Rams 6th rd pick – CJ Daniels, WR. Miami

100th percentile on contested catches. That sounds like it’s better than average.

Maybe a trait they can work with on third down or in the End zone.

This was posted in twitter before Rams made their pick.

…

Ryan@ryanknowsports
Thinking the Rams go Miami WR CJ Daniels at 207 if he’s still there:

– Reliable ball skills with just a 1.6% drop rate the last 2 seasons
– 76% contested catch rate over the last 3 seasons
– Good frame with length and muscle

Seems like a McVay guy

Daniels caught 50 passes for 557 yards and 7 TDs in 2025. At 6-foot-2, he was clocked between 4.47-4.62 on 40 times during predraft process https://t.co/2AzQBevMyo

— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) April 25, 2026

from https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/interactive/the-beast-2026/player/cj-daniels-miami-wide-receiver/

A one-year starter at Miami (and three-and-a-half-year starter overall), Daniels lined up primarily outside (86.2 percent of his snaps) in offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson’s scheme. After overcoming injury adversity at Liberty, he had a nondescript 2024 season at LSU before becoming an underrated part of the Hurricanes’ run to the 2025 national championship game.

Daniels doesn’t have a true difference-making trait, but his package of skills is easy to appreciate. He has quality size and foot quickness with gliding movements to attack coverage. Whether wide open or double covered, he frames the ball with the same focus and prides himself on doing whatever is asked of him within the offense.

Dane’s takeaway

Daniels might lack explosive speed, but he creates separation with crafty instincts and finishes with dependable ball skills. He projects best inside as a “big slot” in the NFL, who can rely on his awareness and toughness to be productive.

Strengths

Good-sized frame, with length and adequate muscle in his upper body Reliable ball skills and looks the ball into his hands (1.6 percent drop rate over the past two seasons) Catch-of-the-year candidate with his one-handed grab against Notre Dame in 2025 Impressive contested-catch rate (75.8 percent) over past three seasons Smart, tough player and shows a natural feel for the position Coordinated feet in his release and fights through grabby coverage Quickly reaches landmarks and stays alert when tagged as hot route Sources in Miami program speak highly of his pro mindset and consistency in practice

Weaknesses

Average-at-best speed and vertical push Struggles to shed bump-and-run defenders in his routes Relies more on savvy than suddenness to get open Tape doesn’t show a threatening player after the catch Nice job using blocking angles, but average strength will be more noticeable vs. NFL corners Didn’t produce a 100-yard receiving game at LSU or Miami (last 100-yard game came in December 2023 at Liberty) Not much special teams experience on his resume Tore right ACL on first day of 2022 spring practices, which required surgery and sidelined him for most of the ‘22 season; reaggravated his knee and dealt with a foot injury, which required offseason surgery, during the 2024 season; missed three games during super-senior season because of injury (Oct. 2025)

4 takeaways from Rams trading up for WR CJ Daniels
The Rams added a wide receiver in CJ Daniels who can make an early impact, but he’s not under any pressure to do so

Brock Vierra

https://theramswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2026/04/25/rams-cj-daniels-trade-up-takeaways-observations/89798680007/?taid=69ed316d34a71c00018a92df&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

The Los Angeles Rams made the decision to trade up in the NFL draft on Saturday, after doing so twice last year. They moved up to the 197th selection, adding Miami Hurricanes wide receiver CJ Daniels.

Here are four takeaways from the move and selection of Daniels.

Ability to make an impact early without the pressure to do so

Daniels had one of the best catches of the 2025 collegiate season, snagging a one-handed touchdown against Notre Dame. Daniels has many of the traits that the Rams love in receivers: high-effort player with an ability to make contested catches. He doesn’t create a lot of natural separation and doesn’t have the breakaway speed of his contemporaries, but the Rams’ ability to mirror the run and the pass makes up for those deficiencies.

He’s entering a team that doesn’t have a pressing need at the position, but if asked to make spot appearances, Daniels has the film to prove he will answer the call.

Long-term option as a WR3

At this point, unless the Rams make an unforeseen move, the succession plan for Davante Adams is Konata Mumpfield. Adams and Mumpfield have a tremendous relationship; Mumpfield has a season of experience under his belt, and within one year, Mumpfield went from a seventh-round rookie to a starter in the Rams’ 11 personnel offense.

