Ryan Wingo

[Twopointtry]

A Wing and a Prayer

Texas WR, Ryan Wingo, is likely the biggest name for us to cover in this series. Over at TST, Steven Ridings wrote an article about 3 WRs for the Rams to consider with their 2nd round pick next year and Wingo topped the list. Ridings called Wingo "one of the most physically gifted receivers in college football" and "a modern NFL weapon", praising his speed and ability to win contested catches. Multiple other draft experts have Wingo as a 1st round prospect, including Ethan Woodie at NFLtraderumors, who mocked Wingo 16th overall, citing his impressive separation skills at all 3 levels of the field and ability to create after the catch.

So, why am I writing about Wingo, since the purpose behind these posts is to profile WRs who still will be available for the Rams to draft in the 2nd round or later? There's no point in spending time focusing on WRs who are going to be gone by the end of the 1st round. Initially, I didn't intend to a profile about Wingo, but then I saw a recent mock by Ian Cummings where Wingo wasn't taken until late in the 3rd round. Also, Wingo isn't ranked at all on PFF's top 75 big board. So, per some experts, not only will Wingo not get drafted in the 1st round next near, he might still be on the board at the start of the 4th round.

I bet the split that we are seeing within the draft media scouting community regarding Wingo will also be mirrored by actual NFL scouts. In a draft war room, I could see a scout pounding the table for Wingo, shouting about how he's going to be a future NFL star, while a 2nd scout responds by throwing things and saying he's going to be a bust. How can 2 people each watch the same football player and come to such diverging opinions?

After watching Wingo's games, I have a better grasp on why he seems to be a polarizing prospect. His best plays are really good. His worst plays are incredibly frustrating to watch. Is the glass half full or half empty?

Let's assume for discussion that Wingo is still on the board for the Rams in the 2nd round next year. Would the Rams have the chance to steal the best WR in the entire draft? Or should the Rams be wary of fool's gold and steer clear of this prospect?

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 1: Background

Name, age: Ryan Wingo. Turns 21 years old in February of 2027. True junior in 2026. Majoring in physical culture and sports.
Size, speed: Listed 6'2'' tall, 211 pounds. Draftcountdown estimates 40 time as 4.39 to 4.46 seconds.

5-star recruit from St. Louis, one of the top recruits in country. Projected by recruiting expert as future 1st rd pick, Gabe Davis as pro comp, but saying he has below average hand size, build-up speed and still developing route tree.

Ran track, did 100, 200 and 400 meters. Has 2 older brothers who played college football. Also punted in HS.

Thumb, wrist and toe injuries in 2025. Undisclosed injury 2025. Wrist surgery early in 2026. Reportedly had injury in HS, but I was unable to find more details about it. Undisclosed absence fall 2025 camp. LASIK eye surgery after struggling with vision in 2024 and spring of 2025. Hamstring injury spring 2025. Minor knee injuries in 2024.

2024 (16 games): 29-472-2 receiving, 5-100 rushing
2025 (13 games): 54-834-7 receiving, 7-42 rushing

Led team in catches and receiving yards in 2025. No career fumbles. Only one game in 2025 with at least 100 receiving yards.

Brian Bosarge, Draftcountdown. NFL ready frame, absorbs heavy contact over middle without losing momentum. Elite deep threat. Highly physical at catch point and led team in contested catch conversions. Dynamic on jet sweeps. Dropped 7 passes, weaknesses are lateral separation on short and intermediate routes and ability to separate from press-man.
DraftBuzz 48th overall, projected 2nd round pick. Prototypical size and speed, dangerous YAC. Dropped 7 passes in 2025, only converted 4 out of 14 contested catches, poor short area route detail, had wrist surgery.
Drafttek 35th overall
PFN simulator 45th overall. Big play threat, a living Lamborghini, deep threat, high level RAC, elite explosiveness, impressively sudden. Ability at catch point leaves more to be desired. Not instinctive or authoritative controlling catch point. 8% drop rate in 2025. Inconsistent reaction speed and catch technique, not reliable in contact situations, must improve ball tracking.
NFLMDD simulator 43rd overall
Ethan Woodie mock 16th overall
Curt Popejoy mock, Draftwire, 32nd overall. Has complete route tree and exceptional hands.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 2: Strengths

