DRAFT 2026 NFL Draft: L.A. Rams UDFA Thread

[Allen2McVay]

We all love the tight ends but how many is enough? Right now they have 5 that are just about guaranteed to make the roster... Higbee, Parkinson, Davis Allen, Ferguson, and Klare. Then they draft Villari. And they still have Redman and a couple others. If they keep 5 on the roster, then the others have to go on the practice squad where I believe Villari will get poached by some team trying to copy McVay on 13 personnel. Could Higbee be a possible candidate to get cut?

These are all pure guesses based upon half-a-century of Not having a fucking clue ...

Think 5 TEs ... forget about Redman ... barring injury, he's for the Practice Squad.

That leaves six TEs for five spots ... figure Ferguson and Klare are safe given their recent draft status.

Injuries (just one) or Performance (just one player fails to produce) would answer the question.

Otherwise, Higbee or Allen could be gone ... neither is under contract beyond 2026.
Neither is Parkinson but I thought he was the most effective TE for much of 2025.

Personally, I was surprised they brought-back Higbee.
When everyone is healthy, I think of Allen as the 5th TE. No idea what McVay thinks; and he carries a just a little more weight than me in the decision-making-process.

That leaves Villari. Intriguing skill-set. Huge surprise that he received the 2nd largest UDFA signing bonus the Rams have ever paid in McVay's ten years ... that is a significant factor but not decisive.

If the Rams see something in Dan Villari, maybe they move-on from one of the veterans ... if not, maybe they try to stash him on the Practice Squad ... if he gets poached (Real Possibility), that would SUCK.

Another thing on Villari. Maybe they view him as a core-special-teams-player. The Rams have not carried a couple of those guys in recent years but that seems to be changing, with the new ST-coaches, the signing of Grant Stuard and the ST-failures of last year.

One other scenario ... Maybe they go with 6 TEs.

 

[PARAM]

We all love the tight ends but how many is enough? Right now they have 5 that are just about guaranteed to make the roster... Higbee, Parkinson, Davis Allen, Ferguson, and Klare. Then they draft Villari. And they still have Redman and a couple others. If they keep 5 on the roster, then the others have to go on the practice squad where I believe Villari will get poached by some team trying to copy McVay on 13 personnel. Could Higbee be a possible candidate to get cut?

Maybe we'll keep 6 TEs and 5 WRs? Why not?.....if you're gonna run 13P often.

 

[So Ram]

The Rams give Bonus $ to very few UDFA

When they give Bonus $ it's very little ... $5,000 to $15,000

When they give a lot of Bonus $ (Relatively Speaking) ... LIKE they did to Villari ... It Is both Rare and TELLING

Telling that the Rams ... Really Wanted the Guy ... have High Hopes and Expectations

Try to think about it From the Rams' POINT-OF-VIEW

SO you think The Rams need another WR ? I get what your saying & maybe I’ve had a closed eye !!

SO this isn’t about me,but I like these post.We can debate.SO like the question I’ve asked,do The Rams need another WR ? I’ll start there.

 

[So Ram]

Then the Bonus-$ becomes Dead-$ against the 2026 cap ... Even should he re-sign to the Practice Squad.

Another reason it is Telling that the Rams paid Villari a relatively high Bonus.


They Moved UP ... not back to select Daniels ... UP


Yes ... and the fact the Rams gave-UP two picks to move-UP is ... TELLING ...

Telling that they Really Wanted the Guy ... and ... have High Hopes and Expectations ... Like Dan Villari


No Guarantees that Villari makes the Roster ... BUT ... the big Bonus is Telling that the Rams like the player

Yes - agree. The Rams HAVE a lot of depth.Quality over quantity & targeting PLAYERS you think have a chance.

Yes moving up( back,thanks)was a Big Deal.Which shows your right & there vision.

I can see what your saying & Dan Vallari makes sense.Like I said how he makes the TEAM might be KEY,also the question I asked above.

My answers is NO to The HECK NO for ALL the Fancy fans.Dan Valaru’s little signing bonus says The Price is Right !!

