The Los Angeles Rams made it clear this offseason that inside linebacker isn’t a premium position on defense. After losing Cory Littleton, the team didn’t add a single linebacker in free agency and waited until the seventh round to select one in the draft.
That player was Clay Johnston out of Baylor, who the Rams grabbed at No. 234 overall. Johnston is coming off a torn ACL suffered in October, which undoubtedly hurt his draft stock. He was limited to just six games in 2019, but still managed to earn second-team All-Big 12 honors.
Johnston has quickly become known among Rams fans for his intensity and passion for football, but the Rams like his potential as a linebacker. In a video shared by the team, linebacker and defensive line scout Steve Kazor raved about his explosiveness and intelligence on the field.
“I think what you see is that explosion. He’s an intense player, I think he’s very smart. The coaches told me he could play every position – knows every position on the defense. This guy, they say he doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, doesn’t do anything. He just loves football,” Kazor said.
“This guy can run, he can diagnose plays, he can drop into coverage, he does a good job taking on blockers, slipping blockers and he’s a good tackler. So I think he’ll be a good asset on special teams, as well as playing wherever spot they decide to play him.”
Johnston was a tackling machine at Baylor, racking up 157 tackles in his last 17 games played for the Bears. He also has a knack for making stops behind the line of scrimmage, wrapping up ball carriers for 26.5 tackles for loss in his four-year career.
Johnston fits best as a Mike linebacker in the Rams’ scheme where he can focus on stopping the run, but he also showed the ability to cover in college, which is very important in today’s pass-first NFL.
