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znModeratoran aside note. this. and i keep harping on it. this is one of the markers that will define sean’s legacy. his ability to draft and develop a qb. as jourdan said, mcvay won’t actually be in there getting his hands dirty with simpson, but he will be overseeing the process. he is directly involved in hiring the people who are responsible for tuning simpson up. and i agree with jourdan. he needs a stable environment to accomplish this.
Well said and I agree.
goff may not have been the best match personality wise? i don’t have anything to base that on. just a hunch.
I agree with that though I’d put it this way–the 2 of them were incompatible. It went both ways.
It’s revealing to read about how Ben Johnson worked with Goff. He began by finding out what Goff liked and what he thought he was good at. Johnson built it from there.
Does/will McV connect better with Simpson? Well TS is much more cerebral about the game than Goff was. In 2017 they hired Orlosky as the #2 to Goff, but his real job was to teach Goff how to read defenses. Orlovsky has said that when they began, Goff had no idea. None. He played in a college spread at UC that did not really depend on a qb knowing defensive fronts and coverages. It was the same reason Mahomes sat for a year. Simpson is light years ahead of that.
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znModeratorHere’s another tweet saying in advance of the draft that Daniels is someone to watch.
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One thing I have noticed with the success of recent day 3 WRs like Parker, Puka, Doubs, and to an extent Ayomanor last year is an ability to play big. One guy that pops for me that weighs over 200, over a 1.9 YPRR last 3 years, and 50%+ CTC last 3 years is Miami's CJ Daniels pic.twitter.com/OX3Lz9hmpW
— Billy M (@BillyM_91) March 19, 2026
znModeratorYet I fall back on knowing that there has never been a Rams story, ever, where we did not hear fairly quickly what was going on behind the scenes.
I never saw anything explaining Ernest Jones. That may be one exception.
You might be right about that. But then that one was no mystery. He spoke up in public about how he deserved an extension, and doing that (griping publicly) goes against Rams code.
znModeratoryeah. but that was then. this is now. things change. for the record i agree with you, but we could be wrong.
We could be wrong. There’s less chance of Rodrigue being wrong. Let’s just say that the “short future McVay” story is unlikely. And Rodrigue was not talking about “then,” she actually was talking about now. Her point is that the positive after effects of 2022 are still very much intact. That is what she sees. And this is a reporter who studied their draft process first hand, and who wrote the single most in depth and revealing story about the McVay crisis of 2022.
So why is there speculation about this pick, McVay’s reaction, and McVay’s future? IMO–people are just making things out of the press conference that are just not there. That’s the incitement.
Yet I fall back on knowing that there has never been a Rams story, ever, where we did not hear fairly quickly what was going on behind the scenes. We knew Gurley’s knee was bad in 2018, and we knew in spite of them denying it in public. We knew in spite of what they were saying that McVay and Goff weren’t “connecting” by the end of 2020. We knew it wasn’t just Goff being “bad.” How did we know? Not just because of what we saw. Because it is a big organization in a big town full of media ears of all kinds, and it leaks right and left.
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…znModeratori guess it all hinges on whether or not you think mcvay is close to leaving. i don’t know. he was pretty close to doing that five years ago. catch me on another day and i may have a different opinion.
Rodrigue addresses all of that in the vid I posted (it’s embedded in a tweet, just above).
Rodrigue’s view is that he went through his crisis in 2022 and came out of it, and that was that, he’s a coach.
znModeratorThis is Rodrigue for 30 minutes.
And as we know cause we know Rodrigue, this is about as good as it gets.
The great @JourdanRodrigue joined us to discuss whether it's crazy to think Sean McVay didn't want Ty Simpson, among other draft topics!
Jordan Rodrigue Reacts To The Rams Draft https://t.co/uj8KNAQKC3
— Sam Monson (@SamMonsonNFL) April 26, 2026
znModeratorAn instinctual player who could be this year’s version of Khyiris Tonga.
A three-year starter at Alabama, Keenan lined up at nose tackle in defensive coordinator Kane Womack’s multiple scheme. He was a Nick Saban favorite, because of his reliability and “do your job” production — and that continued with the Tide’s new staff. He got a late start as a senior following preseason ankle surgery, which affected his production, but he played his best ball late in the season (see the SEC championship game versus Georgia).
Like a tea pot, Keenan is short and stout. He is strong and technically sound with his hands to stack the point and create leverage. But he’s also often late to rid himself of blocks, mostly because of his length. Though limited as a pass rusher, he can be a bowling ball once he gets rolling downhill.
