Depending on how you look at things, tight end could be viewed as either a strength or a slight weakness for the Los Angeles Rams. With the addition of Max Klare in the second round, they have five quality tight ends who are expected to play a role this season. The downside is that none of those five tight ends are viewed as premier players by the general public.
Not even NFL coaches, executives or scouts believe the Rams have a top-23 tight end on their roster. ESPN polled talent evaluators from around the league on the best tight ends in football and no Rams player made the list. There were 10 players ranked, followed by five honorable mentions and eight in the “also receiving votes” category.
Not a single one was a member of the Rams. That means no coaches, execs or scouts voted for any of Los Angeles’ tight ends even a single time. It’s not terribly surprising given Colby Parkinson’s one season of legitimate production, Terrance Ferguson’s unrealized potential and Tyler Higbee’s decline the last two years, but it does raise the question of whether the Rams have enough top-end talent at tight end.
For what Sean McVay needs, their tight end room checks the necessary boxes. With how often they run 13 personnel, quantity is equally important as quality. The Rams must have at least three or four tight ends who can play meaningful snaps in 13 personnel, rotating on and off the field frequently.
They have to be able to block and catch passes, while also being able to line up in a variety of spots: inline, out wide, in the slot, in the backfield. Parkinson may not be one of the best tight ends in football, but he scored eight touchdowns last season and was a real threat in the red zone.
Ferguson is one of the more athletic tight ends in football and averaged the third-most yards per catch of any player in the NFL last season at 20.8, and that was as a rookie playing limited snaps. Higbee is still an all-around tight end and the leader of the room, while Davis Allen is a good athlete and Klare has a bright future as a receiving tight end.
The Rams would undoubtedly love to have someone like Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland or Brock Bowers, who are all ranked in the top 10 of ESPN’s – and were reportedly targets for the Rams in the draft. But there’s still a chance Ferguson or Klare develops into a top tight end in the next few years.
Right now, the Rams have the depth they need to operate McVay’s offense at a high level, and they have a pair of young tight ends with plenty of untapped potential.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Quantity over quality: Rams TEs left off top-23 list from NFL coaches, execs
