3 biggest surprises from the initial 53-man LA Rams roster that have shocked fans

Rookies swell the defensive ranks

The LA Rams are certainly in the mood for youth on the defensive side of the football. After great success at finding talented stars in the 2023 NFL Draft to give defensive snaps to, the front office doubled down on rookies for 2024. No, I'm not kidding. The team has entrusted 10 rookies to make the team, five rookies who didn't even hear their names called out in the 2024 NFL Draft.

That's a bold move. Let's see how it plays out.

Who are the rookies on defense? NFL Insider Andrew Siciliano does the heavy lifting for us, and he lists all 10 rookie defenders on the team:

In case you need their full names and positions, they are:

• OLB Jared Verse
• DT Braden Fiske
• DB Kamren Kinchens
• OLB Brennan Jackson
• DT Tyler Davis
• ILB Omar Speights
• ILB Elias Neal
• DB Josh Wallace
• DB Charles Woods
• DB Jaylen McCullough

That is 20 percent of the team's full roster as rookies on the defensive side of the football. While some may be depth players relegated to special team roles, I suspect that more than half of these players will find themselves in a meaningful rotational role this season.

We know that the Rams defensive front will shovel plenty of snaps to Verse, Fiske, Jackson, and Davis this season. And much like the combination of Kobie Turner and Byron Young in 2023, the combination of Jared Verse and Braden Fiske can become devastatingly effective for the Rams this season. Not only does the coaching staff have a better handle on grooming rookies to excel in Year 1, but Verse/Fiske arrived with preset chemistry from having been teammates with the Florida State Seminoles. I think they will come out of the gates with a fury seldom seen in the NFL.