LA Rams: Landen Akers, Jeremiah Haydel out to beat the odds

Okay, so who is that Haydel guy?

For Texas State Bobcats’  wide receiver Jeremiah Haydel, the path to the LA Rams roster appears to be the special teams’ route as well. After all, the 6-foot-0 170-pound undrafted free agent rookie caught the eye of the LA Rams because he was so proficient on special teams.

Ideally, the Rams would love to get a guy on the roster who exhibits blazing speed and athleticism in special teams, but who is strong enough in either offense or defense to emerge as a competent backup player as well. That means that even if Haydel is the hands-down best return specialist on the team, there are no guarantees that he will make the team.  That kinda sucks, doesn’t it? Well, before you write off Jeremiah Haydel too quickly, let’s take a peek at what he can do on punt returns:

That is just one of two return touchdowns by this young man. As a receiver, he flashed some highlight reel acrobatics as well. While his 40-yard dash time is a less impressive 4.83-seconds, his football speed appears to be faster, and he makes incredible use of his blockers in navigating huge returns.

Of course, he is just as productive in coverage play, as his ability to juke and weave often results in his being untouched as he races downfield to arrive at the same time as the football.

Why should you learn this player’s name? The LA Rams want to get better on special teams and Haydell is certainly capable of delivering both on return and coverage teams. Special teams have hampered the Rams’ success in recent years as the team has allowed the performance to slip to the bottom third of the NFL.

How can he realistically make the Rams’ roster?  He has the chance if he can take one to the house on either kickoffs or punt returns. His chances are also ridiculously dependant upon good to great showings in multiple preseason games.  He has that certain something in his return game that, if it follows him into the NFL – could be fun to watch and could at least carry him onto a practice squad roster spot.

What are his chances? Low. He is a 6-foot-0 170-pound receiver without blinding speed. If he isn’t on the highlight reel for exemplary special teams play in two Rams preseason games, he likely won’t be on the roster on opening day.

The LA Rams are out to improve on special teams, and both Landen Akers and Jeremiah Haydel could assist the team in turning it around this year. Of course, to do so, both will need to show great promise on their special teams’ playmaking abilities and may need to show up with promising upside on the offense as well.  While they may be able to find ample opportunity on special teams, they are going to find some tough sledding on offense as they are already buried under ten other receivers on the depth chart.

The odds are indeed stacked against them. But both Landen Akers and Jeremiah Haydel are out to beat the odds