Turf Show Times
During the 2025 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams opted not to draft players like Malaki Starks, Josh Conerly Jr., Jihaad Campbell, or Josh Simmons and instead trade back. In doing so, the Rams acquired a future first-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons, but they also traded out of first-round talent.
Instead of making a selection in the first round, the Rams didn’t make their first pick until 46th overall. With that pick, the Rams selected Oregon tight end, Terrance Ferguson. This isn’t a criticism of the decision to trade back. Given the quarterbacks in next year’s class, acquiring an extra first-round selection in 2026 was a very good move. At the same time, the players mentioned above played a combined 271 snaps and averaged 67.75 snaps between them.
Meanwhile, Ferguson played zero offensive snaps and all five of his snaps during the game against the Houston Texans in Week 1 came on special teams. For comparison, Konata Mumpfield, who the Rams drafted in the seventh round, played six offensive snaps. Mumpfield’s snaps come in a crowded wide receiver room that includes Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, Jordan Whittington, and Tutu Atwell.
This wasn’t a case of the Rams not using heavy offensive personnel packages and Ferguson being stuck behind Tyler Higbee. The Rams played 42.1 percent of their offensive snaps out of 12 personnel and Higbee led the tight end group with just a 58 percent snap share. Higbee, Colby Parkinson, and Davis Allen were rotated throughout the game. The only exclusion was Ferguson.
What’s odd about Ferguson not playing was how high the Rams were on him during the draft process. According to The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, the Rams considered taking Ferguson with the 26th overall pick. Said Rodrigue,
“Ferguson was such a popular match with the Rams (including as a top choice on some scouts’ and coaches’ ‘Make Him a Ram’ survey) that they even discussed whether they should take him at No. 26.”
Ferguson is a player that the Rams reportedly considered with the 26th overall pick and the top choice for some scouts and coaches. That would presume that this is a player that the Rams were extremely high on coming into the season. For him not to play over the likes of Parkinson and Allen is odd. That’s nothing against Parkinson and Allen, but the hope would be that Ferguson would be able to play ahead of them.
It is worth noting that Ferguson missed a little over two weeks of practice with a groin injury in early August. That time away certainly could have been a setback for Ferguson in terms of his development and preparation for the season. It would explain Ferguson being listed fourth on the depth chart at tight end and being the lone Rams tight end currently on the roster to play in the final preseason game.
With that said, even before the injury, Ferguson wasn’t necessarily standing out in the same way that has been seen with rookies...
