The Los Angeles Rams used their first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson, selecting him No. 46 overall. He doesn’t come with the pedigree of a first-round pick, but his head coach has lofty comparisons for him already.

After the Rams wrapped up Day 2 of the NFL draft, Sean McVay spoke about Ferguson and who he reminds him of. Interestingly, he offered up a couple of big names at the tight end position: Chris Cooley and Travis Kelce.

It’s not often a coach will compare a rookie to two players with the resumes that Cooley and Kelce have, but it shows the confidence McVay has in the Rams’ newest tight end.

“He reminds me a lot of Chris Cooley,” McVay said. “He’s got some similar body mannerisms to Travis Kelce. Chris Cooley’s one of the first players I ever coached in this league. He’s a great football player. You could see he had a great feel, great savvy. And I remember my first year coaching tight ends evaluating Travis Kelce coming out of Cincinnati.”

McVay detailed what about Ferguson reminds him of Cooley and Kelce. It mostly comes down to his elusiveness with the ball in his hands, his versatility on offense and his feel for finding holes in the zone when plays break down – something Kelce has done an excellent job of throughout his career with Patrick Mahomes.

“Those are big, lofty comparisons so certainly not saying he’s those guys yet but there’s a lot of instincts,” McVay continued. “He plays with a change-of-pace when the ball gets in his hands. I think he can play in the C(-gap) area. He’s moved around the formation. When things go off-schedule, he shows what a great feel he has to find soft spots. I thought he and (Dillon) Gabriel had a great rapport.”

Adding Ferguson to the tight end group will give the Rams more options on offense, potentially opening things up for more 12 personnel groupings with Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson.

“I’m really excited to get him in that tight end room with Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen,” McVay said. “It allows us to explore some different things. We’ll see where it goes but he’s a stud and we’re very excited about him.”

McVay isn’t saying he’s the next Chris Cooley or Travis Kelce, but Rams fans should love to hear those comparisons.