Rams have a pattern of drafting defensive linemen with same background
Les Snead and the Los Angeles Rams certainly has a type for defensive prospects.
Five of the Rams' most recent defensive draft picks transferred from smaller schools to bigger schools before being picked by L.A. Josaiah Stewart was the most recent one, as he started at Coastal Carolina before going to Michigan for the past two seasons.
The others include Jared Verse (Albany to Florida State), Braden Fiske (Western Michigan to Florida State), Kobie Turner (Richmond to Wake Forest) and Byron Young (Georgia Military College to Tennessee).
This pattern wasn't lost on Snead, who explained on ESPN's The Pat McAfee Show that the Rams target men who "want" to play football more than just going to a big program. So for the Rams, it meant more when they found players who begin their careers at smaller schools before transferring (and succeeding) at bigger schools.
"Every one of those defensive linemen, even the young man we drafted from Michigan the other night, Josaiah Stewart, they all started at, let's call it a 'less level of football,'" Snead said. "They all loved [football] enough that they didn't go to the Power 5s."
Sūmner Sports' Sam Bruchhaus' noticed this trend as well and added that he thinks part of the Rams' draft strategy is identifying players that have an upward track based on their ability to play at any level of competition.
"They love transfer-up defensive linemen that have excellent production and excellent analytical traits," he said. "They seem to believe if a defensive lineman who exhibits good to great athletic traits can go from a lower level and go to a Power 5 level and have success at the same exact degree, they seem to think that will track at an NFL level."
That idea has worked out well for the Rams in recent years. Verse won Rookie of the Year in 2024, Fiske tallied 8.5 sacks as a rookie, Young has 15.5 in two season and Turner has 17 in two seasons. That's elite production so early in four players' careers.
Now, the Rams have drafted defensive players who didn't fall into this category in recent years. Ty Hamilton, the Rams' fifth-round pick in 2025, played his entire career at Ohio State. Tyler Davis, who was drafted in 2024, played five years at Clemson.
But, for the players drafted within the first three rounds, this mentality has applied in each of the past three drafts. The hope is that Stewart can follow in those footsteps.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indianapolis Star
28 minutes ago
- Indianapolis Star
Fever's Aliyah Boston, WNBA great Candace Parker start 'Post Moves' podcast to 'let people in'
INDIANAPOLIS – Aliyah Boston and Candace Parker want their new podcast to be more than just about basketball. Sure, that's what they're known for. Parker, the 2008 No. 1 pick, is the only player to have won Rookie of the Year and WNBA MVP in the same season. She spent 16 years in the league, winning championships with three franchises (Los Angeles, Chicago and Las Vegas), and she is getting her jersey retired by two of those franchises this year. Boston, the 2023 No. 1 pick, was the unanimous Rookie of the Year and an All-Star in each of her three seasons so far. She is on a trajectory to have a Hall of Fame-type career, improving each season. But they're more than what they can accomplish on the court. They're people with pets, families and other interests outside of their work. And that's what they want to show on "Post Moves", which releases its first episode July 30. 'I think it just pulls people in a little bit closer, to see us as people as not just as athletes and what we do on a nightly basis,' Boston said following a live taping of a preview episode during WNBA All-Star weekend. 'I think sometimes people lose that focus, and it's just 'OK, well, they hoop and that's all they are as basketball players.' So to be able to use this to talk about different stuff and let people in, let them see who you are, your interests, what you really enjoy, I think that's important.' The two knew each other in multiple circles: they're both signed to the same agency, and Parker is the president of Adidas women's basketball, the same shoe company Boston is signed to. The idea to have a podcast, following in the footsteps of current and former WNBA players, was intriguing for them to show glimpses into their daily lives. Of course, they'll still talk a lot of basketball. But they'll also talk about how basketball has affected them outside of the game. 'I think the game is a vehicle that has allowed us to go different places,' Parker said. 'And so through those experiences, through the lens of basketball, I know (Boston), I've traveled, I've played in sold-out arenas and missed game-winning shots. I think these are all life lessons that we can apply that are outside of the sports, but because of the sport.' In their preview episode, which they taped live in Indianapolis during All-Star weekend in front of friends, family and media, they embodied that kind of experience. The live taping started with a disagreement between Parker and Boston: who was taller? The two stood back-to-back to the audience, which agreed Parker was taller. Parker yelled in excitement, walking around the stage in victory, as Boston, who was convinced she was taller, looked helplessly to the crowd. Later in the live taping, Boston talked about some of her interests outside of basketball — more specifically, how devoted she is as a dog mom. She talked about wanting to get her dog, Ozzy, a car seat, so he is able to watch out the window when they drive. Just sitting in the backseat isn't enough, Boston stressed, as he's not tall enough to look out the window on his own. It's a look into the lives of two WNBA greats: Parker as a mother and retired player, who was in the WNBA in the era of commercial flights, and Boston, who is playing in an era when the league is seeing unprecedented growth. They'll share stories about the WNBA of old, and the WNBA of new. That's the beauty, they said, of having two different generations of players together. Through Parker's 16-year-old daughter, too, they're able to see firsthand how players can impact the next generation. 'I think the generational thing of being an old head, being a young buck, the way that we see things may be different,' Parker said. 'But we are also going to be able to see similarities between that. Obviously, (Boston) is closer to my daughter's age than to mine, which is insane … and it's been really cool to see the impact that Aliyah's had on my daughter.'