Bullett Train. Jaw dropping long speed, a big play explosion waiting to happen. The word "elite" can get overused, but he's legitimately one of the most dangerous straight-line runners you'll find in any draft class. If you don't tackle him before his 4th step, you are in huge trouble, because the combination of his size and speed creates so much momentum he becomes very difficult to stop. At top speed, he either zooms past defenders or they tend to bounce off him and he can keep going after absorbing the hit. Dangerous YAC threat that defense must be wary of on WR screens. Quick feet, hungry to get yards after the catch, attacks the defense with urgency. Can also rip off long runs on jet sweeps. Smooth strider who can separate downfield with his speed, a legitimate deep ball threat. Speed becomes more threatening when he's in motion pre-snap.

Looks the part. Prototypical size, length and build to be an NFL "Z receiver". Height, weight and speed specimen who will likely grab attention of GMs at the Combine and during the pre-draft process. Frame to box out DBs behind him to defend the catch point. Good effective length for blocking duties.

Versatile in alignment. Played on both left and right side of the formation. While his size translates to being a flanker, also can be used as split end or from slot. Even sometimes at wingback for Texas. Required to run block on pro style plays in their system. Willing blocker who gives adequate effort both near LOS and when blocking downfield.

Not all his fault. Texas had offensive issues last season. Their pass blocking was pretty terrible. I think that some of Arch Manning's flaws maybe could be fixed with more coaching and experience, but last year he was pretty mediocre. I don't understand the hype with Manning. If his last name wasn't Manning, he wouldn't be rated so high. I'm surprised that he's so raw in development given his family connections. Some of Wingo's failed contested catch stats were just bad throws by the QB. Pass blocking problems took away potential big play opportunities downfield, because Manning too often had to scramble from a collapsing pocket before the routes could develop. There were 4 main WRs in the rotation, so Wingo didn't play 100% of the snaps, he shared playing time with the other guys.

Just scratching the surface. He currently doesn't use all of his physical tools but sometimes hints at further developmental potential. Flashes ability to make highlight catches with arms fully extended, both wide and high. Was physical on one play to defeat jam and create separation for TD catch. He's the type of prospect where the GM might ignore all of the "flaws", because the raw athletic and physical ingredients are there, and bank that all of the other details can be coached and will be fixed. Young prospect who would be early entrant in 2027 draft.

NFL material. Has to potential to influence the outcome of the Myles Garrett trade. I feel confident in the pro comparison I chose for him, I think the 2 players have quite a few similarities. My comp is a player who was a 1st round pick. Let's assume that the Rams could draft Wingo in the 2nd round next year. The Rams traded their 1st rounder to Cleveland to acquire Garrett. If you're Les Snead and Wingo is still on the board, you might be thinking "Gee, I would have drafted this guy in the 1st round if I still had that pick. What luck. It is like I only traded a 2nd rounder instead of a 1st in the trade package for Garrett. This is awesome." AJ Brown was only the 51st overall pick in a weak WR draft class. His teammate, DK Metcalf, was the very last pick in the 2nd round in the same draft. I loved Terry McLaurin that year and he didn't get picked until the middle of the 3rd round. Sometimes you can still get a high level WR outside of the 1st round. Wingo has a number of flaws, plus some injuries, so his stock might not rise. Texas also added Cam Coleman, a highly touted WR draft prospect expected to be one of the top picks in next year's draft. Coleman could end up getting most of the targets, which might keep Wingo from having a big season. I don't think it takes much imagination to see Wingo falling into at least the 3rd round if things don't go well for him in 2026. If he dropped lower than that, he'd probably stay in school and not enter the draft.

 

[Memento]

Now Wingo, I'm a huge fan of, looking at receivers in this class. Lots of tools, and he has the key to the toolbox.

I'd rather focus on a pass-rushing defensive tackle (Justin Scott or John Henry Daley, maybe?) in this class, a stud center (Iupani Laloulu comes to mind immediately) or another offensive lineman (lots of good ones in this class, thus far; it looks like a very strong O-line class - and QB - class from first glance), or another edge rusher to potentially replace Agent Zero and possibly Desjuan Johnson (Clev Lubin, Jordan Ross, Teitum Tuioti, and a lot of others look intriguing), but if we went with a receiver in the second round, Wingo is a good player to target (even if it looks like he's not going to last to our second).

