Tag: Rams Rookies

One thing to know about each of the Rams’ 16 undrafted rookies

The Los Angeles Rams’ roster grew significantly in the last week with the team adding 10 rookies in the draft and another 16 as undrafted free agents. While the UDFA class is large, it’s still smaller than the 26 players the Rams signed after last …

The Los Angeles Rams’ roster grew significantly in the last week with the team adding 10 rookies in the draft and another 16 as undrafted free agents. While the UDFA class is large, it’s still smaller than the 26 players the Rams signed after last year’s draft.

There’s a good chance at least one of these signed rookies will make the 53-man roster, especially considering how good the Rams are at finding undrafted gems. It’s a defense-heavy class of undrafted rookies, but there’s a chance a wide receiver will carve out a role for himself in camp, too.

Here’s one thing to know about each of the Rams’ 16 undrafted free agents.

Favorite athletes are Cooper Kupp and LeBron James

In his Ohio University bio, he listed Kupp and LeBron as his favorite athletes. Kupp is a great player to look up to, and now Wiglusz will be on the same team as him.

Won Washington’s Defensive Player of the Year award 3 years in a row

According to his bio, Letuligasenoa won Washington’s L. Wait Rising Defensive Power Player of the Year Award three years in a row, something Greg Gaines also accomplished three times before being drafted by the Rams.

Blocked 3 kicks during the 2023 season

Olajiga blocked three kicks during the 2023 season alone, giving him four in the last two seasons combined.

Set school record with 51 career starts

McCollough was a veteran in the Tennessee secondary, playing six years for the Vols. He started 51 games, setting a school record for the most by a single player.

Had 250 yards in one game last season

Against Susquehanna last season, Lapp caught five passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, with a long reception of 89 yards. His 250 yards are the third-most in school history.

Ranked 7th in PBUs in the Pac-12 last season

Lampkin only had one career interception in college, but he was around the ball often last season. He broke up eight passes, which was tied for the seventh-most in the Pac-12.

Was third-team All-Sunbelt in 2023

Last season at Louisiana, Johnson caught 30 passes for 383 yards and five touchdowns, which earned him All-Sunbelt honors.

Was a Division II first-team All-American last season

Larson was named a Division II first-team All-American by the AFCA last season, playing exceptionally well at right tackle.

Turned down scholarship offers and walked on at Oklahoma instead

The obvious fact to know about Stoops is that he’s the son of former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, but here’s something else about him: He turned down scholarship offers out of high school and walked on at Oklahoma instead. He eventually earned a scholarship from the Sooners in 2021 and led the team in receiving in 2023.

Allowed only 21 catches and 0 TDs last season

In his first season at Michigan, Wallace shined in coverage. He allowed a passer rating of only 66.2 despite not intercepting a pass. He also didn’t give up a touchdown all year in 367 coverage snaps, surrendering only 21 total receptions.

Finished 9th in Oregon State history for most tackles

During his four-year career at Oregon State before transferring to LSU, he recorded 308 tackles, which is the ninth-most in school history.

Had highest pass-blocking grade among all Power Five guards in 2022

Dedich was a highly viewed lineman leading into the 2023 season after Pro Football Focus gave him the highest pass-blocking grade of any Power 5 guard in 2022 (90.0).

One of 7 EDGEs with 80-plus pass rush and run defense grade in 2022

Before he transferred to Oklahoma State in 2023, Goodlow had a successful career at Tulsa. He was especially good in 2022, making him one of seven edge defenders with a grade of 80.0 or better as a pass rusher and run defender, per PFF.

Led Kansas in tackles in each of the last 4 years

Logan was always around the ball for the Jayhawks, recording a whopping 362 tackles in the last four years. He led Kansas in tackles in each of those four seasons, finishing with a career-high 113 in 2021. He also finished first on the team in INTs in 2020 and PBUs in 2021.

Had between 93 and 98 tackles in each of the last 3 years

Neal was a highly productive player for Marshall, recording 96 tackles in 2021, 98 in 2022 and 93 last season, totaling 27 tackles for a loss in that span. He also had at least one interception in each of the last four seasons.

Allowed lowest passer rating ever by a Big 12 cornerback

While at West Virginia, Woods had a terrific 2021 season in which he allowed a passer rating of only 22.1 in coverage, by far the lowest of any Big 12 cornerback that season. It was also the lowest by a Big 12 cornerback in conference history, beating out Xavien Howard in 2015 (32.9).

