Tag: Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson

Sean McVay on Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson’s preseason debut: ‘He’s a tough competitor’

Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson made his preseason debut for the Rams on Saturday and Sean McVay praised his competitiveness.

The Los Angeles Rams had plenty of rookies making their preseason debut on Saturday versus the Los Angeles Chargers, and one name that fans were anxious to see was Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson. The rookie sixth-round pick had a solid outing in Saturday’s loss and Sean McVay took notice of his effort on the field.

“Exactly what you said. Some of the stuff that made him a Thorpe Award winner, the competitiveness,” McVay said. “He’s a tough competitor that doesn’t have any fear and he’s not afraid to get up and challenge guys. Thought he did a good job in a couple of those situations too of being able to get his eyes back, play the ball true, and had a nice breakup against his former teammate down that sideline on the Chargers side. He’s just got a nice swagger about himself. I was happy for Tre making a couple of those plays tonight.”

Hodges-Tomlinson didn’t wait long to make his presence felt in Saturday’s matchup against the Chargers, breaking up a pass intended for his former teammate Quentin Johnston on the opening drive of the game. The deflection by Hodges-Tomlinson forced the Chargers to punt and he would finish the contest with two tackles.

Due to his lack of size, Hodges-Tomlinson fell to the sixth round of this year’s draft. The Rams took the TCU product with confidence that he could outperform where he was taken in the draft.

Even with Hodges-Tomlinson being a smaller cornerback, he showed in his final two seasons at TCU that he isn’t afraid to get involved in stopping the run, combining for 91 tackles in that span. Hodges-Tomlinson also totaled five interceptions and 22 pass breakups in his last two years of college, and his playmaking ability is something that McVay was happy to see come to fruition in Saturday’s preseason opener.

Watch: Tre Tomlinson gets advice from uncle LaDainian Tomlinson before preseason debut

Rams rookie Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson got a pep talk from his uncle, LaDainian Tomlinson, before his preseason debut

Rams rookie Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson comes from NFL bloodlines. His uncle is Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who also works for NFL Network now in his post-playing days.

Before kickoff between the Rams and Chargers on Saturday night, Hodges-Tomlinson got a little pep talk from his uncle on the field.

“Don’t make it bigger than what it is. Go out there and play ball and dominate. Consistency, like we always talk about. Go out there and dominate. Can’t nobody hold you, bro. You know that,” Tomlinson told his nephew.

LaDainian was there at Tre’Vius’ draft party when he was selected by the Rams in the sixth round of the draft this year, so the two former TCU Horned Frogs got to celebrate together in that big moment.

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6 Rams to watch in preseason Week 1 vs. Chargers

Here are 6 players from the Rams to watch in Saturday’s preseason opener vs. the Chargers.

The Los Angeles Rams are slated to begin their 2023 preseason schedule with a matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday. This marks the third straight year the Rams will square off against their neighbors in the preseason.

Sean McVay iterated that the Rams are going to take a “very different approach” to the preseason this year with the number of rookies and inexperienced players on the roster. Even with McVay altering his mindset entering the preseason, we shouldn’t expect to see the likes of Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, Rob Havenstein, Tyler Higbee, and Aaron Donald receive snaps until Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks.

Ahead of Saturday’s exhibition contest versus the Chargers, here are six players on the Rams to keep an eye on.

7 takeaways from Rams’ 3rd day of training camp

Here are 7 takeaways from the Rams’ 3rd day of training camp practices on Saturday.

The Los Angeles Rams held an open practice session for fans on Saturday for the third day of training camp. Position battles continue to take place, and some players are catching the eye of fans and the coaching staff in hopes to secure a role on the roster.

There were a handful of storylines that took place on the third day of training camp, including the sudden retirement of Sony Michel and the passing game being the star of the show. With the Rams looking to improve each day, here are seven takeaways from the team’s third practice session.

Two Rams rookies highlighted as potential surprise starters in 2023

Rams rookies Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson and Byron Young were mentioned as surprise starters by Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Kyle Madson.