Dane’s takeaway
Keenan lacks range and suddenness as a block shedder, but he is an instinctual player with the refined hands to clog up run lanes. He is a better football player than a toolsy athlete and could be this year’s version of Khyiris Tonga.
Strengths
Compact frame with burly muscles in his arms, legs and neck Plays from a low position and has density to hold his ground Assignment sound and strives to maintain gap integrity
Eager hands to create pop at contact and unload into target Instinctive — quickly adjusts to run flows Feels developing screens and dumpoffs Creates decent push once he gains access to blocker’s edge Voted one of four captains for 2025 season (he and Deontae Lawson captained the defense) Outstanding worker and highly respected in the program (Saban: “You can always count on him to do his job. … He gives great effort.”)Weaknesses
Short-armed player and can be out-leveraged at the snap Struggles to regain ground once he loses it Average short-area quickness, which limits his pass-rush options
Doesn’t offer much range to make stops away from his starting point Works hard to keep weight in check, but something to monitor (enrolled at 380 pounds) Underwent tightrope surgery (Aug. 2025), which sidelined him for first three games of senior season; missed second half of senior year in high school because of right MCL surgery (Oct. 2020)
Senior-year production was underwhelmingznModerator4 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 soBrock Vierra
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.
znModeratorVincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
Here is the price they paid to get Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford:Four 1st round picks, two 2nd-round picks, two 3rd-round picks AND Goff (And a ton of salary)
(Obviously well worth it)
What it cost them to get Simpson: Handing a slip of paper to the commissioner. And maybe, if he doesn’t pan out, some regret on losing out on a player that could have helped them.
If Simpson works out, that’s incredible value.
And that doesn’t even take into account what they might have to pay to find Stafford’s replacement, if they didn’t draft Simpson.
Even if he doesn’t work out, the cost is minimal. They still have all future assets to address QB.
Once the Rams decided Simpson could be a dude, they pretty much had to take him. There’s no guarantee they’ll be in a position anytime soon to get their QB at cost of handing the commissioner a slip of paper.
znModeratorWatch the highlights. This guy has the same positive traits Puka does. At least at the point of the catch. I call them “in the phone booth” skills. He’s not as physical as Nacua, but it’s clear he has those “phone booth” skills. Which. To state the obvious. Are rare.
This is about as good a prospect in round 6 as we’ve seen in Rams drafts. He has high end traits as a contributor. Looks like he could develop into a key 3rd down receiver.
znModeratorfrom 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)
znModeratorznModeratorDaniels 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
znModeratorMax Klare's Athleticism is practically off the charts 📈 pic.twitter.com/1zUCSXCGgZ
— Underdog NFL Draft – Josh & Hayden (@UDFootballShow) February 27, 2026
znModeratorI simply don’t know, but I am somewhat concerned that McVay and Stafford are secretly “married,” and that McVay is going to leave when Stafford retires.
Why is this draft producing more than its share of conspiracy theories?
Their explanation was simple and makes sense. They have Stafford for a couple of years, but not forever. They like Simpson (and it is clear that Simpson has traits that fit this offense).They don’t see themselves getting a high 1st round pick again for a while.
No matter what the reason, no GM who built a reputation for working collaboratively is going to take a qb his head coach does not like. That’s whether or not the head coach was dumb enough to actually say “I plan on retiring when the qb does.” Garappolo is retiring, they don’t have a #2 anyway. They can see Simpson developing. Their coaching roster includes an unusually rich list of good offensive minds, and if they didn’t like Simpson, they would have spoken up.
McVay is in coaching because he loves coaching, that much is obvious, and he went through his early mid-life crisis in 2022 and came out of it.
There’s nothing under the rug. Or between the lines. There is no backstage drama. Their story adds up and makes sense and fits all the data points we know.
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znModeratorMax Klare has been one of the more productive tight ends in this class over the past two collegiate seasons, especially after the catch. pic.twitter.com/MuwNWCbQoE
— Wyatt Miller (@wymill07) April 25, 2026
znModeratorOtto@hawkeyeram4life
I think we’re seeing somewhat of the vision for the #Rams evolving offense..Terrance Ferguson was used as “WR-hybrid” at Oregon at times, and in 13 personnel Klare was used as a slot WR at times
Rams Bros.@RamsBrothers
Fergie and Klare, unlike all TE’s, have the ability to run the full route tree. Neither are traditional in-line players. They’re both hybrid TE/WR.Kingsbury is just going to help McVay create more mismatches and scheme these guys wide open. It’ll be fun.
znModeratorNorth Carolina OL Austin Blaske
Austin Blaske
HT/WT: 6′ 5″, 310 lbsThe #Rams are signing former North Carolina offensive lineman Austin Blaske, @Ethos_SG tells @mzenitz and me for @CBSSports.
