The two things that have been abundantly clear about the immediate impact of the 2025 draft on the Rams are that their first pick is a healthy scratch and the tackles that they passed on to trade down would be upgrades over their current starters and probably long-term solutions for years to come. Josh Simmons was one of the players consistently mocked to the Rams before the draft — maybe the most popular mock pick for L.A. all year — but they opted to trade down with the Falcons instead.
On the bright side, the Rams have two first round picks next year. On the other hand, aren’t they just going to need to draft a tackle anyway? If that player isn’t as good as Simmons, someone who has been standing out for the Kansas City Chiefs at left tackle already, it’s a decision that could haunt L.A. unless they make amends with both their next first round pick and have an eventual emergence of Terrance Ferguson.
Do you think the Rams should have drafted Simmons and do you want them to prioritize offensive line help in the first round next year over every other position?
The Rams were picking 26th, but accepted Atlanta’s trade over to move down to 46 because Les Snead acquired the Falcons first round pick in 2026. That’s great, although right now the Falcons are 2-2 and that pick could really be anything; Atlanta’s been the least consistent team in the NFL, beating two 2024 playoff teams but also losing 30-0 to the PANTHERS.
The Falcons traded up to get edge rusher James Pearce, someone who the Rams most certainly weren’t targeting, but they still passed on 20 prospects by moving down. Among them were three offensive linemen:
- 29th pick OT Josh Conerly, Washington
- 32nd pick OT Josh Simmons, Kansas City
- 37th pick G Jonah Savaiinaea, Miami
The fact that the Rams drafted Ferguson right ahead of tackle Aireontae Ersery going to the Texans signifies that maybe Snead never really had his eye on Conerly or Simmons. That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t have though.
Simmons is drawing a lot of early season hype as a huge steal for the Kansas City Chiefs, but Conerly has held his own as Washington’s right tackle. That’s a good rookie first round tackle for either end of the offensive line, which the Rams may have been able to use to supplant over-the-hill veteran Rob Havenstein, in-and-out left tackle A.J. Jackson, or simply slid someone inside to address a need at guard. If the Rams have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, as some have speculated, certainly Conerly or Simmons could not have hurt.
(Savaiinaea has been widely panned, but to be fair he’s 21 and plays for an awful team.)
Now all of this conversation could be tabled if the Rams had drafted Tyler Warren or Emeka Egbuka — or maybe even Jaxson Dart as a player for the future — (none of these players were on the board, I’m just giving examples of rookies who may have made sense if they were on the board) but instead they picked Ferguson.
I believe that almost every Rams fans is open to the possibility that a year from now we’ll be talking about Terrance Ferguson as one of the most exciting young players on the roster. It’s not a year from now, however. It’s right now and Ferguson is the only first or second round pick who I’m aware of who is a healthy scratch every week.
The Rams passed on Simmons, the most commonly mocked player to them and a direct upgrade to one of their greatest weaknesses, and drafted the most glaring non-playing rookie in the NFL. Not just that, but tight ends drafted shortly thereafter, including Elijah Arroyo and Harold Fannin, have already looked pretty good with their NFL teams.
If there was ever a time to bring up L.A.’s decision to pass on Simmons and Conerly to take someone else much later for the added benefit of a first round pick in 2026, it’s now.
And what exactly IS the value of that trade with the Falcons? Because I think that can be confusing…
The Rams used to have:
- Pick 26, 2025 (traded to ATL)
- Pick 101, 2025 (traded to ATL)
The Rams now have:
- Pick 46, 2025 (Ferguson)
- Pick 242, 2025 (Konata Mumpfield)
- Falcons first round pick, 2026
The Rams lost 20 spots of draft position in 2025 and that means that they need to gain at least 20 spots of draft position in 2026 in order for the trade to be a net win on that pick. If the Falcons make the playoffs and win one game, then essentially all the Rams did is move their first round pick back by a year and in the process they gave up a third rounder. You could actually frame it that the Rams traded up from the 3rd round to the 2nd round (101 to 46) and swapped a 2025 first rounder for a 2026 first rounder.
They’re banking on the Falcons to go 6-11 or worse. That could happen, but Atlanta plays in the type of division where they could win it and make the playoffs and pick 26th. When it’s all said and done, will the Rams be able to get a player as good as the ones who they passed on this year, including Simmons? How good will Ferguson look on the team a year from now and how important will that need at tackle be if Havenstein retires and Jackson keeps going on IR or merely doesn’t have the upside of these younger players?
Will Simmons haunt the Rams? Well, maybe! We just don’t know quite yet. We just know that if the Rams had gone a different route and drafted Simmons or Conerly, and we never even knew about a trade offer from the Falcons, the team would probably look better today. It doesn’t mean it was the right decision long-term, but it was certainly a decision that could have paid off short-term.
Do you think the Rams should have drafted Simmons and do you want them to prioritize offensive line help in the first round next year over every other position?
See More:
