UDFA OLB Max Roberts is the LA Rams other edge

After the LA Rams ended the 2021 NFL Draft with nine picks and just one outside linebacker, I held onto the hope that the team would do more at the position. I wasn’t kidding myself into the lure of the draft into the belief that the Rams personnel department would be able to find potential starters on defense with just six picks (which later multiplied into nine picks).

After all, the reality is that the LA Rams lost two players who contributed to the rotation at the outside linebacker position in 2020, and there were no waves of replacements to take their place from the practice squad nor free agency.

I will let you decide how effective either OLB Samsun Ebukam (363 defensive snaps in 2020, 31 tackles, three tackles for loss, 4.5 quarterback sacks) and Derek Rivers (29 defensive snaps in 2020, one tackle, one tackle for a loss). From my perspective, I would feel safe proclaiming that Max Roberts can assume Derek Rivers’ role on defense.

Max Roberts, come on down

So what are the LA Rams getting with Maximillian Roberts?  Well, per NFL.com, he was the fourth-highest ranked undrafted outside linebacker of this draft.  Of course, Virginia’s Charles Snowden was unclaimed as well, but perhaps he did not want the laid-back LA lifestyle.

But his drawback was size. At 6-foot-1 and 256-pounds, he does not have the prototypical length sought in edge rushers. While he possesses a solid muscular form, he may be cross-trained to play either inside linebacker or defensive end to minimize his limits due to length on the edge. Of course, he could pry open a roster spot for himself just from great special teams play, and then work up to earning a spot into the edge rotation.

Even if he doesn’t quite get an invite to stay on the 53-man roster, earning a spot on the practice squad is certainly doable. And remaining with the team for a year means a year of coaching him into the specific role that the Rams coaching staff has planned for him.

Hey, he’s got a shot at the practice squad, and that helps me sleep easier at night. Much easier.