Rams’ undrafted free agent shines in first NFL action

It’s been an uphill climb for Shaun Dolac to the NFL. Despite being an All-American selection during the 2024 season, Dolac did not receive an invite to the NFL Combine and subsequently, went undrafted. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams after the draft and his path to the 53-man roster seemed very slim.

But Dolac shined in the preseason and eventually earned a spot on the team. He was a special teams-only player in the first five weeks of the season, but finally got his shot in Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens.

And to no one’s surprise, Dolac performed better than anyone could have expected.

Shaun Dolac was dominant in Rams' Week 6 win

In a recent article by Pro Football Focus, they named their all-rookie team coming out of Week 6, and that included Dolac.

Here is what the site had to say about the former 2024 MAC Defensive Player of the Year against the Ravens:

"It took until Week 6, but we finally have a Rookie of the Week list that doesn’t feature Jihaad Campbell. This game against the Ravens was actually Dolac’s first seeing any defensive snaps, as he was exclusively a special teamer up until this point — but what a debut it was. The undrafted rookie out of Buffalo was at his best stopping the run, recording two stops and an 81.4 grade in that field."

Dolac is undersized for an every-down linebacker, but he’s a good athlete and has no problem throwing his body around. He was a tackle machine for Buffalo, and that continued in his first NFL action on defense. He’s got great football instincts and somehow always seems to be in the right place at the right time.

There are some concerns about how he might hold up in coverage against better quarterbacks, but those are issues for another day. After some great work on special teams and an excellent performance on defense in Week 6, he’s earned more opportunities for the Rams moving forward.

Time will tell what Dolac’s role will eventually be in this defense, but he’s going to make it hard for the coaches to pull him off the field.

And for an undrafted rookie free agent, he’s already exceeding expectations by leaps and bounds, which is nothing new for him.