Jordan Whittington only has two more years on his deal, and Xavier Smith is set to be a free agent after this season. Considering looming extensions for players like Puka Nacua, Matthew Stafford, and others, the team likely won’t have the money to keep most of their wide receiver room, setting up Daniels to be the team’s long-term option as a WR3.

With Daniels’ skillset, there’s a strong chance he will develop as a reliable third-down option.

The Rams’ short-yardage passing attack will be hard to stop

As mentioned, Daniels is great at making contested catches. Part of the reason is his ball tracking skills. The other part is his strong hands. Looking at Daniels’ film, most of his catches come within 7 yards of the line of scrimmage. Hooks, hitches, curls, drags, screen passes. That’s where Daniels excels.

With Adams’ big frame and the skillset of Puka Nacua, the Rams will be able to spread and shred defenses. Since defenses respect Matthew Stafford’s ability to push the ball downfield, Daniels will have a lot of space to operate in underneath.

Perfect piece to set up defenses

Looking at everything Daniels does well, his strengths are what the Sean McVay offense tries to highlight every Sunday. For the most part, teams understand what McVay is trying to do, and thus, there is an Achilles heel to their operation. That is their short-yardage offense. While Daniels will help fix that, defenses will counter. They have to.

With Daniels forcing defenses to commit resources to the underneath, he’s the perfect piece to set defenses up, and once they try to take away the underneath, it’s back to bombs away with Stafford slinging it.

from https://www.nfldraftbuzz.com/Player/CJ-Daniels-WR-Liberty

Scouting Report: Strengths

Fluid hips and quick feet allow him to sink, snap off routes, and generate separation at the top of his breaks with consistent quickness that makes life tough on defensive backs.

Natural ball tracker who locates throws over his shoulder with ease, adjusting his body mid-stride and extending to pluck passes away from his frame at the catch point.

Put on an elite drop rate performance at LSU in 2024, recording zero drops on 42 catches and posting a 91.4 drop grade that season, showcasing dependable hands.

Willing and capable run blocker who Miami trusted as a move blocker in their screen game and pre-snap motion packages, consistently sealing off defenders in the ground attack.

Smart route runner who uses head fakes, tempo changes, and leverage manipulation to sell routes and create windows rather than relying purely on athletic traits.

Versatile alignment profile, lining up predominantly outside (83% of snaps in 2025) while also showing comfort working from the slot, giving coordinators real flexibility.

Competitive toughness shows up in contested catch situations, converting 11 of 17 contested targets at Miami for a 64.7% rate while also drawing 3 pass interference calls.

Solid yards-after-catch producer who forced 31 missed tackles across his career and racked up 5.9 YAC per reception during his monster 2023 breakout at Liberty.

Scouting Report: Weaknesses

Lacks the extra gear to pull away from coverage on vertical routes, and while his forty is respectable, his play speed doesn’t always match that number on tape.

Production took a clear step back at the Power Four level, with his yards per route run dropping from 3.94 at Liberty in 2023 to 1.32 at LSU and 1.73 at Miami.

Drop rate spiked to 9.8% during that big 2023 season at Liberty (6 drops on 61 catchable targets), and he added 2 more drops on 53 catchable balls at Miami in 2025.

Does not always attack the football aggressively at the catch point, occasionally letting the ball travel to him rather than working back toward the throw, inviting disruption.

Scouting Report: Summary

Daniels is the type of receiver who probably won’t light up a room during the pre-draft process, but put his tape on and you see a guy who understands how to play the position. His route craft is legitimate. He uses his lower body to deceive defenders, changes pace within his stems, and consistently wins out of breaks with quickness rather than raw speed. The savvy is real, and it shows up week after week regardless of the uniform he’s wearing. He’s not going to run by NFL corners on go routes, but he’ll find ways to get open on the intermediate and short areas of the field where most offenses live anyway.

