LA Rams continue trek of pre-draft meetings w 1st LB prospect

Not even six hours after we published our first LA Rams pre-draft meeting tracker, the Rams are at it again. Of course, 12 meeting was too clean, so they had to get a tiebreaker in and have done exactly that. And this time, it is the pursuit of another talented Canadian.

The Rams love to sign up players with links to Canada and have three such players on the current roster. Oklahoma State linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga could be the fourth such player. The latest news now totals 13 such pre-draft meetings, and we’ve detailed twelve such meetings in a recently published LA Rams pre-draft meeting compilation article. In less than a day, we are already coming out with a sequel.

So the Rams have now met 14 times with 13 different players (they’ve met twice with offensive center Quinn Meinerz), so the distribution between offense and defensive players remains neck and neck:

Four (4) interviews were held with cornerbacks
Three (3) interviews were held with wide receivers
Two (2) interviews were held with running backs
One (1) interview was held with an offensive center (two meetings were reported with the same prospect)
One (1) interview was held with an inside linebacker *
One (1) interview was held with a defensive lineman.
One (1) interview was held with an outside linebacker

The Rams pursuit of college talent is proceeding at a brisk pace and there is no expected letting up by the team until the day before the 2021 NFL Draft begins.

Meet Amen Ogbongbemiga

So who is this linebacker? What do we know about him? Well, his name is Amen Ogbongbemiga and his family has lived in Calgary since 2011.  Like many prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft, his projection runs anywhere from early day three to priority free agent signing after the draft. But let’s start with some introductions, shall we?

Amen Ogbongbemiga is the first inside linebacker meeting tracked so far. Not surprisingly, he is one of the best-value prospects. What I mean is that he is projected to be a day three selection, but he has tremendous upside for the right team. Ogbongbemiga stands 6-foot-0 and weighs a hefty 235-pounds.

He has the size and physicality to stuff the run, and projects as a two-down linebacker to do exactly that. He will need additional coaching to master pass defense at the NFL level, and that may take some time. When he locates the ball carrier, he is a heat-seeking missile and can thump and tackle for a loss with excellent precision. But if he faces a wall of blockers, he can struggle to shed them to get the tackle.

Amen may be the answer to Rams prayers

He can play some zone pass defense. But for the Rams’ more complex coverage schemes, Amen Ogbongbemiga will need to grow into those aspects of the role. He is a great linebacker if he stays clean. That certainly raises intrigue of playing him behind the Rams defensive front that loves to gobble up blockers. Amen could be the answers to the LA Rams prayers (pun intended) for that player who dominates in the shadow of Aaron Donald.

Amen is ruthlessly effective. In his past two seasons at Oklahoma State University, he has amassed 180 tackles, 20.5 tackles for a loss, 7.5 quarterback sacks, and an interception. He has also forced four fumbles and recovered two fumbles. He stops, stomps, and strips the ball carrier.  That’s some excellent production.

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Pro Football Network Draft Profile

Not all NFL teams boast an Aaron Donald on the defensive line. The LA Rams do, and that creates unique value should Amen have the chance to play for the Rams.

There are other linebackers who could be a fit for the Rams defense, and some will not be drafted. But the Rams interest in Amen Ogbongbemiga, once we have investigated his college production, is quite logical.