2019 Los Angeles Rams roster preview: Can LB Troy Reeder sneak onto the final roster?

[tomas]

By Sean Wilkinson@Papa_Lurch Jun 26, 2019, 1:00pm PDT
https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2019/...th-chart-troy-reeder-linebacker-special-teams

I truly enjoy the first batch of roster previews we do every season. Everyone knows who Aaron Donald and Jared Goff are, so while those are just as much fun to write they aren’t nearly as interesting to research.

Writing these early previews forces you to do a little digging and every year you come across someone who is so clearly a fit for the Los Angeles Rams that you have to tip your cap to the Rams front office.

Enter Troy Reeder.

Roster Battle
Reeder played one season for the Penn State Nittany Lions before transferring to play for the Blue Hens of Deleware and be closer to home. While him transferring to a smaller school may have cost him a draft slot, the Rams will be the beneficiaries here

ILB is possibly the thinnest position on the Rams roster. Cory Littleton and Clay Matthews are listed as the starters, but Matthews will likely be used frequently as a pass rusher, which will open up snaps for other LBs. Reeder will be competing with the likes of Micah Kiser, Patrick Natrez, and Dakota Allen. Not the stiffest of competition.

Another wrinkle to the back end of the roster that I enjoy is what Special Teams Coordinator can pull from the group. It’s worth noting that Reeder was a special teams standout at Delaware.

Expectations
Reeder will have to stay true to himself and be willing to accept a lesser role that could build into something more - a la Cory Littleton.

Chances of Making Roster (7/10)
7/10 seems high for the back end of the roster, but Reeder has a lot of things working for him. Lack of depth, his leadership ability (2x captain at Delaware), and special teams prowess make me feel really good about his chances.

 

[den-the-coach]

Reeder made a few plays in OTA's and looks the part. Great program at Delaware and besides having nothing to do there, it's an underrated State...Weather is great and it's close to Ocean City Maryland.

Anyway,....A little more about Troy Reeder:

PROS

An experienced, smart, hard-nosed, old school lunch-pail linebacker who plays aggressive, tenacious and brings great leadership. He possesses natural football instincts, to go along with a true nose for the ball. An excellent open field tackler who demonstrates sound wrap up abilities. He’s able to win the leverage battle at the point of attack when taking on incoming blockers, while possessing the know how and get-off to disengage/shed blocks. Says he learned a valuable lesson from Mike Hull (Dolphins) about passing it forward as a freshman at Penn State and makes a conscious effort to help mentor younger players. Two-time Delaware team captain and also a special teams standout.

CONS

Needs to improve his back pedal and work on change of direction quickness, especially in pass coverage when dropping back. Would like to see him flip the hips a bit quicker when opening up and defending the pass. He has been working on improving his footwork and comfort level playing in open space during the offseason. Tends to over-pursue and get caught out of position on occasion.

http://nfldraftbible.com/2019-nfl-draft-scouting-report-troy-reeder-ilb-delaware/

 

[Ram65]

http://udreview.com/what-else-do-they-want-a-look-inside-delawares-nfl-pro-day/
BY MEAGAN MCKINLEY
Managing Sports Editor

Some of the instructions sound strange to an untrained ear, perhaps for good reason. For instance, “Jump out of your shoes.” For college players looking to go pro, there’s a lot more to Pro Day than just how well they run or catch the ball.

National Football League (NFL) Pro Day is a day of testing and drills similar to the Combine, but was born out of the belief that players are more comfortable performing on their home practice fields with players they’ve worked alongside for years. Universities and colleges with large football programs host their own Pro Day, their players often joined by smaller contingents from other schools in the area.

“Jump out of your shoes,” does not actually mean jump so your shoes come off. Instead, it’s plant your feet, bend your knees and jump straight up out of your shoes so your feet don’t shift position on the vertical jump. Moving your feet got you called off and going again. “Break you,” isn’t actually as cruel as it sounds. It’s a cue for a receiver to turn to face the other direction while moving downfield for a pass.

It’s not just the drills themselves scouts were assessing at NFL Pro Day but how the players responded; Were they hearing the details? Did they ask questions if they needed to? Was advice being absorbed and used? Are they coachable? Do they make eye contact? How do they react after a less than pleasing performance? For some players, it’s their only chance to show what they can do.

“Hard-nosed, tough, sideline-to-sideline, lunch pail, everyday guy, is like, well what else do they want?” linebacker Troy Reeder joked about the things he’s been told he has in his favor.

Reeder was not invited to the Senior Bowl or the NFL Combine, unlike teammate Nasir Adderley, who is projected to go anywhere from the first-round to early third. So for Reeder, this was a chance to “show them where I was and that some of those [low] projections are wrong,” which Reeder believes kept him out of the Combine.

Adderley, who did play in the Senior Bowl but was kept out of the Combine by a high ankle injury, was forced to stop after his first 40-yard dash due to straining his hamstring.

“Obviously disappointing, I mean my whole life I’ve been wanting to test and perform at this level,” Adderley said. “I’m gonna just remain positive and focus on moving forward.



For Friday, the next step was an interview with personnel from the New York Giants right after testing.

