The story of the 2025 season for the Los Angeles Rams was their movement to more 12 and 13 personnel packages on offense. After being strictly an 11 personnel team for much of the Sean McVay era, the Rams leaned into multiple tight end sets at one of the highest rates in the NFL in 2025. While they brought back Tyler Higbee in free agency, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Rams draft a tight end. Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen are on the final year of their contracts. Given how often the Rams were in heavy tight end sets, it would make sense to keep five tight ends next year.
Throughout the draft process, I’ve watched around 25 tight ends. With each player, I grade a series of traits and then those traits get put into a ‘Rams fit’ formula based on things that the team tends to value at the position. The result is a ‘Fit Grade’. This isn’t necessarily a list ranking the best tight ends in the class, but ranking them based on how they fit the Rams. It’s the reason you might see a consensus Day 3 player like Oscar Delp graded higher than a consensus second-round player like Max Klare.
While this is technically a fit ranking, I like to look at things in buckets and tiers. Many teams, including the Rams, do the same. Below is every tight end that I’ve watched separated into five Rams fit tiers.
Elite/Excellent Rams Fits
- Kenyon Sadiq, Oregon – 9.2
- Eli Raridon, Notre Dame – 8.5
It’s very possible that, when all is said and done, Sadiq ends up as the top player or at least a top-3 player on my Rams fits board. He is arguably the best pure schematic match for the Rams in this draft. His 4.39 speed that he showed at the NFL Combine in combination with his explosiveness makes him a math-changing player for the offense. Sadiq is alignment versatile and great at creating after the catch in the open field. While there is some improvement needed with his route-running and blocking, the foundation is there.
After re-signing Tyler Higbee, there is a question of where Sadiq fits within the offense. However, Sadiq is the type of player that an offensive mind like McVay finds a role for. The Rams utilized more 13 personnel than any team in the NFL last season and a player like Sadiq allows them to expand on that.
Good/Very Good Rams Fits
- Oscar Delp, Georgia – 8.3
- Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt – 8.25
- Max Klare, Ohio State – 8.25
- Joe Royer, Cincinnati – 8.2
- Michael Trigg, Baylor – 8.15
- Sam Roush, Stanford – 8.1
- Jack Endries, Texas – 8.05
Roush is more of a prototypical tight end, but he’s someone that can line up in-line and serve as an extension of the offensive line. Again, that skillset is perfect for 12 and 13 personnel where the Rams have used their tight ends more in pass protection and in the run game. Roush may not have necessarily been a strong fit in the past, but given what the Rams became last year, the Stanford tight end fits their current structure.
With that said, Endries might be one of my favorite tight ends in this class. He simply checks a lot of boxes as an “F” or “move” tight end. Endries brings alignment versatility and has fantastic ball skills and contested catch ability. He’s deceptively fast and one of the more complete “Rams-style” tight ends in the class. Nothing about him is necessarily flashy, but he’ll be a reliable starter at the next level.
Above Average/Good Rams Fits
- Justin Joly, NC State – 7.85
- Dae’Quan Wright, Ole Miss – 7.6
- Joshua Cuevas, Alabama – 7.55
Justin Joly is another one of my favorite tight ends in this class. He’s an alignment versatile tight end with high-end ball skills and contested catch ability. He shows good route craft and tempo manipulation and his size makes him a threat in the red zone. Joly also displays an ability to contribute in pass protection which the Rams have done more with their tight ends since moving to more 12 and 13 personnel. Joly has a lot of upside as a mid-round tight end.
Below Average/Okay Rams Fits
- Dallen Bentley, Utah – 7.4
- Matthew Hibner, SMU – 7.35
- Lake McRee, USC – 7.3
- Dan Villari, Syracuse – 7.25
- John Michael Gyllenborg, Wyoming – 7.25
- Marlin Klein, Michigan – 7.05
- Tanner Koziol, Houston – 7.05
- Nate Boerkircher, Texas A&M – 7.0
As a tight end on Day 3, John Michael Gyllenborg could make sense. He’s an explosive athlete and alignment versatile with the ability to stress a defense vertically. There is a lot of upside here as a pass-catcher, but he’s still very raw and needs to develop. The upside is that of a TE3, but he could be an option to replace Davis Allen who is on the final year of his rookie contract.
Koziol doesn’t add much as a blocker, but he might be my favorite tight end in this tier. He brings elite size at 6’6 with high-end ball skills and advanced route feel and leverage manipulation. Koziol is also alignment versatile and his size makes him a threat in the red zone. This is a tight end that the Rams could use as a big slot and can create mismatches against smaller defensive backs. He’s more of a receiving-only tight end which limits his role, but the potential is exciting.
Not a Rams Fit
- RJ Maryland, SMU – 6.75
- Jack Velling, Michigan State – 6.7
- Miles Kitselman, Tennessee – 6.45
- DJ Rogers, TCU – 6.3
- Riley Nowakowski, Indiana – 6.25
- Bauer Sharp, LSU – 5.95
- Will Kacmarek, Ohio State – 5.1
I wasn’t a huge fan of anybody in this group, but if there is one worth taking a chance on late in the draft, it might be Nowakowski. He does bring alignment versatility and is reliable in the passing game with zero drops. He also adds some value in pass protection and on special teams. With that said, he’s more of a blocking first profile which the Rams typically haven’t targeted. He simply doesn’t align with what the Rams have looked for at the position.
See More:
