2013 UDFA's?

[paceram]

I am probably way too optimistic but I am really excited about several of the UDFA's the Rams signed this past offseason. Can you give me some opinions on the below players and what you think their chances are of making the Rams roster? Are there any other UDFA's that you think have a shot at making the Rams final roster?

LB Ray-Ray Armstrong
RB Benny Cunningham
S Cody Davis
WR Andrew Helmick
TE Phillip Lutzenkirchen
DE Gerald Rivers
DB Robert Steeples
LB Jonathan Stewart

I think Armstrong, Cunningham, Davis and Helmick have excellent chances of making the Rams team!

 

[biggame1190]

You also forgot the Clemson safety R.Hall that we gave a 3 year deal (yet low $ and non-guaranteed) too.

Yes I am high on them as well. Whether it is here or elsewhere, I think a number of these guys could make NFL rosters soon. We will know much more when the pre-season games start. I too am excited for Helmick in particular.

 

[paceram]

You also forgot the Clemson safety R.Hall that we gave a 3 year deal (yet low $ and non-guaranteed) too.

Yes I am high on them as well. Whether it is here or elsewhere, I think a number of these guys could make NFL rosters soon. We will know much more when the pre-season games start. I too am excited for Helmick in particular.

I did forget about Hall but he sounds like a very good player that should have a good chance at making the Rams roster this season.

 

[Memento]

Didn't like Armstrong at safety; thought he was far too big for the position and couldn't cover that well. At linebacker, though...look for him to make an impact. Hopefully Witherspoon mentors him as well as Ogletree.

Loved Cunningham's tape against Georgia Tech, a very good defense. Nobody could stop him. Like his chances of making the roster.

I'm not as high on Davis as a lot of people are. I think there's a decent chance he makes the roster, but personally, I wouldn't be surprised if he's the fifth safety in the group or even if he goes to the practice squad instead because there's just too many talented and experienced players at the position to compete with. I think that McDonald and Stewart are entrenched as starters, with guys like McLeod and Daniels (who we shouldn't sleep on; he was the Cody Davis only one year ago) backing them up. And now with Giordano and Rashard Hall in the mix, the competition's only going to get harder for Davis.

Helmick impresses me the more I hear about him. He sounds like the perfect kickoff return specialist for our team, and if he can go on offense on occasion and catch a few passes, all the better. In my opinion, he should make the roster as a sixth receiver.

Lutzenkirchen is a guy that I'm very high on. Personally, I like him more than any tight end on our roster except Cook and Kendricks. He's a great blocker at tight end who can also line up wide and catch the intermediate passes thrown to him. Very versatile, can play special teams. Quite frankly, Auburn didn't utilize his talents nearly enough until his senior year, where he was on pace for eleven touchdowns before he got hurt.

A guy to watch for the future (he's currently on IR) is Phillip Steward. I was expecting a lot from him this year. He's more athletic than his former teammate, Sammy Brown (not as natural of a pass-rusher as the latter, but good at it), and he was known to cover the bigger tight ends and even slot receivers at some points. What's more is that he succeeded. Definitely worth an eye on for developmental purposes.

 

[DR RAM]

I am probably way too optimistic but I am really excited about several of the UDFA's the Rams signed this past offseason. Can you give me some opinions on the below players and what you think their chances are of making the Rams roster? Are there any other UDFA's that you think have a shot at making the Rams final roster?

LB Ray-Ray Armstrong
RB Benny Cunningham
S Cody Davis
WR Andrew Helmick
TE Phillip Lutzenkirchen
DE Gerald Rivers
DB Robert Steeples
LB Jonathan Stewart

I think Armstrong, Cunningham, Davis and Helmick have excellent chances of making the Rams team!

According to reports, and my own opinions at this point:

Ray-Ray is getting second team reps in special teams - too early to tell.

Benny C. is getting 4th/5th team reps - "pads on" could elevate Mr. Cunningham, because of his style of running. He is still a long-shot to make the 53. Practice squad, or getting picked up seems to be what will happen to Benny.

Cody Davis isn't getting a lot of looks/reps, he will really have to impress as a gunner on special teams to make the team. It is imperative that T.J. gets a lot of reps, for him to be ready, and the same can be said for McLeod who is having a good camp so far. Tough road ahead for Cody. PS.

Andrew Helmick has been very impressive according to several sources. He's fast, a good route runner, shows above average hands, and is a crowd pleaser. He is in a tough spot, as this s a very deep camp at WR. Could sneak in as our kick returner. There are already 5 locks in Austin, Pettis, Quick, Givens, and Bailey, IMO. Johnson and Radway, both guys that have been here, and are fighting, and Fields (beast), and Blake are competing.

Gerald Rivers is a freak. Size, speed, and he is working his tail off to make this team. It is of my opinion that I would love to have him as third backup to our DE spot. To make that happen, he would have to be a dominant special teams player. He has the ability to be that.

