These Rams rookies are a busload of trouble for 2024 opponents

Rams defense: Part II

LB Omar Speights could be just what the team has been looking for in terms of a teammate for ILB Ernest Jones. Standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 235 pounds, Speights is a high-production tackler who started four season in the SEC, an accomplishment in its own right.

Speights is a true competitor who has the chops to step up for the Rams in 2024. While Ernest Jones has the fortitude and strength to play the enforcer at the inside linebacker position, Speights has a bit of bloodhound in him, sniffing out the play and timing his arrival to coincide with the football.

DB Josh Wallace is another undrafted rookie who played five seasons in NCAA football, the last season for the NCAA Champion Michigan Wolverines. Standing 6-foot-0 and weighing 190 pounds, he has the right size to compete for playing time instantly. Wallace specializes in zone defense, adept at picking up and passing off receivers. While not a ball-hawking corner, he scores high marks on route recognition, breakin up passes, and in avoiding biting on double fakes and playing out of position.

DB Kamren Kinchens may be one of my favorite rookies. Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 205 pounds, he has a compact muscular frame that will bode well for him in competing for a starting safety role in the secondary. His super power is his ball hawking skills, and he is incredibly effective at picking off passes. With the void of both Jordan Fuller and John Johnson III, the Rams have set up competition at the safety position to team up with hard hitting veteran Kamren Curl. Kinchens has ideal skillsets, as he is a savage defensive back who can line up in center field or in the slot.

If the Rams defense has set creating turnovers as a priority for 2024, Kinchens is the guy.

OLB Jared Verse was selected with the 19th overall pick, but was viewed on many draft big boards as the premier edge rusher in this draft. Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 250 pounds, Verse is a Day 1 starter, a dynamo of defensive energy that never fades. He has a polished array of pass-rush moves and counter moves, and the knowledge of when and how to use them.

He is consistently productive, getting to the quarterback like clockwork. He has tremendous power, making his bull rush one of his most feared pass rush moves. But he has the bend of a Gumby doll when hairpinning the corner to get to the quarterback. His athleticism is off the charts, but he does not rely on his athleticism to make plays. He simply has the ability to outhustle and outmuscle his opponent if the situation calls for it.

That's a quick look out some of the team's key rookies for 2024. Who do you see as the best contributor in 2024?

As always, thank you for reading.