The Rams didn’t draft any offensive linemen this year, but they did move to sign some rookie blockers after the draft.
The team announced 17 agreements with undrafted free agents on Monday and the group includes four offensive linemen. Wyatt Bowles of Utah State, Ben Dooley of Boise State, Willie Lampkin of North Carolina, and Trey Wedig of Indiana will all vie for spots on the roster in Los Angeles.
Lampkin started at guard and center in college and was an All-American in 2024 as a right guard, but he was likely passed over in the draft because he’s undersized for the NFL.
The Rams also agreed to terms with Connecticut safety Malik Dixon-Williams, Buffalo linebacker Shaun Dolac, Louisiana Tech wide receiver Tru Edwards, USC linebacker Jamil Muhammad, Texas defensive lineman Bill Norton, Rice linebacker Josh Pearcy, Oklahoma State wide receiver Brennan Presley, Louisville tight end Mark Redman, Oklahoma defensive lineman Da’Jon Terry, Toledo tight end Anthony Torres, Northern Illinois safety Nate Valcarcel, North Carolina State running back Jordan Waters, and Tulane wide receiver Mario Williams.
Michigan Panthers wide receiver Samson Nacua, the brother of Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua, slapped a fan in the face following Saturday night’s game in St. Louis.
Video of the incident shows a fan in the front row leaning onto the field and apparently exchanging words with Nacua, who then reaches up, slaps the fan, and walks off. Panthers cornerback Adonis Alexander then pointed at the fan and laughed before sideline personnel urged him to step away. The fan did not appear to be injured.
“The UFL is aware of the incident that took place last evening at the conclusion of the Michigan Panthers vs. St. Louis Battlehawks game in St. Louis. League officials are currently investigating the matter,” the UFL said in a statement.
Samson Nacua is in his second season with the Panthers and previously played for the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers in 2023. He has spent time on the rosters of the Colts and Saints but has never played in a regular-season NFL game.
The Rams won the NFC West last season, beating the Vikings in the Wild Card before losing at Philadelphia by six points in the Divisional Round. There were reports that QB Matthew Stafford could potentially leave Los Angeles, but he agreed to a restructured contract in February. While the Rams released Super Bowl LVI MVP Cooper Kupp, they brought in Davante Adams to take his place alongside Puka Nacua.
Los Angeles had an excellent draft in 2024, using their first two picks to select defensive linemen Jared Verse and Braden Fiske. Verse was named Defensive Rookie of the Year last season, while Fiske finished 3rd in the voting.
Los Angeles Rams 2025 NFL Draft Picks
Round 2: No. 46 (from ATL) - Terrance Ferguson, TE, Oregon
Round 3: No. 90 - Josaiah Stewart, EDGE, Michigan
Round 4: No. 117 (from IND) - Jarquez Hunter, RB, Auburn
Round 5: No. 148 (from CHI) - Ty Hamilton, DT, Ohio State
Round 5: No. 172 (Compensatory, from SEA via MIN) - Chris Paul Jr., LB, Ole Miss
Round 7: No. 242 (reacquired from ATL) - Konata Mumpfield, WR, Pittsburgh
Check out 2025 NFL Draft picks for other teams in the NFC West:
Seattle Seahawks 2025 NFL Draft picks
Arizona Cardinals 2025 NFL Draft picks
San Francisco 49ers 2025 NFL Draft picks
Click here to see the entire 2025 NFL Draft order. Coverage of the latest news from around the NFL is available all year round from Pro Football Talk on Peacock and the NFL on NBC YouTube Channel.
For the full slate of NFL Draft content from across NBC Sports, click here.
After quarterback Shedeur Sanders wasn’t drafted in round one, most thought he would be drafted in round two. After he wasn’t drafted in round three, most think he’ll go in round four.
If that happens, where are the hot spots?
The first one that stands out is the Raiders, at the sixth pick (No. 108). They did their homework on Shedeur, and they need a long-term answer at the position.
Then there’s minority owner/majority influence Tom Brady’s relationship with Shedeur. They now have something else in common — and Brady can use that shared experience of being made to wait way too long to light a raging fire that will never be extinguished.
Two picks later, the Jets will be on the clock. The Jets have 2024 draft pick Jordan Travis, who was a Heisman finalist before suffering a serious leg injury during the 2023 college season. For now, their contenders to start are Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor.
The Eagles are a sneaky wild card at No. 111, one pick after the Jets. If they’re committed to taking the best available player, why not Shedeur? While his style is different from starter Jalen Hurts, there’s real value in snagging Shedeur this late in the process.
The same thinking applies to the 49ers at No. 113. With Brock Purdy’s long-term deal not done, what if coach Kyle Shanahan becomes intrigued by the possibility of making Shedeur into the next Purdy?
The Colts at No. 117 could make sense, since they basically have co-starters who may not coagulate as the answer.
