Here's why LA Rams UDFA rookie WR JJ Laap has a chance of making the roster

If you want to know why the LA Rams drafted just one wide receiver in the 2024 NFL Draft, well I don't have a direct answer for you. One simple explanation is that the team had a lot of positions on the roster to address, and the team felt comfortable enough with the returning veterans to turn their attention elsewhere. Perhaps another explanation is even simpler. Could this be an example of the basic fundamental rule of economics, the law of supply versus demand?

It's tough to anticipate exactly how the Rams front office views the quality and quantity of various positional groups in each rookie class. But when the overall NFL draft analysts sized up the receiver group in the 2024 rookie class, the consensus was unanimous: The receiver class in 2024 are both talented and very deep.

So deep that the Rams scouting department found a potential NFL caliber player in upstate New York, a wide receiver who helped get the SUNY Courtland Red Dragons a Division III Championship, WR J.J. Laap:

Spectrum local news sports writer Jesse MacWilliam caught up to Suny Cortland's WRs J.J. Laap and Cole Burgess as they prepared themselves for the 2024 NFL Draft and what might come afterward. They were two upstate New York Division III football players who helped carry their team to the pinnacle of success, the NCAA Division III National Championship game. Now, they hope to leverage that success to pry open the door to an NFL career.

In the case of SUNY Courtland WR J.J. Laap, that opening has arrived.

"I really believe that you get what you give. And I have given a lot to this and I am ready to keep on working. And if you are another Division III player and you have these dreams to keep working hard and keep pursuing it, you never know."

J.J. Laap

So what about Laap intrigues the Rams to sign him? Well, he stands 6-foot-0 and weighs 187 pounds. He is a productive offensive weapon who can pile up the yards in a football game very quickly. And by the look of his highlights, I can certainly see why the Rams want to sign him and take a close look at him.

J.J. Laap has an uphill battle to make this roster. But he has the passion, production, and prowess to do so, and his 2023 numbers bear that out. In 2023, he caught 70 passes for 1,291 yards and 14 touchdowns. In a 2023 contest against Susquehanna, he caught five passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns.

In four seasons with the Courtland Red Dragons, J.J. Laap recorded 167 receptions, 3,125 yards, and 32 touchdowns. He finished his Pro Day with a 4.56-second 40-yard dash time

While he will need an incredible training camp to make the grade, there is enough flash of talent to have a possibility of a larger role on this team. Stay tuned.