Rams announce dates of 2024 rookie minicamp

The Rams’ rookies will get started at minicamp next week

Rams players have already taken the field for offseason workouts, and it won’t be long before the team’s rookies join the veterans for practices. On Thursday, the team announced the dates of its rookie minicamp, which is only two days long.

The Rams will hold a rookie minicamp from May 10-11, making them one of eight teams holding their rookie camp during those two days. Some teams will hold three-day camps, while the Bengals will only have a one-day session.

The Rams added 10 rookies in the draft, as well as 16 after the draft concluded. They’ll all be battling to make the 53-man roster this season and they’ll get a chance to make a first impression during the two-day minicamp this month.

As a reminder, below are the Rams’ 10 draft picks from this year.

Round 1, No. 19: OLB Jared Verse, Florida State
Round 2, No. 39: DT Braden Fiske, Florida State
Round 3, No. 83: RB Blake Corum, Michigan
Round 3, No. 99: S Kamren Kinchens, Miami
Round 5, No. 154: OLB Brennan Jackson, Washington State
Round 6, No. 196: DT Tyler Davis, Clemson
Round 6, No. 209: K Joshua Karty, Stanford
Round 6, No. 213: WR Jordan Whittington, Texas
Round 6, No. 217: OL Beaux Limmer, Arkansas
Round 7, No. 254: OL KT Leveston, Kansas State

Sean McVay names 4 rookies who have stood out, including an UDFA

Puka Nacua and Kobie Turner are among 4 rookies who have stood out to Sean McVay in OTAs and minicamp

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Rookies will play a major role for the Los Angeles Rams this season, in part because there are just so many of them. Whether it’s Steve Avila or one of their 20-plus undrafted rookies, the Rams will need their first-year players to step up as backups and potentially starters.

Some of them appear to be off to promising starts in OTAs and minicamp, even as early as it may be. Sean McVay said after Tuesday’s minicamp practice that four rookies, in particular, have stood out to him.

Two of the names he mentioned aren’t surprising at all: Steve Avila and Puka Nacua. Kobie Turner has also made a strong first impression on McVay, as has undrafted rookie lineman Mike McAllister – a volunteer firefighter who’s trying to make it in the NFL.

“I think overall I’ve been really pleased with the class in general,” McVay said. “I think when you look on the offensive side of the ball, Puka Nacua is a guy that’s definitely stood out. I’ve been really pleased with Steve Avila. He’s obviously incredibly talented and gifted but been able to move him from left to right. I think he’s picking things up quickly. Another guy like a Mike McAllister has played a lot of snaps up front and he’s done a really nice job on the offensive line being able to move around. I think Kobie Turner on the defensive side of the ball, he’s done an amazing job. I’ve really been impressed with just his professionalism. He shines. His relentless effort to the football and then being able to just understand the nuances of what we’re asking of him. Those are some guys that have really stood out from that rookie class.”

Nacua and Avila seem poised to earn playing time early as rookies this year, while Turner has a clear path to a starting job after the Rams parted with Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson. He’ll still need to beat out the likes of Marquise Copeland, Jonah Williams, Bobby Brown III and others to become a starter, but Aaron Donald is the only D-lineman locked in to a starting spot right now.

McAllister won’t be a Day 1 starter at center or any other spot, most likely, but if he keeps impressing McVay, perhaps he can vault one of the backups for a role on the 53-man roster come September.

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Watch: Rams rookies hilariously butcher NSYNC and ‘Mean Girls’ trivia question

Breaking: Joey Fatone and Guy Fieri are not the same person

Rookies coming into the NFL are around 21-24 years old, which means most of them weren’t even born in the ‘90s. In other words, they’re really young.

That showed in a couple of videos posted by the Rams, quizzing their rookies on *NSYNC and “Mean Girls”.

The Rams showed Zach Evans, Byron Young and Warren McClendon a photo of *NSYNC and asked them to name who was in the picture. They failed brutally, with the exception of McClendon.

Evans confused Joey Fatone for Guy Fieri, as we all do, and Young only recognized Justin Timberlake from “Social Network”, which isn’t exactly what he’s known for. But, technically he wasn’t wrong.

The funnier video might’ve been Stetson Bennett trying to name the movie “Mean Girls”, at first saying it was “White Chicks”.

Watch: Rams rookies connect with legends in finale of ‘Something To Prove’

On the Rams’ “Hard Knocks”-style series “Something To Prove”, fans get a behind-the-scenes look at being a rookie in the NFL

The Los Angeles Rams may not be on “Hard Knocks” this year, but they have been taking fans behind the scenes during training camp and the preseason. They started a new series called “Something To Prove” centered around a handful of rookies, following their paths to making the 53-man roster.

