New Rams interest in under-the-radar rookie prospect seems insane, but it's not

Do you truly believe that the arrival of Special Teams Coordinator Bubba Ventrone and assistant ST coach Kyle Hoke was all that was needed to fix the woes of one of the weakest squads in the NFL in 2025? It's going to take lots more than changing the name plates in a couple of Los Angeles Rams coaches' offices to fix that chaos.

Thankfully, it seems that LA is prepared to do the work.

The team is keeping punter Ethan Evans. General manager Les Snead extended kicker Harrison Mevis. He even acted swiftly to sign veteran long snapper Joe Cardona. While every action checks the boxes for stabilizing special teams for 2026, none can be viewed as certain to improve its performance.

But that may be changing.

Los Angeles is not in the habit of announcing formal meetings with rookie prospects. But Ramblin Fan has been scanning social media to uncover which positions and prospects the team has shown an interest in. Now, we've learned that the team has had formal meetings with Iowa kicker Drew Stevens.

That may seem insane until you pause and ponder.

Why Drew Stevens could be a huge upgrade for Los Angeles Rams

Kicker Harrison Mevis was an emergency fill-in on the LA Rams roster last season. As former kicker Josh Karty diminished in his placekicker role last season, the available options for a true plug-and-play kicker to replace him were extremely limited. Snead hit a home run by signing UFL star kicker Harrison Mevis.

Mevis missed just one field goal all season.

But he was compelled to succeed. There was no competition, no other course of action. And for new coordinator Bubba Ventrone, that is not an ideal situation to assume for his first year at the helm of special teams. Ideally, he should get his guys in key positions. At the least, he needs to infuse competition that he can sign off on.

Rookie kicker Drew Stevens would elevate training camp competition to the next level.

Stevens is a superb kicker, one of college football's best. And as is the case in every draft, kickers are commonly signed after the draft concludes. It's a shrewd strategy to infuse competition at the position for training camp. Mevis performed well, but as LA fans have learned, kickers can fade quickly.

Stevens brings passion and raw energy to a critical position. He may not win the job, but his presence throughout training camp ensures the team improves. That is why Les Snead remains crazy, like a fox.

As always, thanks for reading.