3 Rams rookies who defy NFL draft analysts by beating expectations in 2024

Ah yes. time to laud the LA Rams front office over their unexpected penchant for sniffing out draft value. When the team lost personnel executive Brad Holmes to become the General Manager of the Detroit Lions, the Rams 2021 NFL Draft class seemed to regress considerably. While that raised concerns over the effectiveness of the team to assess and select rookies in future drafts, it was a false alarm.

The front office landed multiple NFL-worthy players on Day 3 of the 2022 NFL Draft. But in the 2023 and 2024 NFL Drafts, the scouting department and personnel office appeared to have a better sense of the future than the entire Sith faction from Star Wars, and even a better grasp of what would be than 1980s infomercial sensation, The Psychic Friends Network.

But with so many hot rookies on the Rams roster, it's easy to be star-struck with the first few players named in the 2024 NFL Draft by the team but gloss over the remaining group of drafted (and undrafted) rookies. So let's revisit our initial assessments of three players added to the roster, and then explore how well they've performed this season.

The Rams are one of the few teams that does not automatically pencil in rookies as either starters or rotational players. Ironically, the team is one of the few teams in the NFL that truly affords undrafted college free agents a shot at earning a roster spot and playing time on the team. The two scenarios are not mutually exclusive, and here's why.

As soon as OTA and mini-camp, the coaches not only instruct, but note the engagement of rookies. In the assessment process, it's not just who makes the plays in training camp, but who puts in the work. To make this roster, a player must show that they want to play well, not simply do so. And that eye-of-the-tiger edge is what coaches look for from the first introductions to their young players.

Such as: