5 LA Rams UDFAs who can make Rams roster in 2021

OLB Roberts

The Rams will certainly give a long and close look at former Boston College OLB Max Roberts. Yes, he is up against some of the most talented players on the team. Yes, he is competing for one of the most challenging yet rewarding positions to play in the NFL. That unto itself makes it a critical position for the LA Rams defense to get right.

Los Angeles Rams

And yet, he has two abilities that are rare for the LA Rams to possess at that spot: Durability and Availability.  Those are two traits that could prove to be huge as the LA Rams sort through their prospects in setting up for the 2021 NFL season.  And right now, 6-foot-1 256-pound outside linebacker Max Roberts can deliver both.

Roberts is to the outside linebacker position as Aaron Donald is to the interior defensive lineman position to some extent. He is a smaller but more powerful version of the prototypical NFL standard player. He has an amazing ability to burst in on the quarterback or the ball carrier from an unexpected direction, as he is quicker on the field than he appears.

That will help him on the LA Rams defense, but it didn’t help him attract much in the way of interest from NFL teams. That’s just fine because the Rams have some expertise in mentoring players to use their leverage and above-average power to make a difference.  As long as he is on the line of scrimmage, he can find ways to get to the football.

He played defensive line in college at the University of Maine for one year, and then transferred to Boston College in 2020. In one season for the Eagles of Boston College, he played eight games, put up 22 tackles, and 4.5 quarterback sacks. That may not jump out of the page, but he is a mini-powerhouse and could prove to be a solid player in the right circumstances. And yes, the LA Rams will need healthy options if players at outside linebacker come up limping in training camp.