There is a mountain of fight and confidence in Rams 5-foot-10 IOL Willie Lampkin

While the Los Angeles Rams are rather secure with offensive linemen, there is always room for more. To that end, the Rams have signed undrafted interior offensive lineman Willie Lampkin. While you may think that undrafted limits Lampkin's chances with the Rams football team, you may want to rethink that conclusion. The Rams boast starting left tackle Alaric Jackson, who is an undrafted signing in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Despite not hearing his name called out in the draft, Jackson was still projected as a Day 3 rookie prospect. He has exceeded all expectations, firmly anchoring the left side of the Rams' offensive line for the past two seasons.

If draft grades are comparable, then undrafted North Carolina interior offensive lineman Willie Lampkin has a real chance of competing in the NFL. Alaric Jackson's draft profile grade was 5.84, while Lampkin's is 6.00. And yes, Lampkin was projected to be drafted on Day 3 as well. The thing is, no NFL team viewed the investment of a draft pick into a 5-foot-10, 270-pound interior offensive lineman as a smart investment.

But with every opportunity, every test, and in every competition, North Carolina proved that he was more than capable of holding his own. He competed in the Reese Senior Bowl

Limited in height and weight, Willie Lampkin has better than expected wingspan, an incredibly low center of gravity, natural leverage, and a ferocity that keeps him engaged long after other players surrender. He shows up in video footage of his reps from Senior Bowl practice week, and his draft profile reads like a Round 1 prospect. He fell out of the draft because nobody takes a guy who stands 5-foot-10 seriously as an NFL offensive lineman.

Except the Rams, that is:

But even if given the opportunity, does Lampkin truly have a chance to make the roster? While we know that the Rams' starting offensive line is set, the interior offensive line lost several key backups in and after 2024, including Logan Bruss, Jonah Jackson, and Zachary Thomas. The Rams did sign former starting center Coleman Shelton. But only Justin Dedich and Beaux Limmer have experience playing in the interior this year as 2024 backups. That means competition is wide open for Conor McDermott, and rookies Wyatt Bowles, Ben Dooley, and Willie Lampkin.

If the competition were only based on passion and determination, Willie Lampkin would win, hands down.

There is a mountain of fight and confidence in Rams 5-foot-10 IOL Willie Lampkin. The question is, will that be enough when the pads go on and contact in the trenches gets real? I don't know. I can say that the Rams' defensive front is smaller, swifter, and more agile than a normal defensive front, which could prove to be an advantage to the more agile Willie Lampkin in training camp.

Keep in mind that Poona Ford is just 5-foot-11, and is very successful as an NFL nose tackle. Much like Ford, Lampkin is competitive because he boasts longer than expected wingspan.

The Rams have several opportunities open for competition in training camp this season. Willie Lampkin is absolutely in the running.

As always, thanks for reading.

Here are other Rams draft articles you may enjoy reading