zn wrote:

13. Cowboys: Dak Prescott
15. Lions: Jared Goff
18. Chargers: Justin Herbert

He’s putting some guys lower than they should be because they played on banged up teams last year.

How the top 7 wide receivers could fit the Rams

Nate Atkins

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7182019/2026/04/10/rams-the-beast-wide-receivers-nfl-draft/?source=emp_shared_article&unlocked_article_code=1.Z1A.nWa_.pUg_3u-8WLlF&smid=ta-ios-share

It’s not hard to pinpoint the Los Angeles Rams’ biggest need at this point in the offseason. And now we have a resource at The Athletic to analyze it.

The Rams have a potent roster they’re largely rolling back from last season’s 12-5 campaign that finished just a few yards short of a Super Bowl appearance. They’ve spent all of free agency retooling the secondary, which is the biggest area that let them down in the NFC Championship Game. They’ll continue to work the edges for special teams help, too.

But the one starting spot they haven’t addressed is the No. 3 wide receiver. That role arguably faded as the Rams leaned into three-tight-end sets last season. But at his core, coach Sean McVay wants to live in three-receiver sets often. And that demands an upgrade.

The Athletic just released “The Beast,” the annual project Dane Brugler puts together that features scouting reports on more than 2,000 draft-eligible players and rankings by position. It’s a helpful way to process the draft board the Rams could be operating with at a position like wide receiver.

Let’s break down Brugler’s top seven wideouts.

No. 1: Carnell Tate, Ohio State

Brugler’s takeaway: “Tate is a long, technically proficient receiver who can win at all three levels using high-level tracking/adjustment skills and catching radius. He projects as an immediate NFL starting Z with Pro Bowl upside.”

Rams fit: It’s difficult to find any ranking of receiver prospects that doesn’t have Tate at the top of the list. He broke out last season with 51 catches for 875 yards and nine touchdowns despite sharing the Ohio State receiving game with Jeremiah Smith, who should be a top-five pick next year. Tate isn’t at the Smith level of a prospect, mostly because he’s slimmer at 6-foot-2, 192 pounds.

Tate has the most likely chance in this class of becoming a future No. 1 option. He would slot in as the third option behind Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, and to land the draft’s No. 1 receiver in that spot would launch an already elite receiving corps to the best in the league.

It’s almost certainly going to take a trade-up. That becomes difficult for a franchise that wants to save next year’s first-round pick to go after a quarterback in what could be one of the better QB classes in years. The Rams could offer one or both of their Day 3 picks, but that would mean the jump would have to be small.

Given that the Rams don’t need Tate to lead the passing attack, and other good options can anchor the role they do need, consider him less likely. But it would provide strong insurance if Los Angeles decides not to pay Nacua by next year.

No. 2: Makai Lemon, USC

Brugler’s takeaway: “Lemon doesn’t wow with his size or athletic profile, but he is a smooth, manipulative route runner and catches everything thrown his way. Similar in ways to fellow former Trojans receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, he already plays like a pro and projects as an NFL starter (Z or slot).”

Rams fit: You’ve likely seen Lemon mocked to the Rams in several places, including from yours truly. He seems to be a sweet spot for them as a receiver who is realistically attainable with the No. 13 pick, a smooth fit into what they need and a local product to boot.

Lemon isn’t as exciting in singular traits as Tate. But he does produce, as showcased by last season’s 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns to win the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in college football. He also blocks arguably as well as any top receiver in this class, and that is the biggest reason Tutu Atwell couldn’t see the field last season despite playing on a $10 million salary.

If Tate goes in the top 10 as expected, Lemon will be one player the Rams are hoping can fall. If they really like this fit, they could part with a Day 2 pick to secure him in a small trade-up.

No. 3: Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State

Brugler’s takeaway: “Tyson’s injury history is concerning, but on the field, he is a sleek, twitched-up athlete who can create his own separation and win outside his frame at the catch point. He projects as an NFL starter (inside or outside), with a skill set that reminds me of Stefon Diggs.”

Rams fit: It’s hard not to watch Tyson and think that any talented play designer would love to get him in an offense, and McVay is likely no different. But he is one of the more difficult conversations for a high pick because of his injury history, which includes issues with his hamstring, ankle, collarbone and knee that cost him 34 percent of his team’s games over the past four seasons.

Sometimes, injuries can speak more about a small sample than a career projection. But it’s also not something that tends to get easier to overcome with more games and the physicality of the NFL.

That injury history could discount a player with top-10 talent in a way that favors the Rams, too. In a future sense, Tyson could complement Nacua rather well as more of an explosive and acrobatic receiver, making him an ideal heir to Adams on the opposite side of the formation.

He doesn’t bring much special teams ability to contribute early, so the Rams would have to take more of a long-term, high-upside view in a player with talent and considerable risk.