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
Luis Gil lined up to make season debut Sunday for Yankees after latest Triple-A rehab outing
NEW YORK — Luis Gil is expected to make his season debut for the New York Yankees on Sunday at Miami after missing four months with a lat strain. The reigning AL Rookie of the Year struck out seven over 4 1/3 innings Tuesday for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Gil threw 50 of 75 pitches for strikes, allowing one run and three hits in his fourth minor league rehabilitation start. Injured in spring training, the right-hander is lined up to return this weekend against the Marlins after pitching 14 1/3 innings in the minors. 'I think that's the plan right now,' manager Aaron Boone said before the Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-5 on Tuesday night. Gil began facing hitters on June 21, when he threw 20 pitches of live batting practice at Yankee Stadium, and made his first rehab start July 13 for Double-A Somerset. 'I think for the most part, get through it hopefully successfully, and strike-throwing and carrying his stuff throughout the outing,' Boone said. 'You want to see those things, but we're also mindful of it that in a lot of ways it's spring training for him and building up. 'So there's definitely that next level of competitive juices and adrenaline that'll be flowing once he gets back up here.' Gil stopped a bullpen session on Feb. 28 because of tightness in his pitching shoulder. He went to New York for a second MRI that revealed a high-grade lat strain on March 3. He was shut down from throwing for at least six weeks after receiving the original diagnosis, and at the time the Yankees said he would not return until June at the earliest. On April 16 , the Yankees said Gil's throwing program would be delayed for about 10 days. The 27-year-old Gil went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 29 starts for the AL East champions last year, striking out 171 and walking a major league-high 77 in 151 2/3 innings. Acquired from the Minnesota Twins in a 2018 trade, Gil made a successful return from Tommy John surgery and threw eight more innings in a pair of postseason starts as the Yankees reached the World Series for the first time since 2009. ___ AP MLB:
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Diamondbacks aim to end losing streak in game against the Tigers
Arizona Diamondbacks (51-57, fourth in the NL West) vs. Detroit Tigers (63-46, first in the AL Central) Detroit; Wednesday, 1:10 p.m. EDT PITCHING PROBABLES: Diamondbacks: Ryne Nelson (6-2, 3.29 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 73 strikeouts); Tigers: Chris Paddack (3-9, 4.95 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 83 strikeouts) BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Tigers -136, Diamondbacks +114; over/under is 9 runs BOTTOM LINE: The Arizona Diamondbacks aim to end a four-game skid with a win over the Detroit Tigers. Detroit is 63-46 overall and 35-21 at home. The Tigers have a 30-9 record in games when they hit at least two home runs. Arizona is 51-57 overall and 25-29 in road games. The Diamondbacks have the fifth-ranked team on-base percentage in the NL at .324. The matchup Wednesday is the third time these teams meet this season. TOP PERFORMERS: Gleyber Torres has 17 doubles and 11 home runs while hitting .278 for the Tigers. Jahmai Jones is 2 for 21 with two home runs over the past 10 games. Geraldo Perdomo leads the Diamondbacks with a .271 batting average, and has 22 doubles, two triples, 10 home runs, 62 walks and 73 RBIs. Corbin Carroll is 12 for 42 with three RBIs over the last 10 games. LAST 10 GAMES: Tigers: 4-6, .248 batting average, 4.66 ERA, outscored by six runs Diamondbacks: 3-7, .222 batting average, 4.19 ERA, outscored by 16 runs INJURIES: Tigers: Reese Olson: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Parker Meadows: 10-Day IL (quadricep), Sean Guenther: 60-Day IL (hip), Sawyer Gipson-Long: 15-Day IL (neck), Jackson Jobe: 60-Day IL (flexor), Jason Foley: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alex Cobb: 60-Day IL (hip), Ty Madden: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Jose Urquidy: 60-Day IL (elbow), Alex Lange: 60-Day IL (lat) Diamondbacks: Eugenio Suarez: day-to-day (hand), Gabriel Moreno: 60-Day IL (hand), Jalen Beeks: 15-Day IL (back), Shelby Miller: 15-Day IL (forearm), Tommy Henry: 60-Day IL (elbow), Pavin Smith: 10-Day IL (oblique), Ryan Thompson: 15-Day IL (scapular strain), Ildemaro Vargas: 10-Day IL (foot), Christian Montes De Oca: 60-Day IL (elbow), Justin Martinez: 60-Day IL (elbow), Cristian Mena: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Corbin Burnes: 60-Day IL (elbow), A.J. Puk: 60-Day IL (elbow), Jordan Montgomery: 60-Day IL (elbow), Blake Walston: 60-Day IL (elbow) ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
