Latest NFL Draft intel

This move is a solid one on the surface for the Rams. They lock up their best blocking tight end to shore up their move into 13-personnel and heavier packages practically full-time for the foreseeable future, and they reward a longtime leader in the locker room with another potential Super Bowl run.

However, this move could point to their plan for the full offseason.

Rams shoring up their needs ahead of the draft

At the NFL Scouting Combine, every team goes there to discuss free agency and potential trades. It was there that the Rams likely ironed out their blockbuster trade for Trent McDuffie with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Rams likely realized that they might not be able to get their top target at cornerback (Mansoor Delane), and pulled the trigger to add McDuffie. McDuffie lessens their need to take a top-flight cornerback, as he is their de-facto CB1.

Now ahead of the beginning of free agency, the Higbee extension shores up another potential area of need at tight end. The Rams have been heavily mocked for Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq because of their move to heavier personnel. However, the extension for Higbee now gives LA four legitimate contributors at tight end in Higbee, Terrance Ferguson, Colby Parkinson, and Davis Allen.

The Rams now don't have to take any one player or position at the top of the 2026 NFL Draft when they pick at 13th overall. They have shored up two position rooms many have speculated their interest in and still have plenty of cap space to keep shoring up their needs ahead of the draft.

Could the Rams try and move back from 13th overall to replenish their draft capital in this draft and/or add more for next year? The option is now more wide open than ever before.