Conceded, the Los Angeles Rams aren’t the most universally loved franchise. Relocating from St. Louis to the Pacific coast wasn’t embraced by the traditionalists. While they have a marvelous stadium, they fail to fill it in. Indeed, their stadium frequently gets overrun by away fans, a factor that contributes to the general public’s dislike for them. It’s not a passionate hate towards the Rams. It’s something worse for a sports franchise—indifference. Alas, there’s one thing that nobody can knock the franchise for. They’re excellent in the draft. Whatever goes on in that war room often results in hits rather than misses. It’s epitomized by how they’ve maintained contender status through a rebuild. The Rams are super young, yet success in the NFL Draft has kept them in the upper echelons up to and since that Super Bowl win. Well, they may be in line for yet another daylight robbery. 

The Rams’ defense, almost entirely built out of the draft, is pretty airtight. So, after adding the likes of Jared Verse and Braden Fiske in the last cycle, attention can now pivot towards the offense. Sean McVay, the genius that he is on that side of the football, can really do special things with the requisite talent. They have just lost Cooper Kupp. While he was a shell of himself owing to recurrent injuries, Kupp does need replacing. The Rams are in a win-now situation, with Matthew Stafford no spring chicken. All this is baked into why FOX’s Joel Klatt is urging them to draft an understated, underappreciated wideout in R1. To bolster their receiving corps. and form a tandem with Puka Nacua and free agency coup Davante Adams. While there is one glaring reason why he’s understated, it’s still strange because he just won the Natty with Ohio State.

The sheen emanating from true freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith may have blinded you. But don’t sleep on his fellow receiver, Emeka Egbuka. White Smith did damage from the perimeter; Egbuka was a force inside. Helping the Buckeyes move the chains off intermediate and short yardage throws and opening the possibility of the deep shot downfield. Egbuka was an unsung hero as a slot WR, but this is also perhaps the biggest sticking point that’s preventing him from earning both his flowers and recognition from an NFL draft POV.

Even though the likes of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Ladd McConkey have shown how effective slot receivers can be, there’s still a prejudice towards their value. But McVay knows firsthand what kind of damage Kupp did from the slot. It’s a hole in his roster that Egbuka can plug. This is why Joel Klatt has him slated to the Rams 26th overall in his final mock draft over his namesake show. He acknowledges that the Rams can go down multiple routes with that round 1 pick. But he’s pleading with Sean McVay and the front office to take Emeka Egbuka.

“To be fair, I don’t know where the Rams are going,” said Klatt to preface his argument. “I would love to see them draft my favorite player in the draft…Emeka Egbuka. I don’t think you can go wrong drafting Emeka Egbuka. He’s one of the great people I’ve ever covered in my career covering CFB. He’s a great leader [and] an excellent route runner. He is reliable catching the football. He’s a technician, and everybody that comes from that wide receiver room [at Ohio State] is excellent,” said Klatt. That last bit sure is true, with Chris Olave and Marvin Harrison Jr., to name a couple. Joel Klatt proceeded to say how Davante Adams is a short-term fix while Emeka Egbuka could solidify the WR for years to come.

Adding Egbuka to that duo will instantly make the Rams’ receiving corps. one of, if not the best in the country. It’ll supercharge their small window as Super Bowl contenders while Stafford’s still around. The pick really does make a lot of sense. To contextualize how potent a weapon Egbuka is, here are his numbers in college. Egbuka put up 2,868 receiving yards on 205 receptions, averaging 14 per catch. He’s had 2 different 1000+ yards and 10 touchdown seasons. All while accentuating others around him, such as Harrison Jr. and Smith. Mix in the intangibles Joel Klatt alluded to, and this is a special prospect. The Rams could do a lot worse than drafting him if, indeed, he’s available when they are on the clock. But drafting a receiver becomes a no-go if the latest trade rumors involving the franchise are to go by.

Emeka Egbuka’s route to linking with Sean McVay and the Rams sees a potential obstacle

The off-season is a breeding ground for outlandish hypotheticals and pipedreams. But there’s no smoke without fire. Pro Football Network has released a list along a simple yet intriguing premise. “One Veteran Each NFL Team Could Trade.” It’s not a surprise that the list included TE Kyle Pitts as the Atlanta Falcons’ representative. However, what is a bit more of a surprise is that they named the Rams as a potential destination.

Pitts came into the league as the best tight-end prospect in years, but things haven’t quite panned out. After a great rookie year where he made the Pro Bowl, Pitts has petered out a little. But if there’s one coach in the league that can resuscitate him, it’s Sean McVay. The Falcons have picked up a fifth-year option on Pitts. So, with just one year on his $32m contract, his being on the trade block makes sense. It’s possible the Rams can snag him on the cheap. While it’s not the same position as Emeka Egbuka, you’d think McVay will play a lot more 12-personnel and other 2 tight-end sets in this scenario. Making it difficult to justify using a first-round pick on a receiver. Especially a slot receiver.

From Emeka Egbuka’s perspective, there are few landing spots more ideal than the Rams. Great HC, a competitive franchise, a HOF-adjacent QB, a legendary WR in Davante Adams to learn from, and that southern Cali weather. He’d sure hope Joel Klatt’s verdict is accurate and he winds up there. Mere days until he and the rest of the football world find out.