The concern is always going to be whether his production translates when the competition level rises. His best statistical season came against Conference USA defenses, and the numbers took a noticeable dip at both LSU and Miami. That said, the context matters: he dealt with a foot injury at LSU, was the fourth option in a loaded receiving corps, and still caught 75% of his targets with zero drops. At Miami, he produced a solid 73.8 receiving grade while sharing the field with explosive underclassmen. He’s not a guy who needs volume to make an impact. His blocking alone makes him worth a roster spot, and the fact that he ran routes on 96.4% of Miami’s pass snaps tells you the coaching staff trusted him completely.

Here’s the deal with Daniels: he fits best in an offense that values precision over explosiveness. Concepts built around timing throws, screen packages, and route combinations that create space through design rather than pure athleticism will get the most out of him. He’s not going to be a number one target at the next level, but as a complementary piece who can block, move the chains, and give you professional route running from multiple alignments, there’s genuine day-two value here. His six years of college experience and the fact that he produced at three different programs show a player who adapts quickly and earns trust wherever he goes. That kind of reliability goes a long way on Sundays.

3rd of 3 articles I just posted (the previous 2 are in the same post above).

…

Why CJ Daniels became Rams’ wide receiver target in 2026 NFL Draft

Nate Atkins

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7232488/2026/04/27/rams-wide-receiver-cj-daniels-nfl-draft/

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams spent seven rounds of this year’s NFL Draft looking for the right spot to do what many expected them to.

“If the Rams are going to pick,” general manager Les Snead said, “there’s always a receiver that we’re going, ‘This guy or a receiver?’”

Added director of scouting Nicole Blake, “You didn’t think they were going to leave the draft without a receiver, did you?”

And in the sixth round, Miami’s CJ Daniels became their pick.

It arrived after resisting the urge on USC’s Makai Lemon in the first round to draft a quarterback of the future in Alabama’s Ty Simpson at No. 13. It happened after a Day 2 of weighing four different wide receiver targets and instead drafting Ohio State tight end Max Klare at No. 61 and Missouri offensive lineman Keagen Trost at No. 93.

But this is a franchise with a history of pursuing wide receivers outside of the first round. In 2017, the Rams waited until the third round to take Cooper Kupp, and he became a Triple Crown winner and the hero of a Super Bowl. In 2023, they delayed until the fifth round to take Puka Nacua, and he just led the NFL with 129 receptions.

Daniels arrives later than those two did, in a year with high expectations after the Rams narrowly lost in the NFC Championship Game and with reigning MVP Matthew Stafford returning for another season. But in the end, the selection of Daniels felt more like fate than a gut reaction.

Last fall, the Rams held a scouting meeting to review various prospects. When Daniels came up, Blake said Rams national scout Anthony Robinson told the room, “This kid is a Ram.”

Coach Sean McVay has a type at the position he played at Miami (Ohio) and that he has since built his Rams offenses around. He often looks for players who can make plays after the catch, like Kupp and Nacua became famous for. He also looks for strong blockers in the run game. And this year, he was evaluating all potential draft picks through another lens.

“What you’ll see is if you’re not tough, you won’t play for us,” McVay said two days before the draft.

And so they became drawn to Daniels, who made the tough contested catches to lift Miami on a run to the national championship game. They found a marriage with a receiver who blocked more than he ran routes in one of the sport’s most physical and run-first offenses.

They liked him enough to make their only draft trade up, where they turned three picks into one to move up 10 spots from No. 207 to No. 197 to take him. For Daniels, getting picked was going to be a relief. But getting picked by this coach, with this quarterback, in this offense took the emotions to a higher level.

“It’s one of those things that I’ve always wanted in my life,” Daniels said. “It was a surreal moment. … It’s going to be great. Playing with Matthew Stafford, a guy that’s been in the league for a while. He knows the game in and out. Also playing with Ty is definitely going to be a great deal.”

Daniels has been studying NFL receivers to prepare for this transition. And now, in Davante Adams and Nacua, he’ll get to play with two of them.

“Davante is someone that I’ve always looked up to,” Daniels said. “He’s a guy that I’ve always tried to model my game after, my releases, how he plays the game of football, and I’ve definitely watched a lot of Puka. I saw he was a fifth-round draft pick. I saw everything he was capable of doing, whether it was in a run game or pass game. He’s just a very dynamic player. I can’t wait to be a part of that group.”