Steeples has gotten some decent reviews during training camp. He's working with the third team, and he has some ability. You can never have too many corners, and i hate to say it, but special teams will get his foot in the door.

Jon Stewart - I haven't really heard anything about him, so I can't comment.

Edit: I missed him.

TE Phillip Lutzenkirchen - how many TE's will make the 53? 4 at the very most, which means he will have to beat out McNeil and Harkey, who's having a good camp, to maybe make it. I like him. I think he has a future in the NFL, but think about our team, and offense. We need pass catchers and blockers. If you can do one exceptionally you make it, if you can do both good, you probably make it...and this is where Phil has to make his mark.

 

[den-the-coach]

I don't get excited about UDRFA's until pre-season games then you get to see them under fire albeit it's usually against 3rd & 4th units, but that is all they will get at first. Les Snead & Jeff Fisher have done a much better job than years past where it always seemed the Rams signed the bottom the heap.

So I am looking forward to the first pre-season game to see if the likes of WR Andrew Helmick and DE Gerald Rivers continue to impress to post a few and IMO everybody's excited about Ray-Ray Armstrong because his mother loved him so much she named him twice.

 

[CGI_Ram]

I don't get excited about UDRFA's until pre-season games then you get to see them under fire albeit it's usually against 3rf & 4th units, but that is all they will get at first. Les Snead & Jeff Fisher have done a much better job than years past where it always seemed the Rams signed the bottom the heap.

So I am looking forward to the first pre-season game to see if the likes of WR Andrew Helmick and DE Gerald Rivers continue to impress to post a few and IMO everybody's excited about Ray-Ray Armstrong because his mother loved him so much she named him twice.

That's good advice, den. Let's see some games.

But its nice to hear some positive vibes instead of no vibes, as we know!

 

[CoachO]

From what I have seen so far, in terms of who is getting some serious consideration, both in their spots on the positional depth chart, and what I can tell on the Special Teams "Depth Chart":

LB Ray-Ray Armstrong: getting mostly 3rd unit reps at OLB and has been on both coverage units of Special Teams, including 1st unit reps with the Punt Coverage Unit One of the guys who has a legitimate chance to make the roster

RB Benny Cunningham: has been buried on the 3rd unit at RB, sharing reps with Chase Reynolds...Was taking 2nd unit reps on the Kickoff Coverage Unit. He has shown enough to see that he can compete at this level. But is a longshot at best to make the 53,, could be a Practice Squad candidate

S Cody Davis: has been on 3rd unit at Safety along with Hall. 2nd Unit reps on boht Kickoff and Punt Coverage units. He has had some flashes at Safety, showing good anticipation and breaks on the ball. Has the speed and aggressiveness to be a key Special Team contributor. Another I think has a good chance to make the 53 man roster.

WR Andrew Helmick: Has been the biggest standout of camp thus far. Has moved up to getting 2nd unit reps as slot receiver. Has made plays all 3 days of open practices. Would say he is in direct competition with Nick Johnson for a possible 6th WR spot. Needs to show some return ability and has been included on the coverage units (punt coverage) as a gunner.

TE Phillip Lutzenkirchen: Missed Thurs and Friday practices. Made his debut on Saturday and made himself noticeable with a couple nice catches in the team drills. Shows nice athleticism but is up against the numbers game, IMO. Has to beat out incumbent Mike McNeill for a potential 4th TE roster spot.

DE Gerald Rivers: has been almost unblockable in both the one on one drills as well as teams drills. But keep in mind, he is usually lined up against the likes of Sean Hooey (who?) and is clearly dominating him. Since Sammy Brown has not practiced yet, I would think Rivers needs to continue to impress to take advantage of Brown's absence.

DB Robert Steeples: he is part of a rotation at the CB spot with Darren Woodard and Drew Thomas. They have all been rotating with each guy getting a shot at the "nickel" CB spot on the 2nd unit. Pointer slides inside and one of the aforementioned take their turn as the outside CB. Steeples appears to be the most athletic and has also been on the 2nd unit coverage teams on both kickoff and punt coverage. Numbers may work against him making the 53, but another practice squad candidate.

LB Jonathan Stewart: definitely passes the "look" test as what a MLB should look like. Big, athletic, but hasn't really done anything to stand out. "Stuck" on 3rd unit at MLB, but is getting included on Punt coverage 2nd unit. Another longshot, possible Practice Squad candidate.

Just my observations from the "cheap seats". The one thing I will say, when you look at the crop of UDFA'a both this year and last, this organization does its homework. None of the guys mentioned here look overwhelmed or like they don't belong here. And that wasn't always the case before.

 

[Rabid Ram]

Nice coachO that notebook of yours is busy good incites

 

[nighttrain]

thanks for the info
train