These 7 Rams players are ready to shake up the depth chart at OTAs

The Los Angeles Rams OTAs enter Phase 3 this week, and fans are eager to get early glimpses of who is already starting to drop jaws. The team released this photographic kaleidoscope of snippets to whet everyone's appetite. And it's not just veterans who appear in the video montage. There is a healthy collection of images of rookies as well.

And they looked ready to shake up the Rams depth chart.

Hey, it's early. And the true Rice Krispies test in NFL training camp of snap, crackle, and pop will not be known until the football pads go on. And that is the ultimate litmus test. But even as new players join familiar faces, there is a matter of agility, speed, and foundational athleticism that is instantly placed on display.

OTAs are just the first phase of players reintegration into the new season. So what happens at OTAs?

• First Day: April 21- DONE
• OTA Offseason Workouts: May 27-28, May 30, June 2-3, June 5, June 9-10, June 12
• Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18

The description of what the team takes on is spelled out in detail on the team's official website.

Phase I - The first two weeks of the program with activities limited to meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation only.

Phase 2 - The next three weeks of the program. On-field workouts may include individual or group instruction and drills, including "perfect play drills," and drills and plays with offensive players lining up across from offensive players and defensive players lining up across from defensive players, conducted at a walk-through pace. No live contact or team offense vs. team defense drills are allowed.

Phase 3 -  The next four weeks of the program. Teams may conduct a total of 10 days of organized team practice activity, or "OTAs." No live contact is allowed, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.

Ty Hamilton, Rams interior defensive lineman - #57

The Rams' interior defensive line is certainly open for contributors. Even after the team added veteran NT Poona Ford and welcomed Larrell Murchison back to health, the team may be tempted to rely rather extensively on veteran Kobie Turner and rookie Braden Fiske to take on much of the heavy lifting. That is despite the team's rapid rotation of players who stick a hand in the dirt.

The Rams have leaned a bit toward smaller, more agile, quicker defensive linemen, and the addition of rookie defensive lineman Ty Hamilton continues that trend. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 299 pounds, Hamilton brings much of the same skill set that Kobie Turner used to wow Rams fans and the NFL in his rookie season in 2023.

The Rams see Hamilton as a plug-and-play run stopper who brings a splash of pass rush. He is incredibly athletic, and his RAS score reflects that athleticism. But what I find most impressive about Hamilton is his willingness to embrace the grind. He does not shirk the need to gobble blockers, stand his ground, stuff the run, shed blockers, and reroute running backs to his teammates. Hamilton is the type of player whose presence improves the performance of players around him.

He is just starting to showcase his agility now. But by the time pads go on, he will be proving his worth.

Josaiah Stewart, Rams rookie edge rusher - #41

As soon as the Rams lost veteran DT/OLB Michael Hoecht, the team knew that it had to find a special player to fill his void. The front office found it virtually impossible to target a defensive tackle with a running back background who could cross-train into a workaholic edge rusher. So the team did the next best thing possible. The Rams targeted a violent, passionate, and chaotic edge rusher who could instantly blend with the standard set by the pass rush in 2024.

Michigan edge rusher Josaiah Stewart is a genetic match for the Rams' edge rushing role, and can instantly plug in and contribute as a rookie.

Before we take flight, I'm keeping one foot on the ground here. The Rams' pass rush needed time to gel last season, and it will have to reboot to get back into synch this season. The Rams opened rather harmlessly in 2024. But by the time the NFL Playoffs arrived, the team's pass rush was a category-5 on the hurricane scale of natural disasters.

Stewart has plenty of time to learn how to generate quarterback pressure in the NFL. And look to new Defensive Pass Rush Coordinator Drew Wilkens to get him up to speed quickly. Viewed as a Round 3 projection, Stewart was lauded for his aggression, energy, and speed-to-power ratio. But as impressive as his draft profile reads, he must still earn his roster spot and playing time.

And he's ready to do just that.