Charlie Becker is my guy overall (above everyone but Jeremiah Smith and RCW, neither of whom will fall to us - even above guys like Cam Coleman, Duce Robinson, KJ Duff, even the titular Ryan Wingo), though. He looks the part, plays the part, he was stuck behind Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt, and he still produced at a high level with limited snaps. I have a Jayden Higgins (Texans) comp on him, and depending on how he does, he may just sneak into the first round...but right now, I have him as my guy.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 3: Weaknesses

Highlight hero. Like many draft prospects, his highlight reel is better than his full games. From the highlights, you'd think he was unstoppable.

Injury history. Has had a number of injuries and the one to his hand is particularly concerning, because a WR obviously needs good hands to play football. Is his hand permanently messed up?

Doesn't play to size. Lacks aggression on field, doesn't relish physical battles. Has average upper body strength. Not physical enough at the break point to disengage from CBs and create leverage on routes. Gets bullied by smaller opponents, doesn't have a warrior mentality or show enough competitive fire on field. Gets delayed by physical jams. Not a great leaper, doesn't have vertical explosion. Lacks body control jumping in air in contested situations. Bothered by CBs grabbing him, doesn't disengage cleanly in time to get his hands catch ready before the ball arrives.

Build-up speed. Takes 3 steps to accelerate, doesn't have instant burst. This weakness impacts him in a wide variety of contexts. On double moves, not great at changing tempo and blowing by the CB. Cannot burst forward in tight spaces to escape tackle attempts the way you might think given his anticipated timed speed. If a different WR is stacked behind him, creates a traffic jam by not coming off the LOS with more burst.

His "football speed" and his 40 time don't match. He's like the opposite of Puka Nacua. Two of "the other" WRs for Texas in 2025 were DeAndre Moore Jr and Emmett Mosley V, both projected to be late round or UDFAs in the 2027 draft. Mosley has an estimated 4.58 second time in the 40, Moore 4.42 seconds. Wingo is visibly slower than those 2 WRs coming off the LOS and not as good on shorter routes. If those guys are UDFAs, this is an alarming weakness for a potential 1st round WR. You don't run 40 yards downfield on every pass play. The "other guys" showed ability to create instant separation from CBs on short to intermediate routes. Wingo never does this. Simply put, his effectiveness really declines when he can't rely on pure speed to just run by defenders.

Below average agility. Tight hips. Lackluster COD on short routes. Stiff and awkward in underneath area of the field. Not able to sink his hips and explode into or out of breaks. Leggy with limited lateral agility immediately after catch, making him easy to tackle if the defender is close. A sitting duck who can't consistently beat defenders with his 1st step after the catch. Somewhat segmented body turn on circus route. Cannot stop on a dime, takes multiple steps to throttle down. Poor on comeback routes, gets crowded by the CB. Not sudden on double moves. Loses balance and speed when navigating through congestion. Poor lateral elusiveness to dodge tackles. Balance problems where he trips over his own feet or gets tripped up by a defender and he falls down instead of being able to regain his balance to keep running. Due to his lack of lateral agility, he needs a clear lane to run through, like a train that has to stay on the track. If there is a defender blocking his path, he isn't as dangerous as he is if he only has to run in a straight line. He's custom built for tunnel screens and kickoff returns, but I wouldn't use him for punt returns.

Raw route runner. Doesn't know how to craft routes. Needs to push upfield more in the stem to threaten DBs instead of drifting into breaks, which invites them to jump on throws and contest the catch point. Gives away routes by leaning early before he gets to the break, not able to snap off routes sharply. Currently, he'd be overly reliant on an NFL coach to scheme him open to generate big plays. He's not the type of WR you can put in the formation and ask him to beat the CB one-on-one each snap and create on his own. In all the games I watched on him, I don't remember him winning on a slant vs man. He's not a 3-level threat, he's a niche "home run hitter", which profiles as a WR3, not a WR1. In the right offensive system, and protected by other WR talent, I could see him putting up great stats in the NFL. He could be the Az Hakim guy playing with Holt and Bruce. To be "the man" and carry the water on his own, he'll need to make a huge improvement in his route running.

