LA Rams may have no choice but to keep these 6 rising D stars

The name of the game for the players whose NFL career fate remains uncertain is to get ready, get available, get good snaps, and get noticed. It starts at OTAs, continues through training camp, and should peak with any and all opportunities that happen during preseason games.

It’s an audition folks. That fact of the matter that whittling a roster that starts at 90 and ends up at 53 is a roster with a 58.9 percent success rate.  Well, that’s being optimistic, because there are likely 35 positions that have been claimed by returning veterans long before any competition began. The true chances for a rookie on the LA Rams roster for making it to the 53-man final roster are just shy of 33 percent. One in three will survive. Two of three will not.

And so, each player who is uncertain about their own individual fate plays preseason games to a much larger audience. It’s an open casting call for all 32 teams, and any play during preseason quickly becomes video footage to be reviewed by NFL personnel departments across the league. The day of the massive roster reduction is less than one week away now. And for many, their final preseason game is a chance to hold that audition for other teams.

Some decisions will be easy. Other decisions will be difficult. NFL careers are at stake and the professionals in the LA Rams personnel office must not only make their choices about the hard data that they were provided during the draft process, the notes and measurements by their own strength and conditioning folks, the notes and comments by their positional coaches, but ultimately on the magic-8 ball interpretation of their future and fit with the LA Rams organization.

It is to that goal that the player has a solid say in how others view their potential. There are criteria that the pros use to gauge a young player’s future, and it includes the display of steady positive development. It can start from anywhere, from well-coached and polished performing rookies to the incredibly raw but eager newcomers.  In any case, the common thread is the ability to deliver when the opportunity shows up, and impress with the right signs during training camp and in drills.

Of course, there is the hope that any of the special players who simply cannot make the roster due to the numbers game will clear waivers and be signed to the team’s 16-man practice squad. I wouldn’t count on that just yet. The Rams have abundant talent that may not make their roster, but who could claim a spot on the rotation of other NFL teams. So who are the top risers of the LA Rams? Well, let’s investigate six such prospects whose stock is rising rapidly.