LA Rams sign UDFA RB rookie Otis Anderson

The LA Rams roster for 2021 is 90 plus one. 90 because each NFL team is allotted 90 players on their roster to enter training camp. Plus one because the LA Rams have added Italian offensive lineman Max Pircher, as part of the International Player Pathway Program. Until yesterday, the LA Rams have been operating with 90 players.  On Tuesday, June 23, 2021, the Rams added their last player, a running back out of UCF who plays running back named Otis Anderson.

If you were looking for a big-bodied bruiser who can pick up where veteran Malcolm Brown left off, you will be sorely disappointed. Otis Anderson is not the player who lines up to push through the pile for short yardage.

Instead, the 5-foot-11 174-pound versatile running back from the University of Central Florida (UCF) brings the ability to threaten from the backfield or wide, both as a rusher and as a receiver, and boosts the LA Rams athleticism once more. He was given a 2021 draft grade of 5.60 in his NFL Draft profile.  Of course, he was a gifted punt returner, returning 39 punts for an average of 12.3 yards per return. He also rushed for 2,182 yards and 17 touchdowns. Meanwhile, he piled on another 1,025 yards and nine touchdowns through the air.

Los Angeles Rams

He boasts a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, another player who possesses eyebrow-raising speed. His UCF running backs coach Anthony Tucker called him a lunch-bucket player. That is a player who keeps his nose to the grindstone and works each drill to completion. With his speed and versatility, he adds to the rapidly increasing number of players who can take the top off defenses. To be fair, he is very similar in body frame and speed to veteran DeSean Jackson.  He is just .06 seconds off the mark of rookie WR Tutu Atwell.

Rather than diversify the roster, the Rams appear to be quite focused upon adding speed, athleticism, and diversity to the roster with players who can contribute quickly to special teams, and eventually add to the offense or defense.  Not only does Otis Anderson become the sixth running back on the Rams roster, but he also adds immediate competition to the wide receiver group. Will he compete directly with Tutu Atwell for the starting role of punt returner?

He feels like somebody who is joining the Rams, not as a camp body, but as a player who possesses desired traits for this roster. Now, it’s simply a matter of seeing what he can do.