LA Rams: Are Jackson, Pircher, and Meredith unsung heroes of 2021 Draft?

UDFAs shall lead

So two starters, both critical positions, and three reserve positions, all vacated in one offseason. How will the Rams fill those vacancies with only a fraction of their players next season? And even more importantly, who is calling the shots? The sequential order of the offensive line roster in terms of expiring contracts right now is nothing short of horrific.

But there is one path of some sanity. What if the players signed as UDFAs after the 2021 NFL Draft are more than just camp bodies? I know that this sound rather naive and unlikely, but over the course of the current roster depth, the LA Rams have three viable options: Draft a busload of plug-n-play replacements in the 2022 NFL Draft; Find the money to re-sign current players or attract new free agents to the team next year; Or, develop and promote from within.

The LA Rams have been one of the best NFL teams at developing and promoting from within. So let’s take a look at what that could mean next year?

Position                            Starter                                 Backup
Left tackle                        Tremayne Anchrum          AJ Jackson
Left guard                         Bobby Evans                      Jamil Demby
Center                                Jordan Meredith                TBD
Right guard                      David Edwards                  TBD
Right tackle                      Rob Havenstein                Max Pircher

Practice squad:

Of course, the mix and match of where players will start in 2022 will likely shift a bit. After all, Bobby Evans and David Edwards are offensive tackles who turned inwards. If the Rams need an offensive left tackle in 2022, it’s possible that either one will bounce outside, and move the shorter Anchrum into an interior offensive lineman role.

Still, it’s quite clear that the 2022 depth chart, as it stands now, is very much dependant upon the LA Rams’ ability to coach up and develop their three undrafted additions to the roster this year: AJ Jackson, Jordan Meredith, and Max Pircher. We’ll explore each rookie at length in future articles. But for now, it appears that the LA Rams are banking on three undrafted free agents to come through for them in 2022. And counting on new offensive line coach Kevin Carberry to get them there.