No natural position. He's too short to be a prototypical "X receiver", but he's not agile enough to profile as a "Z receiver", he's stuck between positions. He's very dangerous once he has the ball but it could be challenging for an NFL coach to figure out how to get him the ball in the first place.

Mediocre blocker. Not nearly as good a blocker as he should be for his size and length. A willing but not enthusiastic blocker. Sloppy footwork results in poor core power, allowing smaller CBs to throw him off blocks. Never walks CBs backwards. Content to engage with initial contact, doesn't fight hard enough or slide his feet laterally to sustain the block. Imprecise with initial hand placements. Poor awareness and lack of hustle to get to blocking angle results in him blocking air or risking holding penalties as DBs fly by him on their way to the RB. Routinely late adjusting his blocking assignment. Team had "perfect" RB screen set up, potential to result in long TD, but he single-handedly ruined it by messing up his blocking assignment. Hands and feet can be wild against moving defenders, resulting in messy entries into the block. Nice WR screen set up, but he ruined it with missed block.

Unreliable hands. Some of his drops on short passes are like the ball came out of the oven scorching hot and he thinks he'll get hurt if he catches it. Did Sorsby place a bet on the under for Texas? Shaky catches that weren't dropped, like a ball that he trapped into his chest and nearly had slip through his arms. The timing of his hands closing can be off. Doesn't appear to have big hands or great grip power. Effective catch radius is smaller than his measured wingspan, since he can't be trusted to bring in difficult catches away from his body. Lack of one-step burst hurts him downfield, hampering him from trying to adjust to off-target throws and catch up to a pass that is out in front of him on the edge of his catch radius. Had bobbled drop on potential long TD pass.

Potential diva traits. His energy level is cranked up to 10 when the ball is in his hands, but the dial is turned down on all other plays. Puts it on cruise control or takes plays off when he's either asked to block or is a decoy that isn't the primary target on passing plays. Doesn't give same effort level every snap. Ruins misdirection plays by not running full speed to maintain deception. If he's supposed to run the CB off the line on a running play, he doesn't run hard to make it look like a pass. Ruined trick play by rushing WR pass and missing wide open TE. On 2nd trick play, he panicked under pressure, chucked it up for grabs and nearly threw a horrific INT. Not an instinctive player in QB scramble drill situations to anticipate where to go and how to uncover from his CB. He strikes me as the type of person who likes to be praised and catered to. When he committed to Texas as a recruit, he cited 2 main reasons, saying he wanted to get to the NFL and that he wanted to be in "a fun town" if football didn't work out due to injury. It makes me wonder about their focus and discipline when players say things like that in interviews.

Okay, I know I beat up Wingo will a long list of weaknesses, but keep in mind, we're talking about a very young player. He was primarily a backup in 2024 as a true freshman but still made some big plays for Texas that year. He was behind guys like Matthew Golden, a 1st round pick in 2025. Wingo has only been a starter for one season in college. He has some outstanding and elite athletic traits that "you can't coach". On the other hand, his game needs a ton of work. He's far from a finished product who is ready to take the NFL by storm. That's pretty normal for an inexperienced player. Many WR draft prospects have "boom or bust" type traits. Do we bet on the upside potential, or do we play it safe and either draft a different position or target a WR with a lower ceiling and a higher floor? In the final analysis, how should we rank and grade a raw, but talented WR like Wingo? I'll give you my answer in the final part of this profile.

 

[Twopointtry]

I'd rather focus on a pass-rushing defensive tackle (Justin Scott or John Henry Daley, maybe?) in this class, a stud center (Iupani Laloulu comes to mind immediately) or another offensive lineman (lots of good ones in this class, thus far; it looks like a very strong O-line class - and QB - class from first glance), or another edge rusher to potentially replace Agent Zero and possibly Desjuan Johnson (Clev Lubin, Jordan Ross, Teitum Tuioti, and a lot of others look intriguing), but if we went with a receiver in the second round, Wingo is a good player to target (even if it looks like he's not going to last to our second).

Charlie Becker is my guy overall (above everyone but Jeremiah Smith and RCW, neither of whom will fall to us - even above guys like Cam Coleman, Duce Robinson, KJ Duff, even the titular Ryan Wingo), though. He looks the part, plays the part, he was stuck behind Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt, and he still produced at a high level with limited snaps. I have a Jayden Higgins (Texans) comp on him, and depending on how he does, he may just sneak into the first round...but right now, I have him as my guy.

