When assessing the Los Angeles Rams draft needs, edge wouldn’t appear to be a position to consider. After all, the starters, Jared Verse and Bryant Young are young and productive, but peeling back that top layer, there is an obvious need.
E#3 Michael Hoecht has gone and taken his versatility and 639 defensive snaps. Who fills that role?
Indeed, the 2025 edge class is deep and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Top 15 (or more) go within the first three rounds. The Rams edge needs aren’t dire, so their early draft capital could be better spent in other places. As it often seems, L.A. finds itself with a bevy of Round 6 selections. While the talent pool thins considerably at this point, the are still a few interesting candidates to consider. I have all these players graded at Round 6 or later, but all have developable NFL traits.
Meet the candidates
Oluwafemi Oladejo – UCLA – 6’ 3” 259 lb. 33 3/8” arms
Oladejo spent three seasons at Cal before taking the I-5 south. Originally an off-ball linebacker, UCLA moved him outside to edge for his final season. Highly productive at both stops, he logged 238 tackles, 20.5 for loss, six sacks, and eight passes broken up. Named to the Senior Bowl, where he flashed standout pass-rushing prowess.
Has a linebacker’s dense, proportioned frame with stellar length. Although still quite un-polished off the edge, Oladego shows the athleticism and non-stop motor to be a dominant pass rusher. Flashes a big tool box, but needs to get better stacking those moves in a somewhat controlled manner. More apt to take the direct route rather than bend around the edge. His game is power and leverage with explosive get off and solid punch.
He’s no longer a secret after his Senior Bowl workouts and the only draft riser in this grouping. He could easily go earlier. He’s got the athleticism/physical tools, but with only one year as a full-time edge, is still raw. Play style is like a bull in a china shop, crashing into and through whatever gets in his way.
Kaimon Rucker – North Carolina – 6’ 1” 254 lb. 32 5/8” arms
Took his extra COVID year for five, overall. The 23 year-old played in 59 games with 37 starts. Missed time early in 2024 with a minor knee injury and missed out on the pre-draft showcases with a broken leg.. For his career, he tallied 180 tackles, 38.5 for loss, 22 sacks, four forced fumbles, and four passes defended.
Short compact build with adequate arm length. Makes the most of his small size with plus get-off and hands constantly firing swipes and chops. Has solid bend getting around tackles and beelines for the QB. His quick wins come outside, but he also chalks up hustle tackles by staying in pursuit. At times, can be bullied in the run game, but generally holds his ground well and his quick first step gets through gaps and beats reach/angle blocks.
Rucker looks to have slimmed down for 2024, on earlier film his frame looked blockier and he often played in down position. That early film, which frankly I thought was better, showed a red-hot motor and ability to make plays behind the line of scrimmage. Until he can gain play strength, he’s best suited as a passing situation package rusher.
Devin Vann – North Carolina State – 6’ 1” 267 lb. 32 1/2” arms
Three-star recruit, high school track star in field events (discus and shotput). Vann was a highly productive, five-year player and in his final two seasons was given the Wolfpack #1 jersey, indicative of team work ethic and leadership. Over 55 games, he salted away 144 tackles, 33.5 for loss, 20.5 sacks, seven passes defended, and eight forced fumbles.
Good combination of power and athleticism in a smallish, blocky build. He brings it full-tilt boogie on every rep. His wrestling background shows in his leverage, balance, and anchor. Not a full tool box as a pass rusher, but very strong and active hands, appears on film to often take the direct path to the target. He does have good get-off and the athleticism to bend around the outside.
Vann is different than the others in this group, he is a defensive end, but plays primarily 3T in a 3-3-5 stack scheme, but he has the versatility/athleticism to play up and down the line. He’s a state wrestling champion and was on the Feldman’s Freak’s List.
Collin Oliver – Oklahoma State 6’ 2” 240 lb. 30 3/4” arms
Four-star recruit turns 23 in September. Intermittently played both off-ball linebacker and edge for the Cowboys. Suffered a broken foot two games into his senior season, but was a productive player in his first three, collecting 134 tackles, 40.5 for loss, 23.5 sacks, seven passes defended, and five forced fumbles.
