4 LA Rams rookies entering 2023 NFL season with a chip on their shoulder

There are many reasons to motivate an NFL player, but what will motivate the LA Rams players in a 2023 NFL season filled with uncertainty? While there is plenty of bravado in the offseason, the realistic expectations for a Rams roster that is composed primarily of rookies right now cannot be as high as that of previous seasons.

Goals? Of course. The goal for each and every NFL season should be to win the upcoming NFL Champiohship Game. But if the Rams fall short of that goal in the 2023 NFL season, nobody will be fired, no coach's job is in peril, nobody is sitting on a hot seat or competing on the bubble (well, not until the Rams roster must be pared down to 53 players.

And so, for the first time since the LA Rams hired Sean McVay to be the head coach of the LA Rams, this team is likely to be heavily dependent upon rookies, or at the very least, young and inexperienced players, to make up the roster, and perhaps a significant portion of the Rams starters as well. That's very new for the Rams, simply because the team has seldom handed out significant playing time to first-year players.

Money matters to Rams roster

But the finances of the 2023 NFL season have forced these Rams to adapt a new strategy. It's not that the Rams want to play young players. Rather, this team needs to optimize inexpensive players this season, and it is that fact that has rendered the Rams roster a land of promise for young NFL talent to make their mark and embark on a full NFL career.

While blessed for the opportunity, it has not exactly been a yellow-brick road leading to the magical Land of Oz for the Rams young arrivals. In many cases, thanks to the spot where the LA Rams selected them in the course of the 2023 NFL Draft, they had to sit patiently while less talented rookies were selected. And with each selection made that did not result in their arrival to the NFL, their salary fell a little bit more, to the point where the Rams could afford to add them to their salary.

Table of Contents:

1. Player I: QB Stetson Bennett
2. Player II: Edge Byron Young
3. Player III: DB Tre Tomlinson
4. Player IV: RB Zach Evans

That all stirs the pot a bit for young men, adding another log of incentive to the raging fires of competitiveness already burning in their souls. So who might be experiencing an extra jolt of falling too far in the 2023 NFL Draft? Here are four rookies who have every right to enter the 2023 NFL season on the LA Rams roster with a chip on their shoulder:

Player IV: RB Zach Evans

Despite being recognized as the third-best rookie running back prospect on the 2023 NFL Draft board, Ole Miss running back Zach Evans had to patiently wait until late on Day 3 to get the call from the LA Rams to confirm that they would be selecting him with the 215th overall pick. That is quite a long wait, and Evans had plenty of time to ponder his strategy when he arrived in the NFL.

While he is not exactly an oversized powerhouse, there is no denying that the 5-foot-11 202-pound running back out of Ole Miss knows what to do with the football in his hands, and how to get it there on passing plays. He competed for TCU for two seasons, then transferred to play one more season for Ole Miss. Through it all, Zach Evans continued to make the most of his opportunities, delivering explosive bursts from the backfield no matter which team he played for.

What NFL team doesn't have room for a running back who averages 6.9 yards per rush, and a rushing touchdown at a rate of 6.2 percent of his carries? Apparently none but the LA Rams, because Evans sait on the board through 2.5 days of the 2023 NFL Draft before he was selected with the 215th pick. Were there reasons he fell? Perhaps. He did suffer several injuries in college, but none are believed to impact his play nor to be repeat concerns at the next level.

Peeved off enough to realize his full potential

What are we so excited about? Just check out this video of his Ole Miss highlights:

He was cited in one draft profile with concerns about his ability to keep a handle on the football. But the most likely reason is that running backs are not the flavor of the day in terms of NFL offensive strategy, and Evans's draft stock likely fell because the demand for the position is at a nadir in terms of NFL trends are concerned.

So why did the LA Rams add a lower-value position during a draft where RB seemed to be a much lower priority than other players who were still on the board? The truth is that Zach Evans is an exciting offensive weapon who displays tremendous versatility. That value to upgrade the Rams roster by adding Zach Evans was more than just a 2023 NFL season need. He is a larger and far more versatile RB (by draft profile) than the Rams added in Kyren Williams or Ronnie Rivers, and he could be in line to take over for feature running back Cam Akers if the Rams are not interested in extending Akers.

I really like Zach Evans. He does not flash any superhuman athleticism, but rather has the ironclad mindset to bring it on each and every play. He has the potential to fit the LA Rams offense like a glove, and he arrives late enough in the draft to realize that potential in this offense.

Player III: DB Tre Tomlinson

Ranked as the 20th best cornerback in the 2023 NFL Draft, defensive back Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson (a.k.a. Tre Tomlinson) waited until Round 6 at the 182nd pick of 2023 NFL Draft to hear his name called by the LA Rams. That's a bit of a wait for someone who was prepared to hear his name called out on Day 2.

Let's cut right to the chase. Tre Tomlinson is not what all NFL general managers are looking for in a cornerback. He stands 5-foot-8 and weighs in at 178 pounds. If he was 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, he would have been a Top 10 rookie selection for sure. The LA Rams were not discouraged by his lack of height, as they had ample experience with 5-foot-9 187-pound cornerback, Darious Williams, and that experience was very positive.

Tomlinson has every right to arrive to the NFL with a chip on his shoulder. He was lauded throughout his NCAA football career, and showed more than production on the football field. He was a tremendous competitor, one of those standout players whose very passion and fire fuels the performance of the guys playing around him:

He gets the game of football, as he is the nephew of TCU football legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer running back LaDainian Tomlinson. As such, he arrives to the NFL without the traditional wide-eyes of a rookie. He knows how the sport works, and how to prepare to compete for playing time right out of the gates.