I haven't studied JHD in detail, but I thought he looked good from a first impression. I think he got hurt, so there definitely could be a situation where he doesn't get picked early. I like some of the OL, but don't know how many will last past pick 50. A position group that I think could shape up to be strong is LB. Some drafts the LBs aren't impressive (frankly, over the years there have been several LBs I didn't think would be any good, but ended up being solid NFL starters, so maybe I don't know anything about the position. I've picked a bunch of busts too) but there are several LBs that I think have potential, including in pass coverage.

I don't know much about Becker. I wasn't going to study him, because he's ranked pretty high, but obviously we're way too early to know. I'll keep an eye on him this season now that you've mentioned him. What do you think about Mendoza, the QB? Is he going to be great or was he overrated?

Let's say that Becker doesn't get picked in the 1st round but isn't expected to make it all the way to the Rams' draft slot. Do you like him enough to trade up for him? I know it is too early to say definitively, but just asking in general, do you love him enough to make that move? I watched a little on Duff, he was on my list WRs to study more.

Do you like the QBs? I'm kind of in the middle ground on Ty Simpson. His tape was surprisingly good but he's also not that big and doesn't have great arm talent. Still, one reason I'm not that worked up about the Rams drafting Simpson is I don't feel the 2027 draft is really as stacked at QB as all the TV experts are saying. I like Dante Moore. Some of the other more well known QBs have substantial flaws. So, if the Rams had passed on taking a QB in 2026 and spun the wheel to speculate on who might be available late in the 2nd round in 2027, I'm not convinced that would have been a sound strategy. We'll see, sometimes QB prospects come from out of nowhere and get drafted at the top of the 1st round and you have guys like Brock Purdy who fall from being potential Day 2 picks to go undrafted or be late round picks. Just saying, it isn't like I have a list of 6 QBs right now that look like franchise QBs in next year's draft. I see more "maybe" guys, not surefire picks.

 

[Memento]

I haven't studied JHD in detail, but I thought he looked good from a first impression. I think he got hurt, so there definitely could be a situation where he doesn't get picked early. I like some of the OL, but don't know how many will last past pick 50. A position group that I think could shape up to be strong is LB. Some drafts the LBs aren't impressive (frankly, over the years there have been several LBs I didn't think would be any good, but ended up being solid NFL starters, so maybe I don't know anything about the position. I've picked a bunch of busts too) but there are several LBs that I think have potential, including in pass coverage.

I don't know much about Becker. I wasn't going to study him, because he's ranked pretty high, but obviously we're way too early to know. I'll keep an eye on him this season now that you've mentioned him. What do you think about Mendoza, the QB? Is he going to be great or was he overrated?

Let's say that Becker doesn't get picked in the 1st round but isn't expected to make it all the way to the Rams' draft slot. Do you like him enough to trade up for him? I know it is too early to say definitively, but just asking in general, do you love him enough to make that move? I watched a little on Duff, he was on my list WRs to study more.

Do you like the QBs? I'm kind of in the middle ground on Ty Simpson. His tape was surprisingly good but he's also not that big and doesn't have great arm talent. Still, one reason I'm not that worked up about the Rams drafting Simpson is I don't feel the 2027 draft is really as stacked at QB as all the TV experts are saying. I like Dante Moore. Some of the other more well known QBs have substantial flaws. So, if the Rams had passed on taking a QB in 2026 and spun the wheel to speculate on who might be available late in the 2nd round in 2027, I'm not convinced that would have been a sound strategy. We'll see, sometimes QB prospects come from out of nowhere and get drafted at the top of the 1st round and you have guys like Brock Purdy who fall from being potential Day 2 picks to go undrafted or be late round picks. Just saying, it isn't like I have a list of 6 QBs right now that look like franchise QBs in next year's draft. I see more "maybe" guys, not surefire picks.

JHD is super-undersized at 3-tech, but insanely productive. The injury and size might drop him, but he's got a quick first step, and he's stronger than he looks. The injury is a concern, but he might actually be worth the pick. Not AD; nobody is, but I could see an Ed Oliver-lite possibility.