Reeder laughed as he recalled the conversation with his dad about his NFL Pro Day.

“‘My Pro Day?’ he’s like, ‘I just got a call from [Coach] Tubby [Raymond] the night before and was like the [Washington] Redskins are here.’ He just came down the next day and ran a 40 and put him through some drills. He was ready, he was ready for it but he was the only guy they worked out. Obviously a little quieter than today, but he’s definitely been a lot of help.”

Troy worked out on his Pro Day in front of full stands and scouts from all of the National Football League’s 32 teams at the Delaware Field House.

One important person in the stands? His younger brother Colby, also a linebacker, who he told to pay attention to Pro Day’s proceedings. The younger Reeder certainly took the advice to heart; he was the first person in the bleachers for the vertical jump in the arena of the Bob Carpenter Center, pressed right up against the railing. When his big brother hit a 37.5 on the vertical jump, which for a 6-foot-3-inch, 245-pound linebacker is pretty good, Colby flashed a thumbs up.

Reeder also managed a broad jump (jumping from a planted position as far down the field as possible) of 10 feet, 2 inches. For a linebacker, this is impressive, but for Delaware’s “tackling machine,” it didn’t come as much of a surprise. By the end of the day he’d been invited to the Philadelphia Eagles’ local day workout, along with wide receiver Vinny Papale.



He was also joined by fifteen of his own teammates including Ray “Buck” Jones; Joe Walker, who ran full sets of both defensive back and wide receiver drills; and Kani Kane, as well as ten players from Delaware State University and Wesley College. It was the largest Pro Day to grace the grounds of the university.

“The best part about it was rarely at Delaware do you get to work with so many of our guys, our players,” Reeder said.

“It just kinda seemed like the last time going out there with those guys, it was awesome.”

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Seems like a two down run stopper like Kiser. Also a Special Teamer. Says 6'3" and 245 Lbs 37 Vertical and 10'2" Broad Jump. Not bad numbers for his size. He gets a shot which is all he can ask. Rams could use depth at ILBer.

 

[BonifayRam]

I believe Reeder's chances to remain in a Ram Uni after preseason concludes is as a Practice Squad member with the future in mind to have a chance to replace two UFA ILB'ers {Littleton/ Hager} in March of 2020. Reeder needs to impress over drafted Allen & UDFA Kupp.

 

[Merlin]

Sounds like the kind of guy who will go all-out on special teams. Which is what he needs to do to make this roster. So, yeah, he is capable of making the roster. Just win a core special teams position and go from there like Littleton did.

 

[8to12]

. By the end of the day he’d been invited to the Philadelphia Eagles’ local day workout, along with wide receiver Vinny Papale.

Vinny Papale ??? SImilar to the famous Vince Papale who played for the Eagles and was portayed by Mark Waklberg in the movie Invincible? A coincidence or did the author get some names mixed up?

 

[Memento]

I still prefer Dakota Allen and Travin Howard over the undrafted inside linebackers on special teams. I also like Justin Lawler and Trevon Young over the other undrafted outside linebackers as potential special teams players. I see ten linebackers making the team, along with ten defensive backs (in my opinion, six cornerbacks and four safeties).

 

[Ram65]

Vinny Papale ??? SImilar to the famous Vince Papale who played for the Eagles and was portayed by Mark Waklberg in the movie Invincible? A coincidence or did the author get some names mixed up?

I cutout a picture of Vinny Papale I assume the son who played at Delaware as a WR.

 

[oldnotdead]

Reeder simply has too many areas he needs to work on. Truth be told in the pass heavy NFL a LB running a 4.8 isn't a side line to side line player. Those tenths of a second mean something. He needs to work on improving his speed and coverage technique. If he can't do it in one year as a UDFA he needs to move on with his life. He needs to shave a full tenth of a second. It's possible but not something he can do in the NFL.

The unknown story about Wes Welker can be used as a case study on what is possible for an athlete to improve themselves. For years Wes trained at a private center specifically to improve his speed, agility and burst. He improved in all those areas and it was the key to his improvement in NE and his longevity in the league. Marginal players need to commit themselves to that type of regime for a year and then use the test data showing improvement to get into a TC next year.

I can see Dakota Allen if not making the team as a ST's player, at least possibly making the PS. But he needs at least a year of being coached up.

 

[Merlin]

Speed isn't the only metric for ILB. Power and strength matter too, along with instincts and technique. And plenty of dudes make a living on special teams or get their start there.

He doesn't need to be Welker to make the roster. Just get rollin on teams and excel there.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Troy Reeder was a four star recruit and he did nothing at PSU. He was beat out by a walk on, Jan Johnson, who is nothing special. Reeder was all but invisible at Penn State and transferred for playing time as much as anything. Johnson is the weak link for PSU linebacker corps, so if Reeder couldn't best him out for a starting spot, then I doubt he can crack the Rams roster.

Fans are hoping their Five Star freshman stud can wrestle (pun intended, because Johnson was on the wrestling team) the spot away from Johnson. It is a mystery how he isn't already second string on a preseason projected top five Defense.