On the finale of the online series, Kyren Williams shows off his new apartment in Downtown Los Angeles, which is still being furnished and filled out. Williams also connects with Rams legend Steven Jackson, while rookie cornerback Cobie Durant sits down with another legend: Harold Jackson.

Lance McCutcheon and Russ Yeast also spoke to the youth during a “Rise with the Rams” panel conversation, helping inspire the next generation. Check out the full episode below.

Watch: Rams rookies take first step in NFL on Episode 1 of ‘Something To Prove’

The Rams have a new series called “Something To Prove”, taking fans behind the scenes of rookies’ first summer as NFL players

Transitioning from college to the pros can be tough, especially on a team like the Rams where there’s so much talent and only so many roster spots available. So far, Los Angeles’ rookies have done an excellent job as they attempt to make the 53-man roster, with several players standing out in training camp and the preseason.

The Rams are documenting their NFL journey in a new series called “Something To Prove”, which debuted on the team’s YouTube page Sunday. On Episode 1, players arrive for training camp, go through their first practices, and get treated to a driving experience at Porsche.

Cobie Durant is clearly an energetic personality, and his reaction to meeting Sean McVay’s dad is priceless.

Check out the full video below.

Watch: Rams rookies hilariously try their hand at trivia about Los Angeles

The Rams put their rookies to the test, quizzing them about Los Angeles

Rookies are only a month and a half into their NFL careers, so they’ve barely gotten their feet wet as pros. For the Rams’ first-year players, they’re still learning plenty about the new city they’ll call home: Los Angeles.

They’ve gone through OTAs and minicamp and are now on break for about six weeks until returning for training camp at the end of July. From now until then, maybe they’ll study up on L.A. because they didn’t exactly crush this quiz about the city.

The Rams shared a funny video of their rookies answering questions about Los Angeles, from “Who is the other AD in L.A.?” to “What does Los Angeles translate to?” Some questions were easier than others, but none of the rookies passed with flying colors.

Watch: Rams rookies hilariously try to draw opponents’ logos

The Rams’ rookies tried to draw the logos of their 2022 opponents and it did not go well 😂

If you were asked to draw one of the Rams’ opponents’ logos from memory, could you do it? That’s the challenge a handful of LA’s rookies were tasked with, and the results were absolutely hilarious.

It’s a tough thing to do, and none of their drawings were particularly good. They did make for a good laugh, especially Logan Bruss’ Saints attempt – which looked more like an airplane than the team’s logo.

Quentin Lake’s Panthers logo was on the right track, and he got the three whiskers right, but I’m not sure anyone would immediately think, ‘That’s definitely Carolina’s logo’ upon seeing it.

Good thing the Rams drafted them to play football and not draw.

Watch: Rams share inside look at rookies’ first day of pads and practice vs. Cowboys

Episode 2 of “Something to Prove” shows how the Rams’ rookies progressed through camp.

The Rams had a productive 10 practices during training camp, putting on pads for the second half of their time at UC Irvine. They also had a practice with the Cowboys in Oxnard, which featured some good plays by both teams and a couple of skirmishes on the field.

As fun as it would’ve been to see the Rams on “Hard Knocks” again this season, the team is doing a miniseries online that has elements of the hit show. “Something to Prove” tracks the progress of rookies as the regular season approaches and on Episode 2, it focused on Troy Warner, Jake Funk and Ernest Jones.

Warner went through his first day of pads, while Funk showed off his guitar skills. Jones talked about what he’s learned so far as an NFL player, noticing the progression since OTAs and minicamp.

Watch: Go behind the scenes of rookies’ first days of Rams camp

The Rams shared an exclusive look at the first days of training camp for their rookies.

Rams rookies have been at training camp for more than a week now after reporting on July 25. With this being their first taste of an NFL camp, there’s a lot for them to learn and take in at UC Irvine.

The Rams have a new series on YouTube called “Something to Prove” and the first episode goes behind the scenes as rookies move into camp and go through their first day of practice. Troy Warner, Ernest Jones and Jake Funk were among the rookies who starred on the episode, sharing what it’s like to attend camp for the first time and practice with their teammates.

It was great to see Ernest Jones ask Raymond Calais about a route he ran toward the end of the episode as the rookie tries to learn everything he can about covering running backs and being an NFL defender.

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