NFL draft: Rams take Ohio State TE Max Klare, Missouri OT Keagen Trost on Day 2
INGLEWOOD - On the second day of the NFL draft, the Rams continued to add depth to their roster, selecting Ohio State tight end Max Klare in the second round and Missouri offensive tackle Keagen Trost in the third.
Klare, the 61st overall pick, caught 43 passes for 448 yards and two touchdowns in 2025 while also making a name for himself as a run blocker at Purdue and Ohio State.
The 6-foot-5 Klare will be the fifth tight end projected to make the Rams’ 53-man roster in the fall, joining Colby Parkinson, Terrance Ferguson, Tyler Higbee and Davis Allen. The Rams have taken tight ends in the second round of back-to-back drafts after selecting Ferguson at No. 46 a year ago.
But the Rams incorporated 13-personnel – three-tight end sets – into their 2025 offense at a rate that doubled the second-highest team in the NFL, a trend that McVay said he wants to build on in 2026.
“There's nothing better than 13-personnel,” Klare said over Zoom, wearing a St. Louis Rams hat his uncle picked up for the occasion. “You always see those plays pop up and it's always fun to watch the guys get after it together. So I'm pumped up to be a part of that. I got to earn everything and put my best foot forward every day.”
The Rams last year kept six receivers and four tight ends on their roster. But with Ferguson’s ability to line up at receiver spots on the field and Klare displaying similar versatility, the Rams could change that composition with five receivers and five tight ends in 2026, especially with Parkinson and Allen playing on the last years of their contracts this coming season.
“We'll see where this thing goes,” McVay said. “We'll see exactly what it looks like, but I do know this, every single year represents a new year and there's got to be new iterations. … I think the key thing is what's the vision for these guys? And then how can we as coaches and how can their teammates help them bring that to life and maybe even see things in themselves that they don't quite see in themselves yet.”
Trost provides similar depth for the Rams on the offensive line. The 93rd overall pick, the 6-foot-4, 315-pound Trost spent seven years at four schools – Morgan State, Indiana State, Wake Forest and Missouri.
Across those stops, Trost played multiple positions. He was primarily a right tackle, particularly later in his college career, but also played on the left side in addition to guard and even some center.
McVay said the Rams project that Trost’s physical flexibility and bend will allow him to play across the line in the NFL, too, something that would be invaluable as the team puts together its 48-man game-day rosters.
Trost said he plans on getting extra work in, particularly with offensive line coach Ryan Wendell, to prepare for all those potential outcomes. And he believes his experience across multiple schools and offenses will prepare him for an offense like the Rams’ that mixes up run blocking schemes.
“I've ran multiple different schemes, ran different offenses at the different colleges that I've been at,” Trost said. “I've ran duo, outside zone, inside zone, power schemes. So I think that that is an advantage of going to multiple places and having to switch systems. And I'm just excited to get there and help any way that I can.”
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This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 6:31 PM.