3 sleepers from Rams rookie class who could steal a roster spot

III: LSU LB Omar Speights

The LA Rams may not have invested in many inside linebackers, but the team certainly wanted to add LSU inside linebacker Omar Speights after the draft. How do I know this? Well, the team added a $9,000 signing bonus to the offer, per NFL Insider Tom Pelissero. Those signing bonuses are relatively rare for the team to doll out after the draft. So why is the team so motivated to add Speights to the team?

Speights is a versatile linebacker who is solid as an all-around defender but flashes the potential to be very good in coverage at the position. Standing 6-foot-0 and weighing 229 pounds, he has a bit of a size disadvantage in terms of taking on and shedding determined offensive linemen.

What I do like about Speights is the fact that he is a solid compliment to starting ILB Ernest Jones, and could be an ideal partner over the middle. Jones is a physical thumper, a guy who lowers the boom on anyone in the area with the football.

While Speights can make those tackles as well, he has a solid perception of where the play is going and is seldom out of position. He is a sure-handed tackler.

The Rams continue to struggle to find the right player to pair up with Ernest Jones. Troy Reeder can make plays, but is often out of position to make them. Christian Rozeboom is a bit better at being in position, but he struggles to consistently make playes. Perhaps Omar Speights can do both.