The NFL draft came and went with the Los Angeles Rams picking up eight new players in the process. The work of the front office didn’t end there though, as their attention immediately shifted to signing undrafted free agents.
When the dust settled from the free agent frenzy, the Rams were left with a whopping 19 players in their UDFA rookie class. Here are the undrafted rookies with the best chance of making the 53-man roster when it’s all said and done:
1. TE Keenen Brown, Texas State
Tight end was once again a bit of a disappointment for the Rams in 2018. Neither Gerald Everett or Tyler Higbee had the breakout year many were hoping for, and there’s still a lot of room for growth at the position.
Both players showed flashes, but tight end wasn’t a major part of the Rams’ offense for the second consecutive year. The Rams didn’t draft a tight end, which gives an undrafted free agent like Brown a good shot at making the team. The Rams signed three undrafted tight ends, but Brown was by far the most productive last season and many analysts thought he had a legit shot to be drafted on Day 3.
Brown was Texas State’s leading receiver last season, and he ended up catching 51 passes for 577 yards and three touchdowns. The offense was pretty terrible overall and no other pass-catcher had more than 326 yards, so it’s pretty impressive he was able to put up those numbers. Brown is a plus-athlete, and seems to have a lot of receiving potential. Last season was his first year seeing real action after transferring from Oklahoma State, so he should have plenty of room to grow. He finished 11th in the nation last year in receiving yards among all tight ends.
2. WR Nsimba Webster, Eastern Washington
Webster is an interesting name to monitor. He was a college teammate of current Rams Cooper Kupp and Samson Ebukam, and the Rams have plenty of experience scouting Eastern Washington so it’s likely they were quite familiar with his game.
As we’ve seen with Kupp, Eastern Washington receivers can play. Webster put up monster numbers this past season, racking up 1,379 yards and 11 touchdowns. Kupp, Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, and Josh Reynold are all locks to be on the roster. After that, the pecking order is a bit more unsettled.
A bunch of late round picks and undrafted free agents from the past couple of years like Austin Proehl, Mike Thomas, KhaDarel Hodge, and JoJo Natson will all be battling it out, and nobody is guaranteed a spot. Webster has a history of returning kicks, and if he can stand out on special teams he has a decent chance to crack the roster.
3. EDGE Landis Durham, Texas A&M
Durham was a very productive pass-rusher in the SEC, which isn’t easy to do. Over the past two seasons, he racked up 21.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks while adding three forced fumbles.
Durham went undrafted because he’s a bit undersized and not super athletic, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to make it work. His chances look a lot better considering the Rams didn’t draft a single edge defender last weekend. All offseason it was talked about how the Rams needed to upgrade their outside pass-rush, and while they did add Clay Matthews, the team is likely still looking to develop some additional young talent.
The Rams didn’t add any other pass-rushers in their undrafted free agent class, so Durham won’t have much competition. He should at the very least have a good chance at the practice squad if he can push some of the Rams’ late-round draft picks from the last couple of years.
4. OL Brandon Hitner, Villanova
Hitner should have the best chance to crack the team of any of the offensive linemen the Rams signed. Projected as a sixth or seventh round pick by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, he had a good shot to get drafted.
The Rams drafted a pair of tackles in Bobby Evans and David Edwards, but they didn’t draft any interior linemen. Zierlein thinks Hitner will be able to move to center, which will serve him very well. The Rams currently project to start second-year players Brian Allen at center and Joseph Noteboom at left guard, and they could use some depth behind them. Hitner is athletic and versatile enough that he should have a good chance to stick.
5. WR Johnathan Lloyd, Duke
If Webster doesn’t make the team, Lloyd should have the next best chance among the four receivers the Rams signed after the draft. Last season for the Blue Devils, Lloyd caught 51 passes for 604 yards and five touchdowns.
Part of what makes Lloyd interesting is his background, as he’s extremely athletic. He originally entered the program as a cornerback and switched to receiver as a sophomore. He also had a stint on the baseball team, and the Rams have shown an interest in players like him who might not have had a ton of college production but are high on athletic upside. Lloyd was a special teams standout at Duke, and he could carve out a role with the Rams there as well.