Adams has been known for taking younger receivers under his wing. It was one of the many traits that drew the Rams to him a year ago. Last season, he built a close bond with Konata Mumpfield, whom the Rams selected in the 2025 seventh round.

Daniels arrives in a competition with Mumpfield, Jordan Whittington and Xavier Smith for playing time in what is looking more and more like a limited initial role. The Rams took Klare in the second round to double down on the three-tight-end sets they ran at a higher rate than any team in the league last season. After Adams led the league in touchdown catches and Nacua in receptions, and with a heavy run focus with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, the role for a third receiver has a ceiling on volume.

But it can still be a high-impact role in other ways. The Rams spent one-third of their regular-season games last year without either Adams or Nacua. Adams is turning 34 in December and just spent a season managing hamstring and knee issues. Nacua plays a high-volume, physical style that constantly exposes him to hits.

And more than producing a big stat line, what the Rams need in a third receiver is moments of impact, because they expect to be in those moments again in the playoffs. And last season, they didn’t find many moments in three playoff games from wide receivers not named Adams or Nacua.

In the NFC Championship Game against the Seattle Seahawks, they needed one to step up on a third-and-goal from the 6 when Adams was covered as the initial read, but rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson couldn’t break open and Mumpfield couldn’t reel in a pass as the third option, and the Rams lost 31-27 to end their season.

Daniels will have to work toward that moment. He doesn’t arrive with exceptional speed after running a 4.58-second 40-yard dash at his pro day. He did not produce a 100-yard receiving game in his final two college seasons and finished with 557 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games last year.

He does have a profile reminiscent of Nacua’s when he entered the draft, but Nacua is also an outlier who has exploded as a pro. Daniels is a 6-foot-2, 202-pound receiver who had the competitive fire to make key plays in the College Football Playoff.

“He fits a lot of the things that we were looking for in the offense,” Rams assistant general manager John McKay said. “He runs routes at a high level. He has a great feel for the game. He has a big catch radius and strong hands.

“For us, it was a great fit, and we felt like he was one of the last ones still available that could really impact our team this year and moving forward. … If you would’ve told me on Monday that was how it played out, I would’ve been very happy.”

It’s on Daniels and the Rams to accelerate the growth in a year with championship goals. But their new wide receiver is energized to put in that work.

“They are going to get an ultimate teammate,” Daniels said. “They are going to get a guy that wants to come in and just be the best version of myself each and every day and make my teammates better, a guy that just wants to make plays and do whatever I can to make the quarterback’s job as easy as possible.”

…

Zooey wrote:

I’m a fan of this guy already.

Hear, hear. Me too.

The more that comes out about him, the more interesting he gets.

Let’s put it this way. The Rams are arguably one of the 2 or 3 best teams at getting players out of lower round picks. And that team, the team that is good at finding Kyren Wms, Nacua, McClendon, and Quentin Lake etc in round 5 or lower, traded 3 picks just to move up 10 spots to land this guy in the 6th round.

That’s how much they wanted him.

Daniels has elite ball skills and strong hands at the point of the catch. His play with contested catches is as good as Nacua’s, and that’s one of Nacua’s defining strengths. He has well-tuned technical route-running and a high football IQ. He gets separation through crafty technique and quickness rather than just speed. He can block. He’s a competitor. He’s this eerie combination of Adams and Nacua. I don’t think he’s that far from being an ideal Rams 3rd down receiver.

Louis Riddick@LRiddickESPN
Time for the 5th annual list of my favorite non-first round prospects (tried to NOT select obvious 2nd rounders as well) from each team in the 2026 draft that could be a significant contributor/starter within the next 2-3 years

Scroll down to the #Rams selection of WR CJ Daniels in the 6th round. The Rams know how to identify and develop WR’s. Just look at their history. They also added OT Keagan Trost from Missouri. Mizzou’s wide zone run scheme is just like the Rams’, who led the #NFL with 5.5 yds/rush on such runs in 2025.

Don’t get caught up in the “but they didn’t help out Stafford” bs, because the truth is, they DID help him.

Sigmund Bloom@SigmundBloom
Rams gave up 3 of their 4 remaining picks to get him in the 6th

they did not have a 4th or 5th round pick

im guessing they had him rated higher than a 6th round pick

Nate Atkins@NateAtkins_
Significantly higher.

