5 urgent questions the Rams must answer as 2025 OTAs arrive

(3) - Can either Chris 'Pooh' Paul Jr. or Shaun Dolac dethrone Troy Reeder as a starting ILB?

The Rams have not shown much interest in the inside linebacker position, only making a serious investment in ILB Ernest Jones IV in the 2021 NFL Draft in Round 3 with the 103rd overall pick. But the Rams traded up to grab Chris 'Pooh' Paul Jr. with the 172nd overall pick in Round 5 of the 2025 NFL Draft. And yes, Paul had a significantly higher draft grade (6.18) than Jones (5.99). That's a bit ironic, don't you think?

Many draft profiles projected Chris Paul to come off the board much sooner. Some draft boards viewed Paul as a Day 2 selection and among the top-five inside linebackers up for grabs in this draft class. So, why did he fall? Well, many teams hesitate to take undersized players.

Paul stands 6-foot-0 and tips the scales at 222 pounds. That puts him in the range of rookie ILB Shaun Dolac, and returning ILBs Tony Fields and Elias Neal. But both Paul and Dolac were very productive in college. Can they make the transition to the bigger and more physical NFL?

Both Paul and Dolac are feisty linebackers who process offensive plays and formations like a supercomputer. It's that flash of instantaneous diagnoses that allows both to anticipate where to be to stop the play. Reeder tends to hesitate, allowing the offense to develop and gain three to five yards before making the play.

While neither Paul nor Dolac is as big as the former Rams ILB Christian Rozeboom, both present a much better and well-rounded ability to make plays to stuff the run and defend the pass. Of course, NFL rookies must learn and earn their way through trial and error, and Reeder has all that behind him.

Still, the pass defense upside of Paul and the overall production of Dolac are hard to ignore. And their ability to show up big in training camp is not something I would overlook. We anticipate that either Paul or Dolac could start next to Omar Speights in 2025. But if both flourish, it could be possible that Omar Speights might be relegated to a backup role this season as well.