Konata Mumpfield, Rams wide receiver - #15

The Rams' wide receiver room has built elite players from the discounted ranks of players bursting with passion but limited by some lackluster straight-line speed or collegiate production. From the too-slow-to-count draft profile of Cooper Kupp, to the too-llttle-to-hold-up draft profile of Tutu Atwell, to the cannot-create-separation draft profile of Puka Nacua, to the too-little-production-to-matter draft profile of Jordan Whittington, this team has continued to assemble a formidable wide receiver room from underestimated rookie prospects.

So, why should the draft profile of Pittsburgh Panthers rookie wide receiver prospect Konata Mumpfield be any different? Mumpfield's draft profile hits all the typical Rams receiver cliches, including:

• Routes lack focus.
• Average separation burst out of breaks underneath.
• Freestyling can throw off the timing of the route.
• Drops typically come when working into the middle of the field. 
• Needs better awareness for anticipatory throws as a pro.

And yet, those alarms seem to be misplaced as the player works with the Rams coaching staff. It's the job of the coaches to coach up raw rookies, and Rams WR Coach Eric Yarber is outstanding. Just consider his ability to coach up so many Rams receivers into high-powered contributors.

Konata Mumpfield is not a typical Rams receiver. Standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 186 pounds, Mumpfield has a sneaky, swift speed, clocking his 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds. While not Tutu Atwell fast, he is a bit quicker than other receivers on the roster.

The most intriguing factor about Mumpfield is his natural ability to vary his tempo. He can jog into his route, but instantly kick in the afterburners, which leaves defensive backs in his dust. The Rams have not had that type of elusiveness in the receiver room before.

This team has a poor track record of giving rookie receivers much work. But Konata Mumpfield is a uniquely talented receiver who may change that pattern.

Willie Lampkin, Rams interior offensive lineman - #62

The Rams truly did sign 5-foot-11, 290-pound rookie powerhouse interior offensive lineman Willie Lampkin. While you may react skeptically to any NFL offensive lineman who stands under 6-foot-0, keep in mind that the Rams had signed 5-foot-11, 310-pound nose tackle Poona Ford without hesitation. Willie Lampkin is merely the offensive counterpart.

While donning the pads remains in the future, even seeing how Lampkin moves to interject himself between the quarterback and a defender is worth the price of admission. Lampkin is not tall, but he is incredibly powerful, agile, and NFL-ready to play on the offensive line. How impressive is Willie Lampkin? Despite his significant vertical challenges, his draft profile included a draft grade of 6.00. That is on par (slightly higher) than the grade awarded to Rams 2024 starting center Beaux Limmer (5.99).

It's also significantly higher than the grade awarded to Rams 2021 starting offensive tackle Alaric Jackson (5.87)

In terms of height, Lampkin may offer an advantage at a height of under six feet. Backup quarterback Stetson Bennett stands 5-foot-11 as well, and taking snaps from a similarly vertically challenged center will only help him see the football field.

But let's return to the present. The Rams have an opportunity to pit Willie Lampkin against Poona Ford. That is going to be a huge slobberknocker. And as Lampkin gains more experience against teammates and NFL opponents, he has a sneaky good chance of earning a Rams roster spot.

Jarquez Hunter, Rams running back - #35

The Rams were content to put four nearly identical running backs on the roster in 2024. But when it came time to send them onto the field, there was only one player who was the obvious choice. Veteran running back Kyren Williams dominated the workload, carrying the football 316 out of the 397 carries by the running back corps.

He was given nearly 80 percent of the team's workload because nobody on the roster could do it any differently or better. That has changed this season.

Jarquez Hunter checks all the boxes in terms of what the team lacked offensively. This team needs a true north-south running back. Hunter brings it. This team needs an explosive running back who can break free for huge gains. Jarquez Hunter brings that too. The Rams also need a powerful running back who can pick up blitzing linebackers.

Believe it or not, Jarquez Hunter brings that too.