Edge rushers do look good in this class. There's a lot of great ones (Damon Wilson, formerly of Mizzou, now with Miami, Florida) that are going to go high. I'd personally love to take one in the third round with our comp pick, unless JHD is there with our comp pick.

Becker's a tall (6'4", 204 lbs.) receiver, great hands, wins with separation and bullying opponents instead of just speed (even though he supposedly runs a 4.48, he might be a little slower than that). Route running on the short routes need work (but that's because he's never run short routes for Indiana), but I love this kid's hands and ability to win reps with separating from corners and winning in traffic.

As far as if Becker doesn't get picked in the first round, would I trade up to take him? It depends on how our receivers do this season. If someone like Whittington, Mumpfield, or Daniels breaks out, I'd be less interested to trade up for a receiver and I'd use that second (possibly with a trade down) on an O-lineman like Laloulu or a defensive tackle. If nobody truly "breaks out", I'd be a lot more open to a trade up for Becker.

As far as the quarterbacks, I love Dante Moore (clear #1, I'd say he would've been a higher pick than Simpson, had he entered the draft), LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina, sheer tools, but struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness - although none of his receivers, Nyck Harbor included - one of my least favorite big talented receivers I've ever scouted, and that's saying something - helped), John Mateer (Oklahoma, shorter QB, but has a live arm and decent mobility), Mestemaker (Oklahoma State, very underrated QB in this class, livewire arm), Arch Manning (at least, his tools, if not his production thus far), Jayden Maiava (throws a lot of picks, but has the arm to do that, and if he limits them, he'll shoot up the boards), Trinidad Chambliss (lot of talent, although I think he made a mistake not entering the draft where he could've been a first-round pick in a weak draft), D.J. Lagway (toolsy, but hasn't unlocked it yet, big arm, big athleticism, but has been quite unproductive), C.J. Carr (strong accurate arm, not good when pressured), Julien Sayin (a lot less than the others, but he's got talent), Sam Leavitt (big with a big arm, I question his mobility), Darien Mensah (Miami, did an excellent job at Duke with little help around him), Drake Lindsey (Minnesota, big tools and arm), and Josh Hoover (Indiana's new QB from TCU, big arm, but very slight).

Nico Iamaleava is a wild card. Very much a first-round talent, but an absolute ten-cent brain. If he does well at UCLA, will teams ignore the antics he did at Tennessee?

But yeah, 2027's QB class is so much stronger than 2026. Honestly, the 2027 Draft as a whole puts 2026 to shame in terms of strength and depth. I think the only positions the 2026 class eclipse 2027 in is wide receiver (the real strength of the 2026 class; last year's wide receiver class had the outstanding talent and the sheer depth to make it possibly one of the best receiver classes in a while) and tight end (which had a lot of players selected - even if some of them were blocking tight ends who won't make a serious impact, and the guy who went in the first-round is super overrated; more on that later - and still have a lot of good ones as UDFAs). And no, I'm not including running back because of Ahmad Hardy and Kewan Lacy, who will both be first-round picks and a lot of talented depth behind them that 2026 didn't have, Jeremiyah Love aside. Neither Hardy nor Lacy will go as high as Love, but both of them will be - and should be - high-to-mid firsts because they have serious talent; as a biased Mizzou fan, I'd kill for Hardy, even with K-Will and Corum, even though we'll have no chance at him; I'm that enamored by his talent.

Disagree on Simpson not having arm talent. He's not Stafford or Mahomes, but he can throw the deep ball decently enough. He's super accurate (I'd say Chad Pennington accurate. Yeah, that accurate), throws with anticipation (which helps with the concepts our team runs, and it's rare for a QB to throw with that much anticipation; most rookie quarterbacks struggle with that, but Simpson does it as easy as breathing), and can make off schedule plays with his legs, even if he'll never be confused with Lamar, Daniels, or Caleb Williams. The size is a concern, but not a game-breaker to me; he's 6'2", 210. He can easily gain more good weight in an NFL weight room, if needed; I'd say five or ten pounds, which makes him around Aaron Rodger's height and weight. I'd take Moore over him, possibly Sellers or Arch in terms of sheer talent, but for our offense, I think Simpson fits us the best.