The Steelers will be back on the clock at No. 123. While it’s clear that they expect Aaron Rodgers to show up, they need a developmental quarterback. Shedeur could be the answer.
The Rams at No. 127 also make sense. They took a fourth-round flier on Stetson Bennett two years ago. Sanders is objectively better than Bennett — and the Rams clearly need a post-Stafford answer.
We’ll see how it goes. Round four starts soon. If Sanders is still on the board when round five starts, one of the nuttiest stories in draft history will be even nuttier.
The Rams have made their first selection in the 2025 draft, bringing in an offensive contributor.
At No. 46 overall in the second round, Los Angeles has selected tight end Terrance Ferguson out of Oregon.
Ferguson, 22, was a first-team All-Pac 12 selection in 2023 and a third-team All-Big Ten selection in 2024 after the Ducks switched conferences.
He caught 43 passes for 591 yards with three touchdowns in 2024, missing a pair of games due to appendix surgery. He finished his collegiate career with 134 catches for 1,537 yards with 16 TDs in 53 games with 37 starts.
He’ll now join a tight ends group led by the veteran Tyler Higbee.
The Rams picked up No. 46 from the Falcons as part of the deal for the No. 26 pick in the first round on Thursday. Los Angeles also acquired Atlanta’s first-round pick in 2026 in that trade.
Based on the Rams’ draft history in the Les Snead/Sean McVay era, it wasn’t much of a shock to see the club trade out of its first-round pick at No. 26 overall.
It was, however, a mild surprise that the club was able to net a first-round pick in next year’s draft as part of the deal to move back with the Falcons.
Los Angeles received No. 46 overall in the second round on Friday, Atlanta’s first-round pick in 2026, and a seventh-round pick in exchange for No. 26 overall and a third-round pick this year.
“To be able to get a future ‘one’ is a big deal to just move back 20 spots,” head coach Sean McVay said in a Thursday night press conference. “Obviously, the next couple of days will be exciting, but we feel really good about the way that tonight unfolded for us
“I think looking at where our team is overall and the value that we were able to get to be able to move back just 20 spots felt like it was too good to be able to pass up,” McVay later added. “We’re going to come away with some good football players tomorrow for sure.”
General Manager Les Snead noted that the Rams probably weren’t expecting a first-round pick to move out of their draft slot. But without a second-round pick after using it to trade up last year, the club was looking to pick up an asset.
“You have to have someone that really wants to come up to give up that type of pick,” Snead said. “There were multiple teams that wanted to either come up from later behind us in the first round and even in the second round. It’s just the Falcons wanted Mr. [James] Pierce a little more than [the other teams] wanted whomever they were coming up for.”
Snead noted that the Rams did try to move up in the first round, but claimed it was not for any player in particular.
“We just wanted to get up and see how it’d go,” Snead said. “We did try to move, but the value going up there that teams were asking was too much or more than we would give.”
So now the Rams have two first-round picks for the 2026 draft. And with their current quarterback going year-to-year, and the next crop of quarterbacks projected to be better than in 2025, Los Angeles is in a favorable position to potentially pick up a QB of the future.
Entering round one, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was the biggest wild card in the draft. Exiting round one, he still is.
Sanders slipped out of the first round, and it’s not clear where he’ll land.
The Browns hold the 33rd and 36th overall picks. The latter came from the trade that dropped Cleveland from No. 2 to No. 5 in the first round. They could easily justify taking Sanders at No. 33 and then addressing other needs at No. 36. Or they could dangle the 33rd pick to someone like the Saints, who might be interested in moving up from No. 40.
Or maybe neither the Browns nor the Saints will bite. If so, the slide will continue.
The Jets could be interested at No. 42. The Rams are possible at No. 46. The Seahawks aren’t out of the question at No. 50 or No. 52.
There simply aren’t many teams with a glaring need.
And Sanders isn’t the only one waiting. Alabama’s Jalen Milroe remains in the green room. Louisville’s Tyler Shough is still waiting. We’ll see whether and to what extent any of those three will end up in round two.
From 2022 through 2024, only one quarterback was taken in round two. Last year, no quarterback was taken from Bo Nix to the Broncos at No. 12 until No. 150, when the Saints took Spencer Rattler.
The push against the tush push is more of a push against pushing.
That’s the message that emerged when Rams coach Sean McVay was pressed on the topic during Tuesday’s pre-draft press conference.
McVay, a member of the Competition Committee, was asked a simple question: Why do you want to ban the tush push?
“I don’t know that it’s exclusively that,” McVay told reporters. “I don’t think the crux of the issue is around pushing other players, but making sure there’s clarity in terms of how it’s going to be officiated. My understanding is it’ll probably be something that’s revisited in May.”
