9 LA Rams players from FCS Schools may be difference makers

In the trenches

Thanks to the LA Rams scouting department, defensive tackle Michael Hoecht from Brown University has a chance to make the roster. Should you care? Absolutely!  Let’s pause for a moment and review some facts.  The Rams official website has Michael Hoecht listed at 6-foot-4 and 310-pounds. Add to that the fact that this young man ran a 4.6-second 40-yard dash!  Seriously?!?!  A mountain that moves is something defensive coordinators cannot discard without making every attempt to tap that potential.

Here is a video about this young man’s incredible college career. Here is another video interview. He comes off as a huge ceiling player who simply needs the opportunity to catch the eye of the Rams coaching staff.  Intelligent, incredibly gifted, and a player with both NFL and CFL options, the Rams have a chance to create quite the innovation with this talent set. He can give the Rams options at all three defensive line positions, as well as the possibility of giving him some two-point stance options.  And with his running back background, he could become a weapon on offense in the backfield or converted to a tight end to block and catch passes. ST coordinator John Bonamego should push hard for Hoecht to make the roster. They don’t make players this big, this strong, this fast. He’s unique, and the Rams need to use that to their advantage.

The buzz about Rozeboom

The buzz about versatile linebacker Christian Rozeboom from South Dakota State is real, and it’s spectacular. In a nutshell, Rozeboom has that swagger that is hard to ignore. That is a missing ingredient from the Rams linebacking corps, which give Rozeboom a solid shot to claim a roster spot in 2020. In her Rams mailbag Q&A, Jourdan Rodrigue (subscription required) cited Rozeboom as a linebacker the Rams coaches feel has a “high development potential”. In short, he’s a player the Rams will work closely with, and continue to challenge an ever-increasing role with the team.

What about his mindset? So glad you asked. He’s self-motivated and self-sufficient.  In fact, the 6-foot-2 230-pound linebacker plays to the beat of his own rhythm section, and that’s a huge plus in these crazy times. Here is a video clip of Rozeboom. Check out his pre-draft interview and then his quote below. Yes, he’s a keeper.

He was a one-man wrecking ball in college. In four seasons, he racked up 475 tackles, 29 tackles for losses, and best of all, eight interceptions. That sounds like the type of linebacker who gets drafted in round two, not after the draft concludes. He was even ranked among the top 25 FCS draft prospects. Did the Rams get a bargain in Rozeboom? No. They got a steal.