agency, the Rams have an opening for a starter, and versatility and readiness would help fill that void.

Thieneman projects that way, having posted six interceptions at Purdue before his transfer to Oregon, as well as enough size at 6 feet, 205 pounds to handle run defense. His versatility could feel slightly stifled in this busy safety room, but it also means he won’t be overextended as a rookie.

Tier 3: Back-end first round options

Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama: The Rams don’t need a quarterback right now, thanks to rostering the league’s MVP in Matthew Stafford, but they will before long. Stafford announced that he’s coming back for an 18th season at age 38, but the realistic window could shrink soon. If Los Angeles is going to try the stash route with a quarterback for Sean McVay and new assistant head coach Kliff Kingsbury to develop, Simpson has potential.

He essentially carried the Crimson Tide to the second round of the College Football Playoff with 3,567 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and five interceptions. He started just one season in college, so he needs seasoning. His traits aren’t elite, but he offers a good mix. He could start as a backup to Stafford as a rookie and then wait patiently for his time.

Monroe Freeling, OT, Georgia: The threshold for what counts as a right tackle improvement over McClendon will be key in scouting the rest of this class. In readiness, Freeling might not jump off the tape with just 17 career starts, but they came at an elite level of play and in a strong development system.

His 6-foot-7, 315-pound frame suggests there’s more to unpack in time. McClendon gives the Rams an option to have a starter ready at right tackle if a talented rookie needs just a little seasoning. Whether that dips into a strong future investment or more of a luxury pick for a team with title aspirations depends on how soon he can put it together.

Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame: As the Rams scout wide receiver prospects, Fields could stand out as a solid, classic boundary option with just a lower ceiling than Tate, Lemon or Tyson.

At 6-foot-4, 218 pounds, he could eventually take over for the classic outside role Adams runs. He had at least 630 receiving yards and five touchdowns in each of his final three college seasons between Virginia and Notre Dame.

Blake Miller, OT, Clemson: A tackle who fits a little in between the profiles of Mauigoa and Freeling. Miller brings a lot of experience with 54 career starts, and it shows in a balanced game that doesn’t quite pop as a pass protector the way Mauigoa’s does.

But at 6-foot-6, 315 pounds, he moves well in space and can fit the different run schemes the Rams like to deploy. Los Angeles will tap into offensive linemen somewhere in this draft with contracts coming due, and the second pick in the first round could be a reasonable spot for the right one.

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo: If Curl isn’t back, the Rams could use a more traditional strong safety type who specializes in run defense. That’s McNeil-Warren’s game at 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, as he showed off with 77 tackles and 5.5 tackles for loss for Toledo last season.

He’s serviceable but a little more limited against the pass, but that can fit well next to Lake and with Kamren Kinchens guarding for deep-threat speed over the top.

Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson: One more first-round option at cornerback is Terrell. At 5-foot-11, 180 pounds, he doesn’t have the classic outside frame of Delane or McCoy, but he has experience playing there and brings a great athletic profile with the bloodlines of his brother, Atlanta Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell.

Avieon Terrell is trying to become the second cornerback from his family to be drafted in the first round. His best fit is likely in rotation from outside to inside, which would need to align well with Lake’s strong play in the slot. That could work if Curl leaves and the door opens for Lake to play more at strong safety, like a nickel on the opposite side of Terrell.

This is a “Rams needs before free agency and the draft” type contribution.
…

from https://ramblinfan.com/athletic-s-jourdan-rodrigue-hints-rams-have-more-moves-up-their-sleeve-trent-mcduffie

When the Los Angeles Rams competed in the NFL playoffs, two defensive problems took center stage. The team did not tackle very well, and the team’s futility at covering Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Hopefully, All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie can be more effective in coverage.

But he’s only one player.

As it now stands, the team is projected to lose four veteran cornerbacks to expiring contracts. And there is speculation that cornerback Darious Williams, projected to earn $8.67 million this season, could be a cap casualty. In essence, Snead may be forced to restock the entire cornerback room.

And one player, no matter how well he performs, cannot be expected to do that.

But McDuffie’s presence does give the secondary unexpected leverage. Now, the team has a much better chance of matching up corners to their offensive equivalents. Emmanuel Forbes may struggle against the NFL’s top receivers. But will he be more effective against the second or third offensive options in routes?

Snead thinks so.

With a deep cornerback class, the team could add a raw but talented cornerback as a depth player for now, with the expectation that he could grow into something far more. The team may even shop free agency, or re-sign one of their own corners. After all, this secondary is already building something much better for a new NFL season.

Cobie Durant may be a viable option to re-sign now. Hmm. That has a nice ring to it.

from Fox, 2026 NFL Mock Draft: https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/2026-nfl-mock-draft-edge-rushers-dominate-top-5-mahomes-jackson-allen-get-new-wr

13. Los Angeles Rams (via Atlanta Falcons, 8-9): Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee
Williams: Los Angeles struggled to contain Sam Darnold and Seattle’s passing game in the NFC Championship game because of leaky defense in the back end. The addition of McCoy would provide a legitimate cover corner on the perimeter for defensive coordinator Chris Shula. And the Rams already possess one of the most formidable young defensive fronts in the league.

Kenyon Sadiq has been frequently linked to the Rams in recent mock drafts. Here's what the freakishly athletic tight end out of Oregon could bring to the Rams offense:https://t.co/wo6LTOfLhy

— Wyatt Miller (@wymill07) March 5, 2026