Still, McVay has a broader question regarding how the NFL evolved to the point at which pushing the guy with the ball is standard practice.
“I think one of the things that I would talk about is it was really allowing that play to get in the first place,” McVay said. “I will acknowledge that I don’t believe in being a hater because the Eagles and the Bills do it better than we were capable of. If we executed it at that kind of level, we would probably be doing it as well. I think what it revolves around is saying we’re not in the game or in the business of pushing other people or assisting or helping the runner. We’ve allowed that into the game. When you go back a handful of years, there are some issues and conversations around the field goal block play.”
Pushing was permitted in 2006, as part of a broader change to downfield blocking rules. It took 16 years for teams to realize that pushing the quarterback could be part of the playbook.
So what will happen?
“I do think that where the issue will end up really coming to a head is talking about whether we want to prevent the assistance of pushing the runner,” McVay said. “That could take away some positive plays that we had last year where a guy gets kind of stood up and you’re pushing a pile. There was an example of that against the Jets. Even a screen that we threw to [receiver Puka] Nacua against the Vikings in the playoff game would be one of these. I’ll be interested to see. I would imagine that’s a rule that’s going to be proposed. I think it is also important.
“Everything revolves around health and safety, but also making sure that there’s clarity for the refs to be able to officiate this and then us to ultimately get it communicated to our players in regard to what our expectations are, how it’s being viewed, and what is going to be deemed legal and illegal. It was more the optics of the play that I had a problem with while also acknowledging that if we did it as well as the Eagles, we would probably be activating it a little bit more as well. I’m not afraid to admit that.”
Here’s the basic problem for the league. The genie is out of the bottle, but it’s only granting wishes in two NFL cities. That makes any effort to address the situation feel like sour grapes from those teams that can’t replicate the success of the Eagles and Bills (who run it differently than the Eagles, with the push delayed until quarterback Josh Allen has picked a lane and commenced his sneak).
As previously explained, setting the clock back to 2005 could have unintended consequences when it comes to spotting and enforcing violations that happen well away from where the ball was snapped. The cleanest way to address the potential safety issues from the tush push would be to prevent any pushing within the tackle box and within five yards on either side of the line of scrimmage.
That said, it’s much easier to sell a broader ban on all pushing as something other than a specific effort to target the tush push. Even though it’s exactly what’s happening.
Ultimately, it comes down to whether 24 or more owners will agree to it. And whether and to what extent the league office pushes for it.
Our sense is that the league is absolutely pushing for it — and our guess is that, in the same way the league office recruited the Lions to propose a change to playoff seeding, the league office pushed the Packers to put their name on the proposal that they made in March and that they’re currently reworking for May.
The Rams’ track record in the draft suggests that they’ll add some players this week who can contribute in a big way in 2025.
As noted by the Rams’ social media, since 2014, Rams General Manager Les Snead has only had five first-round picks, and three of them have been rookies of the year: defensive tackle Aaron Donald was Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014, running back Todd Gurley was Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2015 and outside linebacker Jared Verse was defensive rookie of the year in 2024.
The Rams also had the second-place finisher in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting in Puka Nacua in 2023, and the third-place finisher in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in Kobie Turner the same year.
Past results are no guarantee of future performance, but Snead’s results have been a good sign for the Rams that they’ll add someone this week who helps them win games in September.
The Rams have a year-to-year arrangement with quarterback Matthew Stafford. Which means that any year could be the last year for the quarterback who arrived in 2021.
It also means that, in any year, the Rams could draft Stafford’s eventual successor.
During Tuesday’s pre-draft press conference, G.M. Les Snead addressed the possibility of adding a quarterback from the incoming ranks of rookies.
“I don’t think I could truly answer that honestly so I’ll keep that internal, how we view it,” Snead told reporters. “The only thing I can add or any insight would be when you prepare for a draft, however many other positions there are and it can get pretty micro and nuanced. . . . If you’re going to get down and go down the quarterback path, that’s an entirely different bucket based on all the requirements it takes to play QB in this league at a successful rate.”
If they opt to pick a quarterback, they’ll be sure to let Stafford know about it.
“I think there have been a lot of instances where you never regret overcommunicating and creating clarity for people as opposed to why,” coach Sean McVay said. “When we drafted Stetson Bennett a couple of years ago, I made sure to communicate with [Stafford] beforehand. You want to be as inclusive as you can, especially to players who are in his position. That would be something that we would do, just like we did when we drafted Stetson a couple of years ago.”
Not every team extends that courtesy to the incumbent. Most notably, the Packers didn’t let Aaron Rodgers know they’d be taking his eventual replacement, Jordan Love, in round one. Last year, the Falcons caught Kirk Cousins (and everyone else) flatfooted when they drafted Michael Penix Jr.
So we’ll see. As will everyone one. But if anyone gets advance notice, it’ll be Stafford.