***

One of the cooler moments from the Rams’ draft. CJ Daniels felt he hit the jackpot here. Hard to find a better landing spot for a WR in the sixth round. pic.twitter.com/i6moYE3eAC

— Nate Atkins (@NateAtkins_) April 29, 2026

…

From an Atkins/Athletic article that is posted here: (Rams post-NFL Draft roster analysis: How the rookies fill out the depth chart) https://theramshuddle.com/topic/rams-roster-ideas-issues-guesses-post-draft/?view=all

Wide receiver

Starters: Puka Nacua, Davante Adams
Top backup: CJ Daniels
Depth: Konata Mumpfield, Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith

Many expected the Rams to prioritize wide receiver in the draft as they were lacking depth behind Nacua and Adams, each of whom missed three games last season. Instead, they waited until the sixth round to take Daniels out of Miami.

Daniels is a strong fit for a third receiver role after blocking in one of college football’s most physical offenses. Time will tell if he can be that injury replacement for a top option, as he caught just 50 passes for 557 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games last season, though he did play six college seasons….Daniels, whom the Rams selected in the sixth round, could find himself competing for the team’s No. 3 receiver role

This is how I see it too. Whether or not the plan eventually works, they took Daniels to be their WR3.

As already established, Daniels is a crafty and advanced route runner (who models his game on Adams) who has superlative hands and a great knack for catching contested throws. Plus he blocks.

And he’s more advanced than many rookies. He’s 24 and played college football for 6 seasons, and played for 3 different programs, which means he is used to learning new systems and excelling. Even though he transferred to Miami, for example, (to quote one draft report here) “he ran routes on 96.4% of Miami’s pass snaps,” and that “tells you the coaching staff trusted him completely.” That’s after transferring, so he acquired the system easily enough to earn 96% of their pass snaps.

So yes he CAN become the #3 WR as a rookie.

Here’s more on his qualifications. Quoting different write-ups from throughout this thread:

Sources in Miami program speak highly of his pro mindset and consistency in practice

He’s confident, crafty and focused

Smart, tough player and shows a natural feel for the position

Crafts separation with a deep bag of tricks.

Fluid hips and quick feet allow him to sink, snap off routes, and generate separation at the top of his breaks with consistent quickness that makes life tough on defensive backs.

put his tape on and you see a guy who understands how to play the position. His route craft is legitimate. He uses his lower body to deceive defenders, changes pace within his stems, and consistently wins out of breaks with quickness rather than raw speed. The savvy is real,

he is quick and sudden in his releases and at the top of routes, allowing him to consistently create separation on intermediate routes.

Reliable ball skills with just a 1.6% drop rate the last 2 seasons

Daniels has a tremendous feel for creating catch opportunities with varied route tempo, body control and late separation tactics.

His blocking alone makes him worth a roster spot

blocked more than he ran routes in one of the sport’s most physical and run-first offenses.

Willing and capable run blocker who Miami trusted as a move blocker in their screen game and pre-snap motion packages, consistently sealing off defenders in the ground attack.

You can’t guarantee anything but still, I would be surprised if he doesn’t end up being their regular #3 WR this year.

…

from PFF, 2026 NFL Draft: Day 3 picks who can make an impact in the NFL — https://www.pff.com/news/2026-nfl-draft-day-3-picks-who-can-make-rookie-impacts

WR C.J. Daniels, Los Angeles Rams
The majority of pundits expected the Rams to find a more clear-cut third receiver with the 13th overall pick. Instead, Los Angeles took quarterback Ty Simpson — and didn’t bolster its receiving corps until the sixth round with Daniels.

Having played six years of college football at three programs, Daniels is a well-traveled prospect who’s repeatedly turned heads. With the Hurricanes in 2025, he was efficient with 1.73 yards per route run and a 3.8% drop rate. On top of that, Daniels plays bigger than his 6-foot-2 frame, holding a career 62.3% contested catch rate.

Los Angeles has repeatedly given late-round wideouts a chance, from Puka Nacua to Jordan Whittington to Konata Mumpfield. Daniels has every opportunity to stake his claim as the team’s WR3 next to Nacua and Davante Adams.