LA Rams Draft: Impossible athleticism yields extraordinary results

With the 212th pick

…of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams have selected Jeffrey Gunter, an outside linebacker from Coastal Carolina.

The LA Rams will not hesitate to draft a young prospect from a smaller school, particularly if that player fills a positional need on the roster, and is highly regarded in the draft. As had been the case for the 2021 NFL Draft, his athleticism is nearly off the charts, as he brings a relatively raw and blank slate to his NFL coaching staff, begging them to mold him into an NFL star player.

Lining him up to All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald is an excellent start to that campaign for NFL fame.

Now, this isn’t saying that he doesn’t know what he’s doing off the edge. In fact, the 6-foot-4 248-pound outside linebacker is pretty gifted and can line up in a two-point, three-point, wide-9, and more. He has the right frame to add a bit of muscle mass if needed to handle the increasing physicality of setting the edge in the NFL.

He is not fast on long distances, but there is a difference between quick and fast, and Gunter is very very quick. He has that twitchiness that defensive coordinators covet in their pass rushers, and Gunter has amazing burst out of the blocks and into his first few steps and moves to align his sights at getting to the quarterback. His athleticism may attract attention from NFL teams, but they have typically shied away from small school raw projects in the past.

The LA Rams do not, and they could scoop up another valuable prospect to develop into a significant NFL starter down the road.