Random Ramsdom: Kade Warner does not seem short on confidence

Rams Legend Kurt Warner’s Son: ‘I’m Smartest WR in Draft!’ NFL Tracker (fannation/ramsdigest)

“MAY 21 WARNER ON WARNER

Kurt Warner’s path to the NFL, which of course included glory with the Rams franchise, was a challenging one that began with him not being drafted.

Now Kurt’s son, Kade Warner, is also in the NFL after not having been drafted. But his confidence seems firmly in place.

Ahead of the Buccaneers’ OTAs, the undrafted free agent said that Tampa Bay is about to benefit by having signed the most intelligent pass-catcher in the class - that is, him.

“I’m the smartest receiver in this draft class,” Warner said, via PewterReport.com. “I’ve said it before. They’re going to get a good slot receiver out of me and I’m going to know exactly what to do on every play.”

The Hall of Famer’s son, who played at Kansas State, added that being a UDFA further inspires him to make the squad.

“I take everything personally,” Warner continued. “Like I was saying, from that undrafted, that walk-on mentality, every little thing. Like if the coaches pick somebody else before me, I write that down, if somebody gets more reps than me in this walk through, I write that down. It’s kind of like that chip on your shoulder, I think just that expression is said a lot so I don’t like saying it, but I just take everything personally.”

CBS Sports predicts 49ers win NFC West in 2023, but also this rival bounces back big (ninernoise.com)

“The 49ers will win the NFC West, according to CBS Sports, but one of their rivals makes a sharp return from the depths of the conference.

Honestly, it wasn’t that long ago when the NFC West was actually the toughest division in all of football.

In fact, looking at the 2021 season, there was a theory that all four teams could somehow squeak into the playoffs, which would have been exceptionally hard but possible, particularly considering the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams were all postseason contenders.

Seattle didn’t make it into the playoffs that season, and LA ultimately won the Super Bowl... a game following a game that Niners fans would probably like to forget about.

In 2022, San Francisco won the NFC West, and it was the Hawks who managed to get into the playoffs as a Wild Card team. Los Angeles and Arizona, meanwhile, finished with 5-12 and 4-13 records, respectively, and the Rams’ Super Bowl-defending season was the worst in NFL history.

Even though Arizona, LA and Seattle generally had strong offseasons, are the 49ers still favored to win the NFC West?”

Rams Cooper Kupp Disrespect? Davante Adams’ ‘Top 5’ WR List Surprise (fannation/ramsdigest)

“When Davante Adams says he believes that he’s the best wide receiver in the NFL, it’s hard to argue with him. But when the three-time All-Pro lists his top five wide receivers in the NFL and Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams is excluded, it’s fair for there to be some pushback.

In fact, in a recent appearance on “I Am Athlete,” Adams went over the allotted spots on what was supposed to be a countdown of the top five wide receivers, and he still didn’t mention Kupp:

Kupp has had individual stretches where he’s been as productive as any wide receiver in the NFL, but it’s probably fair to list Adams, Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill and Stefon Diggs above him. And frankly, if Ja’Marr Chase had been No. 5 on Adams’ list, excluding Kupp may have been understandable.

But Chase wasn’t mentioned, and Kupp has been more productive than either Evans or Lamb when he’s been on the field over the last two seasons. And Calvin Ridley was suspended for the entirety of the 2022 season after playing in just five games in 2021.”

PFF names Cobie Durant a breakout candidate for Rams in 2023 (ramswire)

“The Los Angeles Rams are going to be relying heavily on their younger players in 2023, including a host of second-year pros from the 2022 draft. They’ll need at least a few of them to step up and become above-average starters, helping make up for the losses suffered this offseason – which include Jalen Ramsey, Leonard Floyd and Bobby Wagner.

One potential breakout candidate: Cobie Durant, a fourth-round pick out of South Carolina State in 2022.

Pro Football Focus named one breakout candidate for every team in the NFL and for the

Rams, Durant was the pick. After a rookie season that included a pick-six and three total interceptions in just 281 snaps played on defense, Durant could be in for a big second season in L.A.

Durant didn’t play much until late in his rookie season, but he will be thrust into a starting position with the departure of Jalen Ramsey.

The former fourth-round pick did flash potential when he got onto the field, and he ended the season with a 75.2 PFF grade that ranked 18th among cornerbacks. He was especially good in a nationally televised Christmas Day game against the Broncos, where he picked off two passes and returned one for a touchdown.

On paper, Durant is the Rams’ top corner right now. He’s ahead of Derion Kendrick and Robert Rochell, who could be the other two starters at the position for Los Angeles. Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, a rookie sixth-rounder, could also factor into the mix.”

PFF: Puka Nacua landed in 10th-best situation of any rookie WR (ramswire)

“Puka Nacua has a lot of work to do if he wants to be a starter for the Rams this year, but outside of Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson, none of Los Angeles’ wideouts are locked into starting roles. The third spot will be a battle between Ben Skowronek, Tutu Atwell, Nacua and maybe even Lance McCutcheon.

Nacua will have to earn his snaps as a rookie but PFF’s Gordon McGuinness likes his fit with the Rams. McGuinness ranked Nacua 10th on his list of the rookie receivers who landed in the best situations this year.

The lowest-drafted receiver to crack the top 10, Nacua has to get by one of Van Jefferson (90 career receptions) or Ben Skowronek (50 career receptions) to be a top-three receiver in this offense alongside Cooper Kupp, but even WR6 in this offense saw more than 31 targets in 2022. Nacua’s 3.53 yards per route run was the second-highest mark in college football last year, as was his 90.1 PFF receiving grade.

The Rams selected Nacua in the fifth round out of BYU, taking him 177th overall in the draft this year. He’s not a rare athlete or a burner, but he does the dirty work and gets open for his quarterback, also making defenders miss after the catch.”