Last season, the Los Angeles Rams made expansive use of two and three tight end formations. By drafting Max Klare in Round 2 and signing two promising tight ends from the undrafted ranks, Dan Villari and Rohan Jones, it appears as if these multi-tight end sets are the plan of attack going forward. As the 2026 NFL Draft drew nearer, many fans questioned the L.A. depth at wide receiver and expected the Rams to supplement the unit in the draft, instead the Rams stocked up on tight ends, now entering OTAs with eight bodies.
It might be that Sean McVay is adjusting to all the umbrella shells thrown at the Rams to neutralize their mid/deep passing game, or it could that the L.A. head man is looking back to his roots as a play caller. As the Washington Commanders offensive coordinator from 2014-2016, McVay targeted his tight ends at a 25 percent clip. In his first eight years in L.A., the targets dropped to a shade over 18 percent. Last year, the number jumped back up, to 27% and the most tight end targets (161) in McVay’s 12-year play calling tenure.
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Let’s meet the Rams 2026 undrafted tight ends.
Rohan Jones – Arkansas 6’2” 238 lb.
Raised in Canada. Made three college stops, but never broke through as a full-time starter. Played 21 games at Maine without any starts.10 games at Montana State, with one start, but did make three FCS All-American teams. Transferred to Arkansas for his senior year, 12 games and four stats. For his four-year career, posted 13 starts in 48 games played, with 1352 yards on 80 catches for a whopping 17 yards per catch and 20 touchdowns. He also chipped in 18 kickoff returns early in his career at a 22 yard average.
Built like a big receiver, muscled arms and good upper body strength, 25 reps on the bench. Arm length 31” and hands, 9 1/2” are adequate. Leg strength/explosion, 32.5 vertical and 9’11” broad better NFL standards as does 4.72 speed over distance, 4.50 shuttle for flexibility/burst/balance, and 7.04 3cone for agility/change of direction.
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Receiver-first prospect. Played as TE#3 for Arkansas primarily in passing situations, three tight end sets, and gadget plays to get the ball into his hands. Formational versatility, lined up inline, the slot, on the wing and in the backfield. Even in this day and age, he’ll have improve blocking, almost no drive power. Does get his arms extended and stays between opponent and the ball. Sharp cuts out of breaks, doesn’t round them off and has a very good feel for sitting down in soft areas of zones. Good ball tracker, body control to corral off-line throw’s and good hands, but a bit of a body catcher. Catch/run transition is good, Shows a second gear and runs with good contact balance. Although not particularly tall, long or an elite leaper, Jones uses his upper body strength to win on contested catches.
Jones has shown improvement at each step up in competition. He has the traits to be a good route runner and appears to be a pretty good open-field runner. As a pro, he’ll need to be more physical. Had an extraordinary amount of big plays over his career and while it will be difficult to translate that same play making ability to the pro’s, Jones definitely has shown a knack for making the most out of his reps.
Dan Villari – Syracuse 6’4” 243 lb.
Originally signed by Michigan to play quarterback, didn’t play much in two years (one redshirt). Transferred to Syracuse and moved to tight end for 2022. After a slow start, Villari played in 44 games with 25 starts. The Orangemen tapped into his QB past, as well tight end. He caught 66 passes for 671 yards and three touchdowns. He chipped in another 484 yards rushing and four scores, along with completing 23 0f 33 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown.
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Another receiver first prospect, above average arm length at 32 1/4” and good-sized hands, 9 3/4”. On film, Villari looks like a fluid athlete. At his Pro Day, he didn’t test in any of the explosive/strength drills, vertical, broad jump, or bench press. Bit of a discrepancy in the reporting of his forty yard dash times, RAS reports 4.77 with a 1.66 10-yard split, while others put him at a hand-timed 4.60. A 6.84 3cone shows very good agility and flexibility. Burst and balance were good as well, 4.31 shuttle.
Although inexperienced catching the football and used in simpler routes, Villari looks like a natural at tight end. Primarily lined up in the slot, he gets to his spot and gives his quarterback a nice square target. Nice feel for open space. I have to describe his hands as soft/strong, soft because the football just seems to be absorbed into his grip and strong because he plucks passes with his hands away from his body and tucks them away quickly. Solid wingspan and body control to haul in awry balls. Fearless over the middle and catches well through contact. As an open-field runner, I’d use “competitive” as the descriptor, he goes north/south in a hurry and gets low, running through contact, Blocking needs a lot of technique and strength work. He’s willing, but doesn’t have much pop in his strikes and lacks the needed handwork/arm extension.
Developmental prospect, but you can see his base traits. Villari has been on the receiving end of passes just three short years. Interesting versatility, ran the ball out of wildcat formation, can throw pretty well, and has very good hands. Needs route-running work, although his short area agility hints that he can handle a bigger route tree. Most of his targets were quick look-in’s, check downs and up the seams. Additional strength work is also needed, but looks to have some playmaking potential.
Roster chances?
The easy answer is “let them sit and learn on the practice squad.” The room is full up, no vacancy. But what if the Rams lack of urgency in adding wide receiver depth means they’re going to make use of tight ends as slot receivers as a regular part of the rotation. While Colby Parkinson, Tyler Higbee, and Davis Allen can split out, they are all a bit heavy-footed and are best suited closer to the action. Terrance Ferguson and Max Klare are natural to the slot, in skills, size, and athletically. That’s also where Dan Villari and Rohan Jones will do their damage.
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Both Villari and Jones have different, but very interesting hybrid skill sets, stellar hands, and the traits of good route runners. Their blocking development would be a little less important if primarily used in the slot or out of the backfield. They need strength and polish as blockers, but it’s fair to say, by their film, they can handle the duties similarly to the Rams receivers.
All that said, it’s still a numbers game, and it would be a feat to displace any one of the four returnees from last year, Parkinson, Ferguson, Higbee, and Allen or the draft pedigree of Klare. Both Villari and Jones have special teams history. Keep an eye on Villari, I rate him the better prospect and many teams met with him during the draft process.
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