The Los Angeles Rams made some major upgrades this offseason. However, it did come at the expense of other positions such as linebacker.
As a result, it is almost a foregone conclusion that the Rams will look to fortify this unit through the 2018 NFL Draft. During a team organized draft preview roundtable, linebacker Samson Ebukam boldly claimed that he is not worried about any rookies potentially taking his spot:
“I’m just going to handle what I can control. I’m just going to do what I do, show up on the field and just ball out,” Ebukam said. “If they get a pass rusher, that’s fine with me. He’s not going to get my job, I know that. So I’m not really worried about it.”
It is encouraging to see Ebukam confident about stepping into his role as a starter. Los Angeles selected him with the 125th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. The former Eastern Washington product made his bones on special teams while enjoying modest production last season with 31 tackles, 2.0 sacks, and a forced fumble. However, he is looking to breakout this year with linebackers Robert Quinn and Connor Barwin now out of the picture.
It still may be awhile before Ebukam gets to see who his competition in training camp will be. The Rams currently own the 87th overall pick in this years draft which is slated to come later in the third round. Fortunately, general manager Les Snead has made a habit of finding quality talent in the deeper round. Fortunately, there are expected to be a few quality pass-rushers still available for Los Angeles. Although virtually every spot in this particular group is up for grabs at this point, they may find it difficult to get quality reps ahead of Ebukam, let alone the other linebackers who were on the roster last season.
