It's not even training camp, but 6 Rams rookies are ready to flip the switch

The Los Angeles Rams entered the 2025 NFL Draft armed with eight draft picks and emerged with six rookies. Complicating matters even further, the team entered the draft with one pick on Day 1, two picks on Day 2, and five picks on Day 3, and emerged with no rookies selected on Day 1, two rookies selected on Day 2, and four rookies selected on Day 3.

You needn't puzzle and ponder for very long to realize why some Rams fans were a bit underwhelmed by the entire experience. At a minimum, fans expected the team to continue the successful streak of finding as many as three true starters in the draft, and perhaps just as many key rotational players. But even from the perspective of Rams GM Les Snead, the team did not hit any home runs in the 2025 NFL Draft.

This was a draft that aimed for incremental roster upgrades everywhere. Unlike the Rams' 2024 NFL Draft that packaged OLB Jared Verse and DT Braden Fiske as instant plug-and-play starters for a Rams defensive front in need of instant contributors, the 2025 NFL Draft was more about improving the depth and talent of the overall team.

Still, perhaps some Rams fans are trying to shake off that general malaise that they felt after the draft. Yes, the Rams added what could prove to be a very valuable pick in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft. But eight picks translated into just six players.

The Rams draft breakdown by Heavy Hitters is worth checking out. It begins with a 46:05, and will arm you with a solid background of all newly added rookies. I'll let you check out the video, and I'll meet you on the other side.

To get into this, let's revisit the Rams' draft class. The Rams selected six players, but did so with a deliberate and calculated strategy. Unlike a shotgun blast rookie class, one that resembles a team slinging a bunch of picks at a draft and hoping someone stands out. The team made every pick in the draft seem like it intended to add that specific player to fit a niche role player to a specific roster need.

So who did the Rams select? They chose:

• DAY 2 PICKS
• Round 2 (46th overall) - TE Terrance Ferguson
• Round 3 (90th overall) - OLB Josaiah Stewart
• DAY 3 PICKS
• Round 4 (117th overall) - RB Jaquez Hunter
• Round 5 (148th overall) - DT Ty Hamilton
• Round 5 (172nd overall) - ILB Chris Paul Jr.
• Round 7 (242nd overall) - WR Konata Mumpfield

OLB Josaiah Stewart - #41

Okay, building a crescendo of fan excitement is always a worthy goal, but it has to start somewhere. Keeping that in mind, let's open this discussion with one of the more exciting players who will factor into the Rams' 2025 season. The Rams needed to replace blue-collar contributor Michael Hoecht and added a thoroughbred racehorse pass rusher.

Rookie OLB Josaiah Stewart stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 249 pounds, a height and weight that simply do not jump off the page as a dominating pass rusher. And we know that the Rams are bringing back veterans Brennan Jackson, Nick Hampton, and Keir Thomas, so how realistic is it to expect Stewart to make an impact in his rookie season?

His odds are very good.

OLB Josaiah Stewart transferred from Coastal Carolina to the University of Michigan, but continued to develop as a run stopper, pass defender, and pass rusher. He may not have the size that allows him to handle every down-and-distance scenario, but he is a pass-rush specialist who will be in a foot race to bring down the quarterback with OLB Jared Verse. And with other players drawing obvious double teams, Stewart is the ideal counter to that.

Projected as early as an early Round 2 prospect, the fact that he was still on the draft board late in Round 3 was very fortuitous for the Rams. Stewart would have been a value pick in Round 2, but getting him late in Round 3 proves that Rams GM Les Snead is as gifted in draft day choreography as Arthur Murray is at choreography on the dance floor.

So what else should fans know about Josaiah Stewart?

What I love about Stewart is the fact that he is a completely different type of pass rusher. OLB Michael Hoecht won off the edge by wearing down his blocker throughout the game, if not out of will power, then by a battle of endurance. Stewart wins by speed and agility. So, from a defensive back perspective, Josaiah Stewart makes their job easier as he gives opposing quarterbacks much less time to throw the football.

I doubt that we will see Josaiah Stewart compete in preseason. But when he lines up to rush the quarterback, bring your stopwatch. He is fast and effective. And that is a dangerous combination in this Rams defensive front.