Blaske started 21 games over the last two seasons for the Tar Heels. He played both center and LT. Began his career at Georgia. pic.twitter.com/DgDVraSTsW
— Chris Hummer (@chris_hummer) April 25, 2026
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znModeratorSchefter says they didnt receive a single call to trade down, so they were stuck at 13
This conflicts with reports claiming they did have offers.
So who knows.
To be fair, Schefter is good. But maybe the different reports come from different sources?
We shall see if time will tell.
znModeratorfrom https://www.nfl.com/prospects/cj-daniels/32004441-4e49-0797-9e3e-b27051043f49
College: Miami
Height: 6’2 1/4″
Weight: 202 lbs
Arm: 31 3/4″
Hand: 9 1/4″Overview
Daniels has a tremendous feel for creating catch opportunities with varied route tempo, body control and late separation tactics. He will struggle against a quality press and might need to be schemed into releases against certain corners. Daniels excels in putting himself between the throw and the defender, winning contested catches at a high rate during his time at LSU (2024) and Miami (2025). He’s confident, crafty and focused, but he’s average after the catch and unlikely to help on special teams, so his road to a roster spot will be challenging.
Strengths
Plays with an assured demeanor and consistent focus.
Crafts separation with a deep bag of tricks.
Subtle tempo changes manufacture separation windows.
Stacks corners on his hip and syncs his pace to the ball’s flight.
Has a strong feel for maintaining catch space on fades and 50/50s.
Effective use of size to shield defenders from the catch-point.Weaknesses
Below-average footwork and release quickness against press.
Loses route speed getting through vertical stems.
Below-average top-end speed and separation burst.
Run-after-catch talent is average.
Missed time due to injury during the 2022, 2024 and 2025 seasons.znModeratorThis was posted in twitter before Rams made their pick.
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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 muscleSeems like a McVay guy
April 25, 2026 at 7:50 pm in reply to: Rams draft grades & assessments from everyone (including us) #163563znModeratorGreg Beacham@gregbeacham
Rams assistant GM John McKay acknowledges they were thinking about the long-term future in this draft, partly because their roster is fairly set and partly because they’ve got a lot of major contributors coming up for their second contracts soon.znModeratorSee, this just PROVES they botched this draft. They could have gotten their future Hall Of Fame franchise QB with that last 7th round pick. But they frittered it away for the WR.
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vPlus why would you need another WR when your offense starts 6 TEs, including at qb.
znModeratorOk, I’ve said my piece on this issue.
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vBut…I was just getting warmed up for my big speech!!
znModeratorI thought the Rams had 3 Seventh Round picks? I thot they got two comp picks in the 7th rd.
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vThe 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.
znModeratorI dont agree with that approach. That number one offense could be better with M.Lemon. Especially if there are injuries.
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vTrue. But the point is, with a good defense they wouldn’t need the offense to be #1 every game. We already saw how having the #1 offense didn’t matter against Seattle since the Rams also had what turned out to be the #17 defense.
znModeratorNew Rams WR CJ Daniels had one of the catches of the year for the 2025 college football season pic.twitter.com/vH82SliaKf
— Stu Jackson (@StuJRams) April 25, 2026
znModeratorJourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
A lot of teams’ fans were vocal about TE picks yesterday. But I expect 12 and 13 personnel usage to keep increasing. And if you want real flexibility to move between 11 personnel and 12 or 13, coaches know you need four playable TEs and some teams will activate them all or moreznModeratorI think McVay was kind of a dick to Ty on the phone. He gave me”I’m gonna run you out of town” vibes.
That is not the impression I had listening to McVay on the phone with Simpson.
I think McVay welcomes the pick, and I don’t believe any interpretation that would have Snead taking a qb McVay didn’t want.
znModeratorBut what if that good-future-QB-pick costs the Rams a Super Bowl this season? What if Davante or Puka go down. (Puka plays like a tasmanian devil, and Davante is old)
Arguably, they just needed the corners. They managed to have the #1 offense in the league last year with the receivers they have–including PN and DA missing time.
In the final 2 games against Seattle, they faced a super bowl defense that was 6th in yards and 1st in points allowed. And in those 2 games averaged–on just offense–534 yards, 32 points, and 0 turnovers.
Their problem was defense, and the weak spot was CB.
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