The Los Angeles Rams took three edge rushers during the 2023 NFL draft and many believed they would still potentially add a veteran to round out the pass-rushing unit. The Rams reported to training camp without a veteran edge rusher on the roster this week and Sean McVay explained why the team has decided against adding an experienced outside linebacker thus far.
“I think there was,” McVay said of whether there was consideration given to adding a veteran edge rusher. “When the trajectory of the draft unfolded the way that it did that we were able to get three players that are all kind of different in their own right when you talk about Byron (Young), you talk about Nick (Hampton) and you talk about Ochaun (Mathis) from that outside linebacker position. In addition to watching Michael Hoecht continue to show himself, Daniel Hardy was a guy that did not get a lot of opportunities last year because of some health issues that really flashed in the spring. And so, because we have got so many young guys at that position that are really competing, it was something that we talked about but I think just based on the landscape of the roster and the way that we ended up drafting three players from that position you had some other young guys, did not want to go that direction and then there was some limitations in terms of alright, what are you able to do and what kind of player are you able to really bring in at a position like that?”
During this year’s draft, the Rams took Byron Young, Nick Hampton, and Ochaun Mathis in hopes to bolster their pass-rushing unit. All three of them bring different skill sets and there’s a chance that all of them get an opportunity to see meaningful snaps sooner rather than later.
Besides the rookies, McVay spoke about the emergence of Hoecht last season. He made the transition from interior defender to edge rusher in 2022, and he’s continued to take all of his snaps off of the edge this offseason.
Hardy, who was a seventh-round pick by the Rams in the 2022 NFL draft, is another name that McVay mentioned. Hardy was extremely productive in college, but injuries prevented him from seeing the field much as a rookie last season.
There are still some solid veterans available at the edge rusher position like Jadeveon Clowney, Yannick Ngakoue, Justin Houston, and Melvin Ingram. Even though the Rams could use experience at the edge rusher spot, McVay believes in the young guys the team currently has.
