The Rams will have a lot of rookies on their offseason roster after selecting 14 players in the draft and signing another 26 as undrafted free agents. Few teams will give their rookies a better chance to make the team than the Rams this year, considering they only had 44 players on their roster before the draft.
Los Angeles is no stranger to finding undrafted gems and there could be one or two again this year. Here’s one thing to know about each of the 26 prospects they signed after the draft.
Kelechi Anyalebechi, ILB, Incarnate Word
He attended boarding school in Nigeria for 3 years beginning at the age of 10
Anyalebechi spent three years away from his family when he was younger, attending boarding school in Nigeria where he had to gather water in order to wash his clothes.
“Back when I was 10 years old, my family made the decision to send me back to Nigeria and attend a boarding school,” he said in an interview with NFL Draft Diamonds. “I was thousands of miles away from my parents and had a lot to overcome. It was a big shock to my system, being surrounded by people who spoke a different language with me being an outsider. I was there for 3 years and had to do things that most people take for granted. I had to gather my own water in order to wash my clothes.”
Tanner Brown, K, Oklahoma State
He made 95.7% of his FG attempts in 2022, ranking 3rd in the FBS in FG accuracy
Brown was a semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, which is given to the nation’s best kicker. He made 22 of his 23 field goal attempts, making him one of two kickers in the country who missed only one kick with at least 20 attempts.
Braxton Burmeister, WR, San Diego State
He played quarterback in college but is switching to WR
Burmeister was a quarterback in college but he didn’t play a ton. He only attempted 72 passes at San Diego State last season after stints at Oregon and Virginia Tech. He’ll be switching to WR with the Rams, though.
Timarcus Davis, CB, Arizona State
He has a 41-inch vertical
Davis is an explosive athlete, showing off his leaping ability with a 41-inch vertical at his pro day, along with an 11-foot-2 broad jump. That would’ve ranked 4th and 3rd, respectively, among all cornerbacks at the combine.
Timarcus Davis is a CB prospect in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 7.76 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 498 out of 2222 CB from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/CYIbw9tYM1 #Rams pic.twitter.com/oJhaG1JVtP
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 30, 2023
Tyon Davis, CB, Tulsa
He led the team in PBUs in 2021 and 2022
Davis had a nose for the football in college, leading Tulsa with 12 pass breakups in 2022 and 10 in 2021. He also recovered three fumbles last season alone.
Collin Duncan, S, Mississippi State
His 41.5-inch vertical would’ve ranked 4th among all players at the combine
Duncan may not be the fastest safety, but he is a player who can elevate and make plays on the ball. He didn’t attend the NFL combine but at his pro day, he jumped 41.5 inches in the vertical, which would’ve tied him for fourth among all players at the combine.
Christopher Dunn, K, North Carolina State
He was voted college football’s best kicker in 2022
Dunn won the Lou Groza Award in 2022, which is the highest honor for a kicker in college football. Last season, he made 28 of 29 field goal attempts and in his career, he was a perfect 200-for-200 on extra point tries. He and Tanner Brown were the only kickers in the country with at least 20 FG attempts and only one miss.
Tiyon Evans, RB, Louisville
He rushed for exactly 525 yards and 6 TDs in each of the last 2 seasons
Evans was Mr. Consistent the last two seasons. In 2021, he rushed for 525 yards and six touchdowns on 81 attempts at Tennessee. In 2022, he had 525 yards and six touchdowns on 83 attempts, so nearly the exact same numbers.
Tyler Hudson, WR, Louisville
He had 1,000-yard seasons with 2 different schools
In 2021 with Central Arkansas, Hudson caught 62 passes for 1,242 yards with eight touchdowns. In 2022 at Louisville, he had 69 receptions for 1,034 yards with two touchdowns.
Tanner Ingle, S, North Carolina State
He was voted All-ACC in 2022
Last season at NC State, Ingle had 83 tackles, (8 for a loss), two interceptions and four pass breakups, earning All-ACC honors for the Wolfpack.
Sam James, WR, West Virginia
He averaged 16.2 yards per catch last season, which ranked 59th in the FBS
James doesn’t have blazing speed but he still found ways to create big plays, averaging 16.2 yards per catch last season. He had at least one 20-yard reception in all but one game last season.