Lean, athletic build with arm length underneath the general NFL standards. Oliver is a plus athlete and tested the best of all the edges at the NFL Combine, a very talented class. Accelerates off the ball, stellar change of direction, can dip and turn around the outside or juke and dip inside. Uses his hands well. Film shows he’s fluid enough to cover flats and underneath, with hints of more. You can see he needs a play strength upgrade against the run. He’s a good tackler, but struggles to dis-engage when a blocker latches on.
While Oliver is still raw at both edge and stack linebacker and when you add his special teams potential, three-way potential is a fair risk for a late round or UDFA pick. Interesting passing situation package player with motor and natural football instincts.
Tyler Batty – BYU – 6’ 6” 271 lb. 33 1/8” arms
After a two-year religious mission, Batty spent five productive seasons at BYU, recording 221 tackles, 26.5 for loss, and 16.5 sacks. He’ll play at 25 as a rookie. Named to the East-West Shrine Bowl and was considered as one the top performers.
Big, tough, and physical prospect. Worked out and timed in every drill at the NFL Combine. Not an athletic freak, but shows nimble feet and certainly falls well within NFL standards in all areas. Lacks the explosion to be a dip-and-bend around the corner rusher, uses a more speed-to-power direct route. Makes a lot of hustle/effort plays. Solid vs. the run. Strong hand fighter to stack/shed, set the edge and hold his gaps against the run.
Fits the Rams late-round mold of high effort, versatile, and assignment-oriented. More of a traditional hand-on-the-ground defensive end prospect, but often worked standing up on the edge and at 3T (DT).
Jalen McLeod – Auburn – 6’ 2” 241 lb. 32 1/4” arms
Three-star prospect spent his first three season’s at Appalachian State. Although he only started three of 30 games he was able to pile up 76 tackles, 12.5 for loss, nine sacks, four passes defended, and three forced fumbles. He proved able to step up in competition for his final two seasons at Auburn with 107 tackles, 23 for loss, 12.5 sacks, and seven QB hits. Named to the Senior Bowl, where he focused on off-ball linebacker.
Powerfully-built, but under the standards of NFL defensive linemen (edge/DE). Arm length is adequate and actually looks longer on film. McLeod only has adequate athleticism and is not particularly light-footed, suited best for underneath/flats pass coverage. He wins on being a football player, instincts, 100% effort, and preparation/IQ. Processes to read action quickly, has great get-off, and busts downhill. Does good job of keeping low leverage and has the play strength to stack/shed blockers.
Versatile chess piece, can play defensive end with a hand in the dirt, stand up edge rusher, or off-ball linebacker A film junkie that has been a playmaker throughout his college career. If you watch his highlight cut-ups, you can see him playing in the same role as Michael Hoecht did for the Rams in 2024.
But the Rams already have two good edge players…
True, Jared Verse and Byron Young are like pocket aces, a good pair to draw to, but after that, things get murkier. L.A. currently has five edges under contract, Verse, Young, Brennan Jackson, Nick Hampton, and Keir Thomas.
It’s too early to pass judgement on Brennan Jackson (Rd. 5 2024). He got his feet wet as a rookie, logging 47 edge reps while battling some injury problems, and Sean McVay is usually very patient developing his draft picks.
Although he had a larger special teams role, Hampton’s (Rd. 5, 2023) defensive snaps were already way down from 66 in 2023 to 10, when lost to a torn pectoral muscle in Week 15. Is he gaining ground or falling behind?
Thomas (2022 UDFA) enters his fourth Rams season and has been active in 17 games with 204 defensive reps. Over that time, he’s bounced around from the active roster to the practice squad. He did fill in pretty well when called upon for 39 snaps (season total) in the season’s final game vs. Seattle.
With the verdict still out as to who will take the E#3 role, there’s obviously a need for a couple more additions for competition purposes, even if they are destined for the practice squad. Verse and Young are certainly not going to see any preseason game action and having only three edge players game-ready seems a bit thin.
While there a dozen other late round prospects, this group shares four common denominators, they are all within the NFL threshold for athleticism, possess at least dual position versatility, are productive playmakers, and fit the Rams mold of hot motor/high football IQ.
