WR Brennan Pressley and 4 other UDFAs facing longest odds of making Rams roster

When it comes to the Los Angeles Rams roster, money is not the deciding factor over who does and who does not, ultimately survive the inevitable cuts from the team's 90-man training camp roster down to the 53-man Rams roster for the 2025 NFL season. The determining factors are a complex subjective and objective assessment of the player, the position, the financial investment, and the ease of finding equal or greater talent at that position in the future.

But if it's strictly down to money matters, then the most likely undrafted collegiate free agents stand out from the Rams' willingness to sweeten the pot with signing bonuses. Keep in mind that once the annual three-day NFL draft event concludes, all 32 teams scramble to sign college players who were not selected in the draft. And as you can see by the chart below, the rush to get players signed up can be somewhat costly.

The Rams shelled out $192,000 in signing bonuses to their undrafted collegiate free agents this year. While that is not a lot of money in the grand backdrop of the NFL, it's a pretty impressive stack of cash to fans who are unlikely to see that amount of money so quickly.

But an update from Spotrac.com adds a bit more clarity to the 2025 Rams UDFA signings. They include the age of the player, and the terms of the total contract. So while we have that information at our fingertips, let's add that to the chart below:

• OL Willie Lampkin, North Carolina: $30,000 | 23 yrs | 3 yrs - $2.995 million
• LB Shaun Dolac, Buffalo: $25,000 | 23 yrs | 3 yrs - $2.99 million
• OL Trey Wedig, Indiana: $20,000 | 23 years | 3 yrs - $2.985 million
• TE Mark Redman, Louisville: $20,000 | 23 years | 3 yrs - $2.985 million
• S Nate Valcarcel, Northern Illinois: $15,000 | 22 yrs | 3 yrs - $2.98 million
• S Malik Dixon-Williams, UConn: $10,000 | 24 yrs | 3 yrs - $2.975 million
• TE Anthony Torres, Toledo: $10,000 | 25 yrs | 3 yrs - $2.975 million
• OLB Josh Pearcy, Rice: $10,000 | 23 yrs | 3 yrs- $2.975 million
• DL Da'Jon Terry, Oklahoma: $8,000 | 24 yrs | 3 yrs- $2.973 million
• WR Mario Williams, Tulane: $8,000 | 22 yrs | 3 yrs - $2.973 million
• RB Jordan Waters, NC State: $7,000 | 24 yrs | 3 yrs - $2.972 million
• OL Wyatt Bowles, Utah State: $6,000 | 25 yrs | 3 yrs - $2.971 million
• OL Ben Dooley, Boise State: $6,000 | 24 yrs | 3 yrs - $2.971 million
• WR Tru Edwards, Louisiana: $5,000 | 23 yrs | 3 yrs - $2.97 million
• OLB Jamil Muhammad, USC: $5,000 | 24 yrs | 3 yrs- $2.97 million
• WR Brennan Presley, Oklahoma State: $4,000 | 23 yrs | 3 yrs -$2.969 million
• DL Bill Norton, Texas: $3,000 | 24 yrs | 3 yrs - $2.969 million
• DL Decarius Hawthorne, South Florida: $0 | 23 yrs| 3 yrs - $2.965 million

Now comes the important part. What can this information tell us? Well, if the adage 'put your money where your mouth is,' applies, then it's easy to decipher which undrafted collegiate free agents were priority signings for the Rams after the three-day draft event ended. But what of the players signed on the other end of the signing bonus scale? Well, it's safe to conclude that they may have the longest odds of making the team's roster. But to be fair, they have a chance too. So, let's take a look at the five players on the low end of the team's current pay scale:

DL Decarius Hawthorne

The Rams signed defensive lineman Decarius Hawthorne to a one-year deal on June 10, 2025, a bit later than the typical post-draft signing. Curiously, he does not yet appear on the Rams roster on the team's website. While there may be valid reasons for this, it does not bode well for his potential to make the team. Hawthorne accepted an invitation to participate in the Buffalo Bills minicamp, but was unable to attract a contract offer. Standing 6-foot-2 and weighing 295 pounds, Hawthorne enjoyed modest production at Florida Atlantic for four seasons before generating far more production at South Florida.

He has a bit of a pass rush to go with serious run-stuffing prowess. But he will need to show up huge if he hopes to make this team.