No. 4: KC Concepcion, Texas A&M

Brugler’s takeaway: “Concepcion must cut down on the drops and fine-tune areas of his game, but he is a versatile playmaker with an innate feel for getting open before the catch and creating after it. He has the receiving talent to become a starting slot or Z while also providing value as a punt returner.”

Rams fit: The draft seems to have a locked-in top three right now, followed by a tier break to other strong options who might be a stretch at No. 13. However, the right player can be worth the investment, and the Rams can also explore trading back if they want to make the value work better.

Concepcion isn’t as consistent as the top three options here, but he can produce in a number of ways. He topped 800 receiving yards and nine touchdowns at two different programs at NC State and Texas A&M. He ran the ball 70 times for 431 yards and three touchdowns in his college career as a gadget player, which would be enticing to McVay.

He also returned 30 punts in college and scored two touchdowns, which could give him an immediate and important role that the Rams need to find an answer for somewhere in this draft. He won the Paul Hornung Award as college football’s most versatile player, and it could make him a unique counter to all that Nacua does for this team as defenses continue to throw more and more his way.

No. 5: Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana

Brugler’s takeaway: “Cooper will be an attractive draft target for the NFL teams that put high value on ball skills and run-after-catch ability. He projects as an inside-outside receiver who can be weaponized when featured.”

Rams fit: An inside-outside receiver with ball skills and run-after-catch ability? That sounds like a player McVay could use, especially in the space created by the coverages Nacua and Adams will demand on the other side. His ability to move inside and out could create a future duo with Nacua where the two are constantly moving to find better matchups and to keep coverages off-balance.

Cooper showed explosiveness with 21.2 yards per catch in 2024 and high production, with 69 catches for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. The fact that he did it in the best conference in college football and on stages like the Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff makes the profile even stronger.

Cooper might not have the outside skills and separation ability to ever be a No. 1 receiver. If the Rams are committed to Nacua, he won’t need to be. This is a strong trade-back option for the Rams, provided they can fill their return need elsewhere.

No. 6: Denzel Boston, Washington

Brugler’s takeaway: “Boston builds his speed with smooth, long strides and naturally adjusts with the hand strength of a ball winner, which should quickly earn him the trust of an NFL quarterback. With his ability to win inside or outside, his game has shades of 2025 Houston Texans draft pick Jayden Higgins.”

Rams fit: If the Rams are looking for a future replacement for what Adams does in the red zone, they could look Boston’s way. Of his 20 career touchdowns, 14 of them came inside the red zone. It’s an illustration of his 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame and his bulldog mentality when going after the ball in tight coverage. That alone makes him a trade-back candidate to consider in the first round.

Where Boston seems to lack is in his ability to blow by cornerbacks for explosive gains or against man coverage. That’s something Adams can still do enough that made him attractive to the Rams, whereas Nacua is the cheat code against zone coverages.

So, if the Rams go this route, they’ll need to focus on adding a third receiver post-Adams who can do a good amount of that. Boston did show a little as a punt returner last year with eight returns for an average of 13.0 yards, so there’s a way to ease him in and also make this red zone offense even harder to stop.

No. 7: Germie Bernard, Alabama

Brugler’s takeaway: “Bernard has a well-rounded, pro-ready skill set, with the frame, ball skills and smooth athleticism to be a dependable target. He projects as a starting Z receiver and as an NFL team’s second or third option.”

Rams fit: This is the point in the draft class when No. 1 or even a high No. 2 option has dried up. That could create a sweet spot for the Rams to pounce when Day 2 arrives, depending on how they plan to attack the position in the future. Bernard could slide in and be a really strong No. 3 option this season, with the hopes of ascending to a No. 2 after Adams’ contract is up in 2027.

Bernard doesn’t appear to have the star capabilities of some others in this class, but his floor is high given his size (6-foot-1, 206 pounds), durability and consistent production between his time at Washington and Alabama. He has dabbled in the return games just enough to be a potential option there, too, though likely not a game-breaking one.

wv wrote:

Danny Parkins and crew banter about the McSnead approach of trading away first round picks. Fwiw.

But guys…they didn’t have 1st round picks because They. Traded. Them. For. Elite. Players.

Try and factor that in.

from Albert Breer, https://www.si.com/nfl/underrated-nfl-draft-prospects-albert-breer-mailbag#inline-text-67

Teams I’ve talked to really, really like Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr., who’s tough as nails, clean character-wise and has the versatility to play inside and outside. Best known for the otherworldly catch he made to beat Penn State, he might be better than any receiver in the draft after the catch, and I think some teams have him right there with the best wideouts in the entire class.

Cosell does all the receivers in a longer vid above, but here’s a standalone refresher.

