No team had a bigger draft class than the Los Angeles Rams this year. They selected 14 players, one shy of the NFL record, with 10 of those players coming on Day 3 of the draft.
Most drafted rookies end up making the 53-man roster, but that may not be the case for the Rams, given the sheer size of their draft class. So how many of their rookie draftees will wind up on the initial regular-season roster this year?
We’ve grouped them into locks, “likely to make it” and guys on the bubble.
Locks
G Steve Avila (2nd round)
OLB Byron Young (3rd round)
DT Kobie Turner (3rd round)
QB Stetson Bennett (4th round)
TE Davis Allen (5th round)
WR Puka Nacua (5th round)
CB Tre Tomlinson (6th round)
P Ethan Evans (7th round)
None of these players is going to be cut on or before Tuesday. While their results have been mixed in the preseason, they all bring something to the table that’s worth keeping on the roster.
It’s possible that Evans will be cut before Week 1 if the Rams like a veteran who gets waived on Tuesday, but he’s going to make the initial 53-man roster, being the only punter on the team all year.
Aside from Bennett, there’s a chance all of these rookies will contribute in a meaningful way at some point this season – especially Avila, Young, Turner, Nacua and Tomlinson,
Likely to make it
OLB Nick Hampton (5th round)
OT Warren McClendon Jr. (5th round)
RB Zach Evans (6th round)
These Day 3 picks are most likely going to make the 53-man roster but we can’t necessarily call them locks just yet. Their play in the preseason hasn’t been good enough to ensure they make the team, but they’re still likely to stick around on the 53-man roster for the year.
Hampton has a chance to contribute as an edge rusher, while McClendon is competing to be one of the backup tackles. Evans looks like he’s behind Ronnie Rivers and sits fourth on the depth chart, but unless Royce Freeman has caught the Rams’ attention in a big way, Evans should be safe.
On the bubble
OLB Ochaun Mathis (6th round)
S Jason Taylor II (7th round)
DT Desjuan Johnson (7th round)
Mathis is on the bubble because he hasn’t played a preseason snap or practiced in weeks because of a knee injury. The Rams haven’t given a timetable for his return, which means he’s a candidate to start the year on the practice squad. If the Rams put him on IR before he makes the team, he’ll be out all year.
Taylor got pushed down the depth chart following the signing of John Johnson III, which puts him in danger of being cut next week if the Rams only keep four safeties.
Johnson is in a crowded defensive line group and hasn’t shined this preseason. He may have the pedigree of being a drafted rookie but he was the final pick in the draft, so that doesn’t guarantee him anything.