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The Los Angeles Rams are set to begin training camp on Tuesday and they’ll have a plethora of first-year players competing for starting jobs. In Doug Farrar and Kyle Madson’s training camp preview piece for Touchdown Wire, they named Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson and Byron Young as late-round rookies that could be surprise starters in 2023.

Farrar and Madson prefaced their picks by defining a late-round rookie as a player that wasn’t selected in the first or second round. Young was the 77th overall pick in the third round, while Hodges-Tomlinson was selected in the sixth round by the Rams.

Entering training camp, Young certainly has a path toward being named a starter off the edge. The Rams moved on from Leonard Floyd this offseason, and the edge rushers on the current roster have only 4.5 career sacks in the NFL (all of them belong to Michael Hoecht).

Despite being an older rookie at 25 years old, Young is an athletic edge rusher that totaled 12.5 sacks and 23.5 tackles for loss in his two seasons at Tennessee. With a strong showing at training camp, he’ll make a case to be one of the two starting edge rushers in Week 1.

Meanwhile, Hodges-Tomlinson also has a somewhat clear path to being named a starter to begin the upcoming season. Hodges-Tomlinson fell to the sixth round in the draft due to his size, but he has the skill set to excel as a slot cornerback in the NFL.

Jalen Ramsey and Troy Hill are no longer with the Rams, leaving the top two spots on the depth chart open for competition. Cobie Durant and either Robert Rochell or Derion Kendrick will likely start on the outside.

However, Hodges-Tomlinson has a chance to be the starting nickel cornerback when the season kicks off. Considering that the Rams are in a transitional period, there’s undoubtedly a scenario where Young and Hodges-Tomlinson are both starters to begin the 2023 campaign.

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Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson agrees to rookie deal with Rams

The Rams and Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson have agreed to terms on a four-year deal

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Slowly but surely, the Los Angeles Rams are working toward signing their entire 2023 draft class. It was a massive class with 14 players in total, so it’s taking some time. But on Friday, they agreed to terms with another rookie.

According to his agency, Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson has agreed to terms with the Rams on his rookie contract. It will be a four-year deal and will be for an estimated $4.04 million in total value, according to Spotrac.

Hodges-Tomlinson was selected by the Rams with the 182nd overall pick in the sixth round. He was the Jim Thorpe Award winner last season as the nation’s best defensive back, helping TCU reach the national championship game where they lost to the Georgia Bulldogs.

Hodges-Tomlinson will compete for snaps as a rookie, likely in the slot as a dime defender. He’s undersized at just 5-foot-8 and 178 pounds, but he has terrific ball skills and coverage ability.

The Rams have now signed 10 of their 14 draft picks this year, with Byron Young, Kobie Turner, Zach Evans and Ochaun Mathis being the four rookies left without a contract.

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Rookie CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson has hamstring injury, Rams being cautious

Rookie CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson is out with a hamstring injury but the Rams don’t sound overly concerned

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The Los Angeles Rams began their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday and one of their notable rookies was unable to practice. During his media session on Tuesday, Sean McVay revealed that cornerback Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson is dealing with a hamstring injury and the Rams will be cautious with him until he’s fully prepared to return.

Because of his hamstring injury, Hodges-Tomlinson is also expected to work on the side with trainers instead of practicing with the team on Wednesday. The positive news is that his current ailment won’t prevent him from being a full-go when the Rams report to training camp next month.

“He got a hamstring a couple weeks ago and so really just want to be smart with how we get him back into his workload and his rhythm and routine,” McVay said. “And so, he’ll be out tomorrow as well just working on the side with those guys, but don’t anticipate it to affect his ability to hit the ground running once training camp starts up.”

With Jalen Ramsey no longer on the roster and Troy Hill still a free agent, the rookie sixth-round pick has an opportunity to earn a starting spot immediately. Hodges-Tomlinson figures to be a nickel cornerback in the Rams’ secondary alongside Cobie Durant, Robert Rochell, and Derion Kendrick.

