The Los Angeles Rams defense had a major problem stopping the run in 2024. In Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, they allowed David Montgomery to run the ball down the field, eventually ending with him in the end zone. The next week, James Conner rushed 21 times for 121 yards and a touchdown. Two games later, D’Andre Swift had his way with the Rams defense as he rushed for his highest output since Week 3 the season prior.
It’s true that the Rams run defense locked down in the second half of the season. From Weeks 7-17, they ranked 10th in run defense EPA and eighth in run defense success rate. However, at the end of the season it ended up being their downfall against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Rams have made additions this offseason to hopefully improve in that area. They added Poona Ford to the defensive line and Omar Speights should continue to develop in year two. However, they also continued to add to the youth of the defensive line as well. Over the past two years, the Rams have focused on adding pass rushers in Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske. While Turner has developed into a good run defender, this is an area that Fiske struggled with last season.
In the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Rams selected Ty Hamilton from Ohio State to add to their defensive line rotation. As Kyle Crabbs from The 33rd Team wrote,
“Hamilton projects as a rotational run-stopper at the NFL level. If he can continue to stack weight onto his frame, he may serve as a developmental nose tackle who can anchor more effectively and live in the A-gaps. But he’s a gap-control player who should be relied upon to earn run defending snaps on the interior.”
When the Rams drafted Hamilton, they did so by trading up and giving up a 2026 fourth-round pick. That may seem like a big price tag to move up into the fifth round, Hamilton does fit exactly what the Rams needed on their defensive line.
Last season at Ohio State, Hamilton had the eighth-highest run stop percentage according to PFF and his 23 run stops ranked seventh. While he may be slightly undersized at 6’3, 295 pounds and needs to develop as a pass rusher, there may be an immediate role for him on the Rams defensive line. The Rams need a player who has no problem doing the dirty work and making things easier for the linebackers at the second level. That’s exactly what Hamilton excels at.
New Rams DT Ty Hamilton specialized in run stopping last season during Ohio State’s national championship run.
He had similar run tackling/stop efficiency to fellow Buckeyes DT Tyleik Williams, who went in Round 1. pic.twitter.com/c1claF73ug
— Wyatt Miller (@wymill07) April 29, 2025
The Rams do have some depth on the defensive line. Larrell Murchison has been that ‘dirty work’ player in the run game over the past two seasons. They also added Ford in free agency. Ty Davis will also look to take that next step in year two. With that said, a team can never have too much depth on the defensive line. They did opt to not bring back Neville Gallimore. Even if Hamilton is more of a pick for 2026 and a replacement for Murchison, that doesn’t mean he still can’t have an impact during his rookie season. There should be snaps available.
At the end of the day, the Rams’ biggest threats in the NFC are physical teams who have no issues running the ball. The San Francisco 49ers pose that problem within the NFC West while the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles are also built to win in the trenches on offense. Improving the run defense always started up-front and wasn’t strictly a linebacker problem. With the addition of Hamilton, the Rams are combatting that strength by adding to their own.