 

[den-the-coach]

These are all pure guesses based upon half-a-century of Not having a fucking clue ...

Think 5 TEs ... forget about Redman ... barring injury, he's for the Practice Squad.

That leaves six TEs for five spots ... figure Ferguson and Klare are safe given their recent draft status.

Injuries (just one) or Performance (just one player fails to produce) would answer the question.

Otherwise, Higbee or Allen could be gone ... neither is under contract beyond 2026.
Neither is Parkinson but I thought he was the most effective TE for much of 2025.

Personally, I was surprised they brought-back Higbee.
When everyone is healthy, I think of Allen as the 5th TE. No idea what McVay thinks; and he carries a just a little more weight than me in the decision-making-process.

That leaves Villari. Intriguing skill-set. Huge surprise that he received the 2nd largest UDFA signing bonus the Rams have ever paid in McVay's ten years ... that is a significant factor but not decisive.

If the Rams see something in Dan Villari, maybe they move-on from one of the veterans ... if not, maybe they try to stash him on the Practice Squad ... if he gets poached (Real Possibility), that would SUCK.

Another thing on Villari. Maybe they view him as a core-special-teams-player. The Rams have not carried a couple of those guys in recent years but that seems to be changing, with the new ST-coaches, the signing of Grant Stuard and the ST-failures of last year.

One other scenario ... Maybe they go with 6 TEs.

They brought Higbee back for leadership plus he is still an excellent blocker. IMO, Allen has the best hands of the group, however, if Villari shows well, they could trade Allen for a conditional draft choice and keep either Redman or Rohan Jones on the practice squad. Do not underestimate Mark Redman, Redman is valued as a technically sound, reliable in-line blocker with good footwork and functional strength. He is a better blocker than either Villari or Jones.

 

[WestCoastRam]

We all love the tight ends but how many is enough? Right now they have 5 that are just about guaranteed to make the roster... Higbee, Parkinson, Davis Allen, Ferguson, and Klare. Then they draft Villari. And they still have Redman and a couple others. If they keep 5 on the roster, then the others have to go on the practice squad where I believe Villari will get poached by some team trying to copy McVay on 13 personnel. Could Higbee be a possible candidate to get cut?

Here's the thing about Villari, maybe he'd get poached but the dood is RAW. Ex-QB still learning the position. He's a project with a big upside. I don't think he's gonna help any 53 much next year unless he's a ST demon or a team is really bad.

There's a chance he's poached but I don't think it's as high as people think.

 

[fanotodd]

The Rams give Bonus $ to very few UDFA

When they give Bonus $ it's very little ... $5,000 to $15,000

When they give a lot of Bonus $ (Relatively Speaking) ... LIKE they did to Villari ... It Is both Rare and TELLING

Telling that the Rams ... Really Wanted the Guy ... have High Hopes and Expectations

Try to think about it From the Rams' POINT-OF-VIEW

Is there more we can infer after looking at the contracts of the other TEs? For example, does anybody look ripe for a post June 1rst trade? Only Higbee, who is under contract after this year, seems eligible in that particular scenario; but I don’t decipher the info on OTC that well.

 

[RamDino]

These are all pure guesses based upon half-a-century of Not having a fucking clue ...

Think 5 TEs ... forget about Redman ... barring injury, he's for the Practice Squad.

That leaves six TEs for five spots ... figure Ferguson and Klare are safe given their recent draft status.

Injuries (just one) or Performance (just one player fails to produce) would answer the question.

Otherwise, Higbee or Allen could be gone ... neither is under contract beyond 2026.
Neither is Parkinson but I thought he was the most effective TE for much of 2025.

Personally, I was surprised they brought-back Higbee.
When everyone is healthy, I think of Allen as the 5th TE. No idea what McVay thinks; and he carries a just a little more weight than me in the decision-making-process.

That leaves Villari. Intriguing skill-set. Huge surprise that he received the 2nd largest UDFA signing bonus the Rams have ever paid in McVay's ten years ... that is a significant factor but not decisive.

If the Rams see something in Dan Villari, maybe they move-on from one of the veterans ... if not, maybe they try to stash him on the Practice Squad ... if he gets poached (Real Possibility), that would SUCK.