I don't know if I'm tempted to use that #13 pick in 2026 on anyone other than Simpson, considering how the draft turned out: we were left with Lemon (who marches to the beat of a different drummer, to put it lightly) or Sadiq (who is absolutely overrated, is basically an athlete playing tight end, and he had poor production with a talented quarterback and O-line, and no wide receivers or running backs to take balls from him; I'll die on the hill that our TE we drafted in the second, Max Klare, is a better overall tight end and will have a better career than Sadiq). We also couldn't trade out because the Cardinals were sniffing around for Simpson and Proctor was considered the last "blue-chip" (although I'm not a Proctor fan) prospect other than QB left, and he went a pick before us.

So, yeah, that's how the draft worked out, and I'm fine with how it worked out, even though I wasn't at first.

 

[Twopointtry]

Part 4: Draft Grade and Pro Comp

2nd round grade. Pro Comparison Breshad Perriman (1st round, 26th overall selection, 2015, Baltimore Ravens, UCF)

Ryan Wingo has some Randy Moss-type traits in the sense that he doesn't need to catch 10 passes to impact an NFL game. He could have only 2 catches, but if both of those are 40+ yard plays he might single-handedly swing the outcome of that game. I think that Wingo has some flaws that keep him from being a Tier 1 prospect in the draft, but that's fine for the Rams. Just all the more reason why he might not get snatched up in the 1st round.

Wingo is suited for modern NFL schemes. He'll help stretch the width of the defense by threatening them with WR screens. He'll stretch the length of the defense by threatening them with deep bombs. He could be a good running mate with Puka Nacua, because Nacua can exploit the resulting spaces that can be created and punish defenses if they try to slide extra coverage over to Puka. Very good blocking WRs like Puka and Jordan Whittington can also help spring Wingo to generate huge gains on short passes. Jet sweep motion can influence the defense and help open seams for the RBs. There is value to adding someone like Wingo to the roster, even if he never becomes the next Torry Holt.

Breshad Perriman played with Blake Bortles at UCF. Bortles was the 3rd overall pick in 2014. The following year, Perriman ran very fast at his Pro Day, shooting up draft boards to become a 1st round pick. He was timed at 4.25 seconds, with some scouts placing him as low as 4.19 seconds in the 40. He was 6'2'' tall and 212 pounds. Lance Zierlein gave him an "eventual plus starter" draft grade, citing his speed, acceleration, and explosive leaping. As weaknesses, LZ listed his raw routes and disappointing hands with maddening dropped passes.

Perriman injured his knee on the very 1st day of training camp his rookie season. He tried to rehab, but he pushed it too far during pre-game warmups for a game early that season and he was done for the year. He showed some promise his 2nd year, with 499 receiving yards, but then had a disastrous 3rd NFL season. He injured his hamstring in training camp that year, then flopped once he got healthy. He kept dropping passes, including multiple critical drops, contributing to losses. Despite being a big WR, Perriman struggled in contested catch situations, unable to bring in balls against smaller CBs. The Ravens benched him and didn't even have him active by the end of that season. He didn't even make the opening day roster the following year and was waived, written off as a draft bust.

Rising from the dead, Perriman had a surprising 2nd act and was able to avoid bouncing out of the league. He had a career best 645 receiving yards for the Tampa Bay Bucs in 2019. Nothing spectacular, but better than nothing. He played a couple more years, basically as a journeyman backup.

In hindsight, the Ravens shouldn't have draft Perriman. They weren't alone. Out of all the players taken in the first 2 rounds that year, I'd estimate that at least 33% of them could be characterized as total busts. There were 9 total WRs drafted in the first 2 rounds. The Rams selected Rob Havenstein in the bottom area of the 2nd round that year. If we knew how their careers would turn out, you could package the bottom 8 WRs and I still wouldn't trade Hav for all 8 of them. You'd have to give me both of the top 2 WRs before I'd consider it a fair trade. Crazy, right? Just chew on that a moment when thinking about the Myles Garrett trade.

 

[Twopointtry]

As far as the quarterbacks, I love Dante Moore (clear #1, I'd say he would've been a higher pick than Simpson, had he entered the draft), LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina, sheer tools, but struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness - although none of his receivers, Nyck Harbor included - one of my least favorite big talented receivers I've ever scouted, and that's saying something - helped), John Mateer (Oklahoma, shorter QB, but has a live arm and decent mobility),

I love Hardy. I don't have an official grade on him, but my initial thought is that he might actually be better than Love.

