The USC Trojans who were not picked in the 2024 NFL draft managed to sign on with NFL teams as undrafted free agents. Justin Dedich joined that specific group of USC players when he inked a UDFA deal with the Los Angeles Rams. We see stories all the time of players who fell on draft boards and therefore did not get anything close to their ideal scenario on draft day, but who then encounter a situation which, for one reason or another, contains an element of possibility or something else which makes the situation more palatable. For Dedich, it’s the simple reality that he won’t have to relocate. He can stay in Los Angeles and make a go of it in the pursuit of an NFL career.
Dedich was a strong, high-quality offensive lineman for USC in 2022, but it was — and is — important to note that he had more and better support from his teammates that year. Andrew Vorhees and Brett Neilon in particular stabilized that line. Dedich didn’t have as good an offensive line in 2023, and that point should be noted, but it remains that Dedich did struggle last season. It’s not a surprise at all that he wasn’t drafted, but now the Rams have given him a chance to stick on an NFL roster.
USC center Justin Dedich is signing a free agent deal with the #Rams, per source.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) April 28, 2024
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