The Los Angeles Rams keep finding ways to make the draft look both smart and strangely self-defeating, and rookie tight end Max Klare is already sliding into the latter conversation.
Since Sean McVay arrived in 2017, the Rams have had only eight second-round picks, and the track record is thin. The group includes a mix of offensive skill players and a few other positions, but the common thread has been disappointment or limited usage. Of those eight selections, only four are still with the team, and only one has clearly made a real impact.
That one is left guard Steve Avila, who stands as the best outcome of the bunch.
The bigger issue is how often Los Angeles seems to draft players it never fully unleashes. The Rams have spent second-round capital on three tight ends, two receivers, a running back, a safety, and Avila, but too many of those rookies have been left with too little runway to matter. The pattern is familiar: a player arrives with promise, barely gets on the field, and never gets the reps needed to develop into something more.
Klare now fits that mold. After six games, the questions are already piling up about why the Rams made the pick if they weren’t going to give him a real chance.
On a 2-4 team, the logic should be simple: play the rookies, learn what you have, and build toward the future. Instead, Los Angeles has continued to treat second-round offensive weapons like optional accessories.
The Rams’ history at wide receiver and tight end makes the point even sharper. Tutu Atwell, taken 57th overall in 2021, struggled to become a regular part of the offense. In six seasons, he caught 108 of 183 targets, an average of just 30.5 targets and 18 catches per year.
Gerald Everett spent four seasons in Los Angeles and caught 127 of 204 passes. Terrance Ferguson, now in his second year, has 18 catches on 27 targets, though he has been on injured reserve since getting hurt early in Week 3. Even Cam Akers, who showed real flashes, lasted only four seasons with the Rams, and one of those was lost to rehab after an Achilles tear.
Meanwhile, the Rams have proven they can uncover real value later in the draft. Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua have both become masterful examples of what happens when the team nails a Day 3 pick. But the second round keeps telling a different story, especially when the player is supposed to help on offense.
For now, Klare is the latest test case. The Rams believed enough in him to make the pick. The only question that matters now is whether they’ll actually let him play.
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