Hamstring injuries can be tricky, especially for a position like cornerback that is tasked with having to shift gears to mirror offensive players. Even though Hodges-Tomlinson would benefit from getting more reps right now, McVay knows that it’s better to be cautious with plenty of time between now and the start of the regular season.

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Watch: Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson once laid a big hit on a 240-pound TE in college

Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson might only be 178 pounds but he doesn’t shy away from contact

Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson was voted the best defensive back in college football last year when he was named the Jim Thorpe Award winner. Yet, he still somehow lasted until the sixth round where the Rams finally picked him up.

Why? Mostly because of his size, standing just 5-foot-8 and 178 pounds. Hodges-Tomlinson plays bigger than his listed measurables, though.

Just look at this clip of him from TCU in 2020 when the Horned Frogs upset Oklahoma State. Hodges-Tomlinson plays the flat perfectly, getting enough depth to take away the throw over the top while also staying close enough to the tight end, Dayton Metcalf.

After the throw is made, Hodges-Tomlinson comes up and lays a big hit on Metcalf, who’s 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds.

5’8/175lb Tre Tomlinson vs 6’4/240lb Tight End on the goal line
by u/kawaii5o in LosAngelesRams

Hodges-Tomlinson boldly went high on the much bigger tight end, but he was strong enough to keep the ball carrier out of the end zone on a pivotal first-and-goal play. There was a penalty, so the play didn’t count, but you can bet the Rams saw this clip when watching film of the cornerback.

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What the Rams are getting in rookie CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson

The Rams may have found a late-round gem by taking Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson in the 6th round of the 2023 NFL draft.

The Los Angeles Rams’ secondary is going to look a lot different in 2023 after the offseason they’ve had thus far. Besides having Troy Hill and David Long Jr. hitting free agency, the Rams traded All-Pro Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins, leaving them thin at the cornerback spot.

Even though many were expecting the Rams to take a cornerback earlier in the 2023 NFL draft, they waited until the sixth round to take Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson out of TCU. What should fans expect from the incoming first-year cornerback?

Before we dive deeper into Hodges-Tomlinson, it should be noted (yet again) that he’s the nephew of Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson. the Rams love players with family connections to football and they knew they couldn’t pass up the opportunity of taking Hodges-Tomlinson in the sixth round.

Entering the NFL, Hodges-Tomlinson is certainly an undersized cornerback at under 5-foot-8, but he still brings a handful of positive skills to the table. Hodges-Tomlinson’s agility and ability to flip his hips stand out immediately when watching him play.

Throughout his time at TCU, Hodges-Tomlinson totaled 41 pass breakups and he had five interceptions in his final two seasons. The former Horned Frog is a savvy player that has a vast knowledge of what other teams are trying to do, though, he can sometimes get too hands-on in coverage, which often led to penalties.

Despite his size, Hodges-Tomlinson isn’t afraid to get involved in the run game and he improved his tackling numbers each year at TCU. With his mixture of instincts and size, Hodges-Tomlinson will likely spend most of his career playing in the slot.

The Rams have had smaller cornerbacks have success under Sean McVay, and we know the offensive-minded coach loves having playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. Considering that the Rams lack depth at the cornerback position right now, Hodges-Tomlinson could immediately be an impact starter in 2023 out of the slot, allowing him to make game-changing plays as he did in college.

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Watch: Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson highlights from award-winning 2022 season

Watch highlights of Rams rookie Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, who was voted college football’s best DB in 2022

Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson may not have been the first cornerback drafted or even gone in the first round, but there’s one thing no one can take away from him: He was voted the best defensive back in college football last season.

The Rams’ rookie corner won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2022 for his outstanding season-long performance with the Horned Frogs, allowing a completion rate of only 34.6% in coverage with an FBS-leading 21 incompletions forced.

He did all that despite being undersized at only 5-foot-8. There’s no doubt his smaller stature is the reason he went in the sixth round instead of potentially in the second or third, but he’ll use that as fuel with the Rams.

To get a sense of just how good Hodges-Tomlinson is, check out some of his highlights from 2022 at TCU.