My problem with both Sellers and Nico is that I think they are both poor at reading the defensive pass coverage. I have no clue what those 2 guys think they're doing out there at times, it is very frustrating to watch. They need major coaching. I see them as "project" QBs a team would need to invest several years to try to teach them the position.

 

[Memento]

I love Hardy. I don't have an official grade on him, but my initial thought is that he might actually be better than Love.

My problem with both Sellers and Nico is that I think they are both poor at reading the defensive pass coverage. I have no clue what those 2 guys think they're doing out there at times, it is very frustrating to watch. They need major coaching. I see them as "project" QBs a team would need to invest several years to try to teach them the position.

Hardy has the best contact balance I've seen out of a college back. He breaks tackles that he has no business breaking, that other running backs couldn't do in their wildest dreams. I don't know if he's more dynamic than Love, but he and Lacy would easily have gone right after Love as far as running backs go, and there's a lot of other eligible running backs in 2027 (including fellow Mizzou back, Jamal Roberts, who really is a super-talented all-around running back in his own right, who would be the starter at any other school than Mizzou and Ole Miss. Catches the ball well, is trusted in pass-protection even more than Hardy, runs with power and speed - had a 6.1 YPC in 124 carries. Obviously not Hardy or Lacey, but nobody in college is).

Sellers, I think, is a lot like Nico in that he's quite raw. But unlike Nico with Tennessee, Sellers is far more mature and cerebral; he clearly cares about football, lives and breathes it, whereas Nico whined his way out of Tennessee when he wanted his NIL contract redone and tried to squeeze more cash out of his school (I blame his dad and Nico 50/50 on that, admittedly, but helicopter parents never do well for athletes and coaching staffs). I don't think he gives a damn about the money like Nico does, otherwise, he'd have left South Carolina when he had multi-million-dollar offers, and he didn't leave.

As far as reading the pass coverage, yeah, they both struggle with that. I think it's somewhat because both of them have poor current teams (UCLA fired their coach midseason, and they went 3-9, although I can say the talent and coaching were the main problems, not effort; South Carolina, on the other hand, went 4-8 and was a godawful team as a whole in terms of giving a shit; I have massive problems with Dylan Stewart, their top edge rusher, as well as a lot of their team).

Nyck Harbor, like I mentioned (and yes, he's eligible this year and was last year but decided not to enter), is one of the worst big receivers I think I've seen as far as giving a shit (he doesn't bully defenders nearly as much as he should at his size as both a receiver and a blocker, and a lot of his routes are lackadaisical too) and fundamentals (I've seen him try to one-hand-catch multiple balls for highlights when he could've come down with the reception if he had just used both hands.), and that lazy shithead is the undisputed #1 on USC as of now; as of now, they have nothing else.

If all of that knocks him down to Day 3, and if Stafford is - and I hope that's not the case - ineffective or injured, I'd take Sellers as a developmental backup in a heartbeat - and I mean no offense to Simpson when I say that; Sellers is just that talented.

 

[Twopointtry]

Okay, it's about to get real. Please read my next profile. Probably the single most important installment for Rams fans I'll do in this series. I absolutely love this WR. The game tape was a revelation, very unexpected. I didn't know the background of this player. To understand his full NFL potential, you have to go back and watch his 2024 games, not just the 2025 games. He was hampered by nagging injuries last season, so the 2024 tape is considerably better.

I'll give you the spoiler and jump to the conclusion. My pro comp for him is Puka Nacua. So many things in their college careers are almost identical, like a movie remake. I'm telling you right now, this guy is a huge draft sleeper. He's a perfect fit for the Rams system. The blocking, the route running, contested catches, an extremely smart and instinctive football player.

One problem is I doubt he'll even be in the 2027 draft. He's more likely to wait until 2028. Still, if you like to watch college football games, circle this guy's name and keep an eye on him during the 2026 season. This is a key difference; we aren't comparing him with Puka at the same age and experience level. Puka spent 4 years in college. This other WR has only been in school for 2 years.

I'm so excited to write this next one. Just wait until we talk about specific plays. It's going to be fun, I promise.

Can anyone guess who I'm talking about?