Matthew Jester, OLB, Princeton
He was voted first-team All-Ivy League in 2022
Jester set career-highs with six tackles for a loss and three sacks last season, also batting down three passes.
Quindell Johnson, S, Memphis
He was All-AAC in each of the last 3 years
Johnson was a four-year starter at Memphis and a key contributor in the last three years. He was voted second-team all-conference in 2020 and 2021, followed by first-team honors in 2022.
Jordan Jones, CB, Rhode Island
He holds the school record for the most pass deflections in a career with 33
In three seasons at Rhode Island, Jones broke up a whopping 33 passes, which is the school record for the most by a single player.
Sean Maginn, OC, Wake Forest
He played 3,777 snaps in four seasons at Wake Forest
Maginn was a reliable player for the Demon Deacons, starting 47 career games, including 45 starts at left guard. He played 1,069 snaps last season, the most on the team, and totaled 3,777 in his career.
Mike McAllister, OC, Youngstown State
He was voted second-team All-MVC in 2022
McAllister started for three seasons at Youngstown State, including starts at center in his final 28 games.
Cameron McCutcheon, CB, Western Carolina
Jalen Ramsey is the player he’d choose to spend a day with
If McCutcheon could spend a day with any football player, past or present, he would choose Ramsey.
“I would definitely have to go with Jalen Ramsey,” he said, via NFL Draft Diamonds. “I love how he plays the game and how technical he is with his movements. I would enjoy being able to spend a day with him and learn new and effective techniques at the corner position.
Grant Miller, OL, Baylor
He was the 4th-highest-graded guard in the Big 12, according to PFF
Pro Football Focus graded Miller as the fourth-best guard in the conference last season, giving him a 73.2 overall grade. He also earned a 67.8 grade in pass blocking and 73.9 in run blocking.
Christian Sims, TE, Bowling Green
He was All-MAC in 2021 and 2022
Sims was a productive player for Bowling Green, catching 41 passes for 418 yards in 2021 and 45 passes for 458 yards in 2022. He was named first-team All-MAC in 2021 and second-team in 2022.
Ryan Smenda Jr., ILB, Wake Forest
Smenda was all over the field at Wake Forest, recording 355 tackles in five seasons, including 117 tackles in 2022 alone. That’s the eighth-most in school history and the most of any player since 2000.
Xavier Smith, WR, Florida A&M
He walked on at FAMU after working at Amazon in 2016
Coming out of high school, Smith didn’t generate much interest from colleges, so he worked at Amazon for a year, working in the warehouse to get shipments out. He then walked on at Florida A&M, his mom’s alma mater.
“Growing up, we always went to the Florida Classic,” Smith said in an interview with ESPN. “I got a chance to watch FAMU when I was 7, 8 years old. There was always a big crowd, so I would always tell myself ‘One day I want to play there.’ That was my dream, to play at FAMU.”
Deandre Square, ILB, Kentucky
Just the 2nd player in school history to be voted a captain 3 straight years
Square was voted a team captain three straight years at Kentucky and was a starter for four seasons. He and Josh Paschal are the only players in program history to be voted a captain three consecutive years.
Rashad Torrence, S, Florida
Led Florida in INTs in 2021 and tackles in 2022
Torrence played all over the field for Florida, which allowed him to make plays on a consistent basis. He had three picks in 2021, which led the team, and 87 tackles last season, which were also the most on the team.
Alex Ward, LS, Central Florida
He was a two-time finalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award as the top long snapper
Ward was viewed as one of the best long snappers in the nation the last two years, earning recognition as a finalist for the Patrick Mannelly Award, given to the country’s top long snapper.
Dresser Winn, QB, Tennessee-Martin
He was the primary punter in 2020 and quarterback in 2022
Winn was signed for his passing ability, but he also spent time as UT Martin’s primary punter in 2020. He punted 22 times for 904 yards with six being downed inside the 20-yard line.
Jaiden Woodbey, ILB, Boston College
He was the 27th-ranked recruit overall in composite rankings
Woodbey originally attended Florida State as a highly-regarded recruit out of Fontana, Calif., but he transferred to Boston College as a graduate student before the 2021 season. He earned a five-star designation from 24/7 Sports.