While Jarquez Hunter has no NFL experience, Football Insights compiled some enlightening collegiate stats that directly compare Notre Dame RB Kyren Williams, Michigan RB Blake Corum, and Auburn RB Jarquez Hunter. While that may not translate directly into their NFL career production, Hunter is the hands-down best collegiate rusher on the Rams roster.

But will the team give him any carries?

Much like the addition of rookie WR Tutu Atwell in 2021, there is no advantage to adding a fast player whose role consists of sitting on the bench. The speed of the fastest player in the NFL is the same as the slowest person in the history of humanity if those persons are relegated to an entire season on the bench.

Nate Landman, Rams inside linebacker - #53

When the Rams signed veteran inside linebacker Nate Landman, the initial reaction was that he was in line to either back up or team up with 2024 rookie ILB Omar Speights. But having had plenty of time to mull it over, and witnessing how the Rams seemed to address the other undrafted rookie starter, center Beaux Limmer, I see the addition in a new light.

Landman was a three-year veteran of the Atlanta Falcons defense. Undrafted in 2022, Landman was robust enough to make the Falcons' practice squad in his rookie season, and even showed up in seven games. He started 23 of 36 games for the Falcons, putting up 195 tackles, seven tackles for a loss, six forced fumbles, 2.0 quarterback sacks, five quarterback hits, six deflected passes, and one interception.

Omar Speights was thrust into a starting role because the team was simply out of options. But that does not mean that the guy is not worthy of competing for a starting role. It does mean that he will face stiff competition to retain that role.

It was obvious throughout the early part of the 2024 NFL season that DC Chris Shula was reluctant to turn over the keys to his defense to an undrafted rookie ILB play caller. And I'm simply not convinced that he was satisfied with the way Philadelphia Eagles RB Saquon Barkley ran roughshod over his defense in the Divisional Round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs.

Landman is a veteran NFL run-stuffing inside linebacker who stands 6-foot-3 and tips the scales at 235 pounds. It makes a great deal of sense to project Landman as the odds-on favorite to start with the addition of smaller pass-coverage type rookie inside linebackers who can line up next to him.

Inside linebacker will be the focus of intense competition this year.

Terrance Ferguson, Rams tight end - #18

We've talked quite a bit about the Rams' interest in drafting a tight end, and about how pleased both GM Les Snead and HC Sean McVay seemed to be when Oregon rookie TE prospect Terrance Ferguson fell to the team in the 2025 NFL Draft. It's safe to presume that if Michigan Colston Loveland, and Penn State TE Tyler Warren had fallen to the Rams at 26, we might be having a different conversation.

The Rams have resisted the call to deploy a significant portion of the offense in two tight-end sets since the 2020 season, the last year that the team boasted both Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee on the roster. Since that time, the Rams have struggled to find the right blend of blocking and pass-catching in one tight end. The offensive philosophy loves to overwhelm defensive backs with five eligibles. But the quality of tight ends recently has allowed defenses to cover Rams tight ends with linebackers.

It will take time to put up enough data, but Terrance Ferguson was brought to the Rams specifically to assume that 'other eligible' role at tight end that the team has sought for five years. While I cannot say that he is blocker-tested just yet, nor will he prove that until the pads go on and live scrimmages are scheduled with other teams, he will get plenty of work in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills before that happens.

Ferguson was a steady-freddy contributor in the Oregon Ducks offense. His ability to catch the ball in traffic allowed him to become QB Bo Nix's favored target in the red zone.

The Rams are long overdue to try something new on offense. And with so many irons in the fire in the 2025 training camp, the team is almost certain to roll out more than a few surprises this season. If the team had hesitated to deploy 12-personnel sub-packages with any sustained frequency in the offensive game plan in the past due to the lack of high-quality pass catchers at the position, that excuse is no longer valid.

Terrance Ferguson can haul in passes. And that will ensure veteran QB Matthew Stafford will love throwing his way in OTAs, training camp, and the 2025 NFL season.

As always, thanks for reading.

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