Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson isn’t going to blow anyone away with his combination of size and speed. He’s only 5-foot-8 and while he’s plenty fast enough, his smaller frame is what caused him to fall all the way to the sixth round.
Had he been closer to 6 feet tall, he probably would’ve been a top-100 pick in the first three rounds. The Rams may have gotten a steal at No. 182 overall and Hodges-Tomlinson is hoping to become one of their best draft picks ever.
He wants to prove all 31 teams that passed on him wrong, showing what they missed out on in the draft.
"I'm gonna make sure that this pick right here is gonna be one of the greatest picks they ever had. I'm gonna continue to show others why they shouldn't have passed up on me." -CB Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson is fired up to join the Rams
— Greg Beacham (@gregbeacham) April 29, 2023
Hodges-Tomlinson comes into the NFL following a decorated career at TCU, highlighted by winning the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the country last season. He allowed a completion rate of only 34.6% last season, leading the nation with 21 forced incompletions.
Despite being only 5-foot-8, he still played the majority of his snaps on the outside against bigger wideouts, so he’s not just a slot corner. In the NFL, he’ll likely be forced to play inside, but the Rams need a new slot defender after parting with Jalen Ramsey.
Hodges-Tomlinson and Cobie Durant could make for a ball-hawking tandem in Los Angeles, growing together as potentially the Rams’ top two cornerbacks.
