Quentin Lake says this Rams DB 'can be a 10-pick guy' in 2026

Kam Kinchens is entering his third season with the Los Angeles Rams, and teammates in the secondary are already talking about him in All-Pro terms. "Breakout player this year," safety Quentin Lake said, via The Athletic's Nate Atkins. "He's an All-Pro player in my eyes. He has what it takes," added strong safety Kam Curl. Kinchens, 23, was a third-round pick out of Miami in the 2024 NFL Draft. But what he lacked in measurables, he made up for in college with ball production, training under one of the greatest safeties in NFL history: Ed Reed. Kinchens had six interceptions as a sophomore and five more as a junior, with pick-sixes in both seasons, totaling 13 turnovers across his final two collegiate seasons. That translated immediately to the NFL. As a rookie, Kinchens tied for a team-high four interceptions despite playing just 46 percent of the Rams' defensive snaps. That total included a 103-yard pick-six, the longest interception return of the 2024 season, along with a forced fumble and fumble recovery. "That's one of his gifts," Curl said. "The ball finds him." Lake credited Kinchens with shaping his own approach to takeaways. "We always talk about calculated risk: If you see it, go get it," Lake said. "He's the one who taught me that: 'Q, just go out there. Sometimes you're going to have to nut up and believe in it and go get it.' I did that a couple times, but he's the one who taught me that, which is a very, very valuable piece of my game that I'm going to take with me for a long time." Kinchens' playing time jumped to 75 percent of the Rams' defensive snaps in 2025, and he finished fourth on the team's top-10 scoring defense with 84 tackles. But he recorded only two interceptions all season — both against the Seattle Seahawks in a Week 11 win. The Rams have since overhauled the roster around him, trading for two-time All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, signing Jaylen Watson, and acquiring two-time Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett in a trade that sent Jared Verse and draft capital to Cleveland. Garrett set the NFL's single-season sack record with 23 sacks last season. Lake said he expects the new additions to elevate Kinchens' takeaway numbers. "He can be All-Pro. He really can," Lake said. "We have some good players in the safety room, but I believe truthfully that he can be a 10-pick guy. Seriously. The stuff that I see, and obviously with our pass rush and those things, I would not be surprised if he has at least five this year." This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Quentin Lake says this Rams DB 'can be a 10-pick guy' in 2026