“He's not ideally as big as you like. He's not purely explosive…”

“When I finished watching Lemon, the two players that came to mind… I thought he was kind of in between Amon-Ra St. Brown and Khalil Shakir. “@GregCosell breaks down USC WR Makai Lemon: pic.twitter.com/eECQWa0M30

— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) March 26, 2026

The NFL informed clubs today it will begin training replacement officials next month with the goal of preparing them for team visits starting June 1 if no deal can be reached with the referees union, per a memo obtained by NFL Network.

Negotiations will continue between the NFL… pic.twitter.com/ytmF7J1OAO

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) April 8, 2026

Everything I know about fighting lizard men I owe to William Shatner. pic.twitter.com/uX6hAhdObq

— SweetMarie (@Oceanbreeze473) April 6, 2026

AJ Schulte@AJSchulteFB
It is pretty interesting that the Rams have met with a lot of nickel type DBs with Keionte Scott, Chris Johnson, and now Treydan Stukes all being reported.

Worth noting that their most frequent meetings seem to be at WR, LB, and CB so far…

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/rams/2026/04/07/rams-ask-receivers-to-block-more-than-any-other-team/89497741007/?taid=69d508355fcb6f0001a6cca5&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=trueanthem&utm_source=twitter

…just how much do Rams pass-catchers block on a play? Well, a chart from data scientist @JoshiosTweets shows that even the Rams have five eligible receivers on the field, five players run routes just 56% of the time — the lowest rate in the league. The Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals lead the league in this rate at 78%, 76% and 73%, respectively, just so you can see the percentages compared to one another.

On nearly half of the Rams’ passing snaps, at least one eligible target is actually a disguised blocker. That type of confusion is huge for an offense, and it’s likely partially why the Rams have a 0.25 expected points added per play when five eligible receivers are on the field.

wv wrote:

Just not sure there’s much difference between 13 and 20.

Plus some positions that should interest the Rams are deep with good prospects into the 3rd round. So trading down and getting extra high picks would put them in a good position.

Tradwife movement ‘attracts men who are hostile to women’
The strongest predictor of support for women staying at home and deferring to their husband is not, as researchers expected, chivalry but ‘hostile sexism’

https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/sex-relationships/article/tradwife-lifestyle-hostility-women-txmdxkjn6

A growing online trend encourages women to quit their jobs, run the home and defer to their husbands. This “tradwife” movement urges a return to traditional roles and, when researchers in the US recently set out to examine what kind of men support it, they expected to find a cohort fond of old-fashioned chivalry.

The reality, they say, was rather different.

Among young American men, the strongest predictor of support for the tradwife lifestyle was not gallantry but hostility towards women.
“We were taken aback,” said Dr Rachael Robnett, a psychologist at the University of Nevada, in Las Vegas, and lead author of the study. Her team had thought that men drawn to the tradwife idea would display what academics call “benevolent sexism” — a belief that men should protect and provide for women. This seemed to them to fit with an ethos where he earns and she cooks and cares for the children.

Instead, statistical tests found that the strongest predictor of male support for tradwife lifestyles was “hostile sexism”. This involves overtly negative beliefs about women, including that they manipulate men, exaggerate discrimination and should not expect equal power.

People who are high in hostile sexism may believe women try to manipulate and control men, often through sex.

The study, which was published in Psychology of Women Quarterly, also found that men drawn to tradwife ideals often believed that women were essential to their emotional fulfilment, and that intimacy was something only women can provide. “It suggests that men [who support tradwife lifestyles] rely on women for intimacy and resent that this is the case,” Robnett said.

The findings sit uneasily with the movement’s image on social media. Online, tradwives are often depicted in settings of domestic bliss: scenes where women stay at home and bake bread, surrounded by broods of smiling children.

“What these images don’t illustrate,” Robnett said, “is the significant financial and personal autonomy that tradwives yield.”

The findings are based on a survey of 595 American men aged 18 to 29. Participants were asked about their attitudes to roles of men and women and the tradwife lifestyle, as well as their levels of different forms of sexism, religiosity and background characteristics.

The researchers then used statistical models to identify which factors best predicted support. Hostile sexism emerged as the strongest single factor.

The men in the study differed substantially in how they viewed tradwife arrangements. Some described them as a way of imposing structure on modern life. Others were much less positive. Robnett says she was struck by how many respondents called tradwives “lazy”, suggesting they were opting out of work while enjoying the benefits of their husbands’ labour.

A global survey of 23,000 people from King’s College London recently found that 31 per cent of Gen Z men (born between 1997 and 2012) agreed that a wife should always obey her husband. Among Baby Boomer men (born between 1946 and 1964) just 13 per cent agreed.

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When it matters most… Stafford delivers.

Matthew Stafford led the NFL with 29 total TDs in one-possession games in 2025. Built for the moment.

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Only FIVE players in the Super Bowl era have led the NFL in receiving TDs 3+ times…

Davante Adams is right there with all-time greats…