Another thing on Villari. Maybe they view him as a core-special-teams-player. The Rams have not carried a couple of those guys in recent years but that seems to be changing, with the new ST-coaches, the signing of Grant Stuard and the ST-failures of last year.

One other scenario ... Maybe they go with 6 TEs.

I was also bit surprised they brought Higbee back. Perhaps he might be a cut or trade candidate. McSnead usually lets guys walk when their contract ends... especially considering his pay grade and that many teams let guys go a year ahead of schedule. I guess McSnead values his leadership, blocking, and clutch pass catching ability?

I don't think Villari's signing bonus is any big deal. 45K is pocket change in the salary cap. And I don't think Villari will be a candidate for special teams either... too much injury-potential for a lumbering TE to race downfield and chase guys. But... like you... I DON'T HAVE A FUCKING CLUE EITHER -lol.

Right now we have SIX tight ends and they can all play! What the hell happened? It seems like just yesterday we were bitching about the lack of playmakers in that room and now we have an abundance. I think 13 personnel is here to stay and I like it.

 

[WestCoastRam]

Allen makes 13 personnel work. Not likely that he's traded but stranger things can happen.

Feels like people are just trying to fanfic a guy like Villari onto the roster when he's a huge long term project than actually looking at how our most dominate personnel group functioned (Allen playing ever snap and allowing Rams to be in various alignments - he's the guy who took almost all the snaps in the backfield) .

Now, is there a chance that Fergy could take a dominant next step or Klare shows WAY more as a blocker right away then he did in college - sure - but that's a big ask.

The most likely scenario is Rams need 4 TEs to run 13 personnel (need an extra in case of injury) and so far Higbee is the only TE that can backup at Y TE (though Fergy may be able to do that this year with improvement). So Rams go with Fergy, Allen, Parkinson and Higbee. And Klare does some H-back stuff but probably spends a lot of his time in 12 personnel at the F/slot position.

 

[Allen2McVay]

I don't think Villari's signing bonus is any big deal. 45K is pocket change in the salary cap.

Ton of good points in your reply; and, to all of them, I either agree or think "Maybe" ... with one exception.

In 10 years of signing Undrafted Free Agents post-Draft (150-200 players in total), the $45,000 signing bonus given to Dan Villari has been reported to be the 2nd-highest the Rams have given ... in 10 years!

That's relevant in my opinion.

Most UDFAs do not receive any signing bonus.. For example, this year's group.
The Rams signed 18 UDFAs post-Draft. Only 4 got a signing bonus.
Aside from Villari's $45K, the other three COMBINED received $29,000. Again, that seems relevant.

Finally, although it's not a big number in relation to the total cap, should Dan Villari go to the Practice Squad, he would first need to be released and pass through waivers. If that happens, and he is signed to the PS, that $45,000 is Dead-$ ... because he was released/waived.

I have no idea if he makes the final 53-man-roster. Before reading about the bonus, I assumed he was competing for a spot on the Practice Squad. However, the bonus $ ... in relation to all the other UDFAs ... clearly suggests the Rams Really Wanted to sign him

 

[RamFan503]

Villari looks like he could be pretty decent if given a couple years but he still appears to be behind Higgs, Park, Allen, Ferg, and Klare. That's a pretty steep hill to climb for a UDFA. I also don't see another team poaching him off the PS at this point in his development. Of course I have no idea what any other team's depth at TE looks like. It could be that he is already on some team's radar with the Rams giving him that $45k. But unless Higgs is just not able to run with the young guns this season, I don't see the Rams putting Villari on the 53. My guess is that baring injury or a decision to retire by Higbeast, Villari is placed on the PS. IMO, that would be a risk the Rams will take.

 

[RamFan503]

Ton of good points in your reply; and, to all of them, I either agree or think "Maybe" ... with one exception.

In 10 years of signing Undrafted Free Agents post-Draft (150-200 players in total), the $45,000 signing bonus given to Dan Villari has been reported to be the 2nd-highest the Rams have given ... in 10 years!