The fact is that the LA Rams need Tre Tomlinson to step up right out of the gates, and I think that he will. The Rams reunited with defensive backs coach Aubrey Pleasant, and Pleasant was instrumental in optimizing the production of Darious Williams when they were together in the Rams' secondary. In fact, some have attributed Williams' regression in 2021 to the loss of his DB coach. Tre Tomlinson has a passionate coach who wants the best out of his players, and Tre Tomlinson is good enough to deliver. Keep an eye on him, as he could shock a few in his rookie season.

Player II: Edge Byron Young

The depth at outside linebacker in the 2023 NFL Draft class was incredible. This was such a deep and talented rookie class, that three of the Top 20 prospects did not even hear their names called out during the NFL Draft. That was not due to the fact that those rookies were overestimated. It was simply the fact that the number of players from this draft class was so plentiful that NFL teams gorged themselves on young edge rushers until their rosters were full. Thankfully, Tennessee edge rusher Byron Young was one of the prospects who heard his name called on Day 2.

But the reason for Young to arrive in the NFL really has nothing to do with when he was selected. Rather, it was the path to the NFL that has given Byron Young a unique perspective to it all: From manager at Dollar General to a projected starting pass rusher for the LA Rams defense, outside linebacker Byron Young has the feel of a young man who is going to make the most out of this opportunity.

Day 1 starter

Some say that you don't know what you have until you've lost it. I say the opposite can be true as well. That is, you don't know what you are missing until you have it. Byron Young is one of those type of rookie prospects, He is 25 years old, which had the effect of discouraging some teams from taking him. But he is a hard-nosed incredibly athletic young man who is cherishing every moment of this NFL journey, and as such you can look for incredible attention to detail.

Some believe that the LA Rams have an outside linebacker room filled with pass rushers at the cost of all other roles necessary to make an effective three-down outside linebacker. I would argue that while he is a bit light in NCAA experience, Volunteers' Byron Young has the instincts to be very good in the NFL. He loves to tackle, and as such he finds a way to find the football. While raw, he is incredibly coachable, and quickly applies lessons learned to on-field production.

In 23 college games over his two year NCAA career, Young put up 83 tackles, 23.5 tackles for a loss, 12.5 quarterback sacks, defended two passes and hauled in one interception. At 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, he is not the tallest nor longest limbed pass rusher in the NFL. But Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher Brandon Graham has enjoyed a long and successful NFL career, and he stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 265 pounds.

Not everyone will agree with this glowing and optimistic outlook for Young, and that's okay. Even the LA Rams hedged their bets on Young by adding OLB Nick Hampton (the 18th-ranked OLB) with the 161st overall pick and then doubled down once more to select OLB Ochaun Mathis (the 24th-ranked OLB) with the 189th overall pick. The Rams will find at least one starter from that group. My money is on Byron Young. He may be more mature, but this is a journey that he will enjoy more than anyone. That gives him an unshakeable edge to landing the edge role on the Rams roster.

Player I: QB Stetson Bennett

Few 2023 NFL rookies are as polarizing as former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett. That in turn has led to some passionate and sometimes rapid-fire discussions about the Rams' decision to select him with the 128th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Some fans believe the selection was made too early, while others believe that the selection of a quarterback before Round 7 was a wasted pick. But NFL GMs liked rookie quarterbacks on their draft boards, as eight quarterbacks came off the board late in Round 4 through Round 5.

Not many NCAA quarterbacks have matched the performance of Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett. While Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 204 pounds) was selected with the first overall pick, the two time national champion Bulldogs quarterback Stetson Bennett, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 192 pounds, and who defeated Young's Crimson Tide to win the 2021 NCAA National Championship, waited to hear his name called out in Round 4 with the 128th overall pick by the LA Rams.

Let's restate that. The two-time NCAA National Champion quarterback Stetson Bennett was the seventh quarterback selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Here are two items cited in his draft profile that are particularly encouraging:

1. "He’s rarely sacked and has the mobility to do damage outside of the pocket" - per NFL Analyst Lance Zerlein at NFL.com
2. "Sees the field very well when the play breaks down and has the quick-thinking and football IQ to change plays at the line. Sprays the ball anywhere on the field, especially when given a pocket from which to deliver. Will step up into the pocket while looking downfield, reset his feet and deliver" - Per NFL Draft Buzz

Much more than a game manager

Some NFL draft analysts had lazily labeled Bennett as a 'game manager,' which is the category given to a quarterback who does not impact the outcome of a game directly, but rather one whose sole purpose is to avoid turnovers, hand off the ball, and make the occasional forward pass to move the chains and keep the offense on the football field.

The pressure to succeed at the NFL level at the quarterback position is incredible, and as such NFL general managers are prone to be ultra-conservative when selecting an NFL prospect to compete for an NFL starting quarterback role some day. Too many recall that Cleveland Brown experiment of selecting risky rookie Johnny Manziel, and the disaster that soon followed afterward.

While Stetson Bennett has his own set of off-field issues to overcome in the NFL, the situation is entirely different for Bennett. Bennett arrives to an NFL team with an offensively gifted head coach and a starting veteran quarterback from his Alma Mater. He is not expected to start in 2023, and likely not in 2024 either, so the pressure is off in terms of instant production. But best of all, Stetson Bennett shines best in the brightest spotlights, and there will be no brighter lights in the NFL than those shining in Los Angeles, California.

While some rookie additions to the Rams roster may see playing time instantly, others may need a year or two to make much of an impact on the Rams roster. But the Rams have their 14 drafted rookies for the next four years, or for as long as they deserve a sot on the Rams roster. That has a tremendous impact on the financial health of the Rams entire organization.