Ex-Rams DL gives high praise to rookie TE Terrance Ferguson

USA Today

2 days ago

What the Los Angeles Rams do with second-round rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson will be one of the biggest questions going into the 2025 NFL season. L.A. has Tyler Higbee as its starter with two backups behind him, but Ferguson offers a blend of production, youth and dynamism the Rams have lacked at the position for a while.
Former Rams defensive end Chris Long thinks Ferguson is the most important member of the Rams' 2025 draft class. He thinks the players the Rams took are quality contributors, but not immediate impact players.
Except for Ferguson.
"The Ferguson kid might be the most athletic guy they've had in a little while at tight end," Long said on "The Green Light Podcast" this week. "... But I bet you, just reading the tea leaves, that eventually he's going to he's going to play for them. And he's going to be he's going to be an important player for them at some point in the season."
Otherwise, Long believes the rest of the Rams' rookies are set up to be important players down the road.
"I don't know that any of their draft picks are going to have to play a big role," he added. "These draft picks are going to bear fruit in the next chapter, whenever that next chapter begins. These guys can sit and be developed."
This assertion makes sense considering the Rams liked Ferguson enough to almost take him at No. 26 pick before moving back to still draft him at No. 46. He was productive at Oregon and has the skillset to be both a quality pass-catcher and solid blocker in Sean McVay's offense.
Ferguson is also the only rookie with a clear path to quality snaps. Third-rounder Josaiah Stewart is immediately slated as a backup edge rusher behind Jared Verse and Byron Young, running back Jarquez Hunter is the clear No. 3 player in the backfield, defensive tackle Ty Hamilton is behind Poona Ford and Kobie Turner, Chris Paul Jr. would need to fend off at least three veterans to win a starting role at inside linebacker and wideout Konata Mumpfied also has a big depth chart hill to climb.
Ferguson, meanwhile, just has to play better than Colby Parkinson and Davs Allen — two players that struggled in 2024 with Higbee out with an injury.
Long was in the NFL long enough (11 seasons, eight with the Rams) to understand how roster construction works and was around at the beginning of the Les Snead era, right before McVay took over. While more Rams rookies could see time on the field, Ferguson's athleticism gives him a leg up to kickstart his NFL career.