That's relevant in my opinion.

Most UDFAs do not receive any signing bonus.. For example, this year's group.
The Rams signed 18 UDFAs post-Draft. Only 4 got a signing bonus.
Aside from Villari's $45K, the other three COMBINED received $29,000. Again, that seems relevant.

Finally, although it's not a big number in relation to the total cap, should Dan Villari go to the Practice Squad, he would first need to be released and pass through waivers. If that happens, and he is signed to the PS, that $45,000 is Dead-$ ... because he was released/waived.

I have no idea if he makes the final 53-man-roster. Before reading about the bonus, I assumed he was competing for a spot on the Practice Squad. However, the bonus $ ... in relation to all the other UDFAs ... clearly suggests the Rams Really Wanted to sign him

I think it's more likely that other teams wanted him for their PS and the Rams felt they had to offer him something decent in order to demonstrate their desire to give him a chance to compete. I fully expect that the Rams view him as a PS candidate and possibly hope he blows them away. Still, I think that $45k means little beyond what it would take to get him in the door. The rest is prove it time and I think he proves to be someone we try to stash on the PS. Maybe he gets a phantom injury?

 

[Allen2McVay]

I think it's more likely that other teams wanted him for their PS and the Rams felt they had to offer him something decent in order to demonstrate their desire to give him a chance to compete. I fully expect that the Rams view him as a PS candidate and possibly hope he blows them away. Still, I think that $45k means little beyond what it would take to get him in the door. The rest is prove it time and I think he proves to be someone we try to stash on the PS. Maybe he gets a phantom injury?

Maybe ... hope so (if he is talented) ... but if he is a Rams' PS target, he can signed by another team ... and ... there are some evil-mother-fuckers out there (Howie Roseman ... John Lynch ... Tom Brady ... John Schneider)

 

[RamFan503]

Maybe ... hope so (if he is talented) ... but if he is a Rams' PS target, he can signed by another team ... and ... there are some evil-mother-fuckers out there (Howie Roseman ... John Lynch ... Tom Brady ... John Schneider)

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Hate those guys too but you can pretty much guarantee he ends up on someone's PS or gets a shot at another roster without that $45k. It at least puts an obstacle in the way of other teams. They would have to actually commit to him in order to get him away from us. And if they do, he was still the 6th best TE in our building.

 

[PARAM]

Villari looks like he could be pretty decent if given a couple years but he still appears to be behind Higgs, Park, Allen, Ferg, and Klare. That's a pretty steep hill to climb for a UDFA. I also don't see another team poaching him off the PS at this point in his development. Of course I have no idea what any other team's depth at TE looks like. It could be that he is already on some team's radar with the Rams giving him that $45k. But unless Higgs is just not able to run with the young guns this season, I don't see the Rams putting Villari on the 53. My guess is that baring injury or a decision to retire by Higbeast, Villari is placed on the PS. IMO, that would be a risk the Rams will take.

Maybe he pulls a hamstring or twists an ankle and ends up on IR for the year? Learns behind the other 5, then gets a 3 weeks practice window and is shut down for the remainder. Our guys are pretty smart and might foresee something like that!!!

 

[Allen2McVay]

... pretty much guarantee he ends up on someone's PS or gets a shot at another roster without that $45k.

Not sure what you mean by that.

Villari has already pocketed the $45,000 bonus.

It at least puts an obstacle in the way of other teams. They would have to actually commit to him in order to get him away from us.

Agree. If the Rams try to get him to their PS, he would first need to pass through waivers. If claimed, he is on that team's 53-man-roster.

 

[RamFan503]

Not sure what you mean by that.

Villari has already pocketed the $45,000 bonus.

Right. And if we don't offer that $45k, he is probably trying out for another team where he has better odds of making their squad or gets offered a signing bonus. I don't understand the confusion. He has pocketed the $45k because we... um... gave it to him to sign with us. He would only become available to other teams after cut downs and/or designations to PS - right? If he didn't sign with us, he is available to other teams - right? As always, I reserve the right to be wrong as I'm just too lazy this time of year to really give a damn.