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Trinca-Pasat gets opportunity with the Rams
By Nate Latsch
http://stl.scout.com/story/1546566-trinca-pasat-gets-chance-with-rams?s=124
ST. LOUIS — Louis Trinca-Pasat tried not to pay much attention to the final day of the NFL Draft. The former Iowa defensive tackle, who was projected by some as a late-round pick, kept himself busy instead of following along with the picks.
“I was playing board games with my family,” Trinca-Pasat said. “Playing soccer and some sports with my nieces and nephew in the backyard. My family, my parents, were glued to the TV. I didn’t want to be tense or anxious or distracted because of all that. I just kind of kept my mind clear.”
There were 256 players selected in the seven rounds of the Draft but Trinca-Pasat, a three-year starter who was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2014, wasn’t one of them.
Instead, the 6-foot-1, 290-pounder ended up signing as an undrafted free agent with the St. Louis Rams shortly after the conclusion of the Draft.
“The general manager talked to my agent and my agent and I agreed that this was the best fit for me for me to come,” Trinca-Pasat said when he met with reporters during the Rams’ rookie orientation last weekend. “It’s a great d-line and great coaches to learn from and get better.”
The defensive tackle had options. He said his agent told him that, besides the Rams, eight other teams wanted to sign him as a free agent.
In St. Louis, Trinca-Pasat joins a defensive line that includes five former first-round draft picks — Chris Long, Robert Quinn, Nick Fairley, Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald — but only currently has three defensive tackles on the roster in Donald, Brockers and Fairley.
Trinca-Pasat said joining the Rams is a great opportunity to learn from the best.
“They have one of the best d-lines and Aaron Donald and all the other guys,” he said. “I still have to learn their names, but they were one of the best in the league last year. I’m just here, I’m excited. It’s always good when you get to absorb knowledge from the best.”
Trinca-Pasat is similar in size to Donald, the 2014 NFL defensive rookie of the year. Trinca-Pasat is 6-1, 290. Donald is 6-1, 285.
“I was seeing a little bit of him on film and heard of him coming out of Pitt,” Trinca-Pasat said. “He’s just a really good player, a very good guy I’ve heard. I haven’t met him yet, but I’m looking forward to it.”
The rookie defensive tackle will get to know his new teammates during the Rams’ offseason program. He’ll have a chance to impress his new coaching staff during OTAs and training camp.
Trinca-Pasat impressed draftniks with his play at Iowa, where he started 38 games over three seasons, and then during the draft evaluation process at the Senior Bowl, Scouting Combine and at his pro day.
Trinca-Pasat racked up 69 tackles, including 11.5 for loss, and 6.5 sacks during his senior season with the Hawkeyes. He then put up solid numbers at the Combine — 4.96 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 32-inch vertical leap, 4.30 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle and 7.40 seconds in the 3 cone drill — and showed off his versatility at his pro day by also going through drills as a fullback.
Ourlads’ NFL Scouting Services rated Trinca-Pasat as the 13th-best defensive tackle prospect in the 2015 Draft and projected him as a fourth- or fifth-round pick. NFL.com projected Trinca-Pasat as a fifth-round pick.
“Made a reputation for himself by being a relentless worker on and off the field,” Ourlads’ David Syvertsen wrote in his scouting report. “He lacks the ideal physical gifts that most teams want out of a defensive tackle, but coaches love to have this kind of guy on the depth chart. He plays with great pad level, quickness, and aggression. He can be a handful for blockers to deal with as games wear on and fatigue sets in. He will be limited to certain roles at the next level, but there is a spot for this kind of player on every team.”
Rams’ offensive lineman Andrew Donnal, a fourth-round pick from Iowa, echoed those sentiments about his college teammate.
“He’s a great guy to have on your team, on your side,” Donnal said. “He’s an all-for-the-team kind of guy, not selfish at all, and just willing to do anything. That’s what makes him so great. He’s extremely hard working and a great guy to be on this team.”
By Nate Latsch
http://stl.scout.com/story/1546566-trinca-pasat-gets-chance-with-rams?s=124
ST. LOUIS — Louis Trinca-Pasat tried not to pay much attention to the final day of the NFL Draft. The former Iowa defensive tackle, who was projected by some as a late-round pick, kept himself busy instead of following along with the picks.
“I was playing board games with my family,” Trinca-Pasat said. “Playing soccer and some sports with my nieces and nephew in the backyard. My family, my parents, were glued to the TV. I didn’t want to be tense or anxious or distracted because of all that. I just kind of kept my mind clear.”
There were 256 players selected in the seven rounds of the Draft but Trinca-Pasat, a three-year starter who was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2014, wasn’t one of them.
Instead, the 6-foot-1, 290-pounder ended up signing as an undrafted free agent with the St. Louis Rams shortly after the conclusion of the Draft.
“The general manager talked to my agent and my agent and I agreed that this was the best fit for me for me to come,” Trinca-Pasat said when he met with reporters during the Rams’ rookie orientation last weekend. “It’s a great d-line and great coaches to learn from and get better.”
The defensive tackle had options. He said his agent told him that, besides the Rams, eight other teams wanted to sign him as a free agent.
In St. Louis, Trinca-Pasat joins a defensive line that includes five former first-round draft picks — Chris Long, Robert Quinn, Nick Fairley, Michael Brockers and Aaron Donald — but only currently has three defensive tackles on the roster in Donald, Brockers and Fairley.
Trinca-Pasat said joining the Rams is a great opportunity to learn from the best.
“They have one of the best d-lines and Aaron Donald and all the other guys,” he said. “I still have to learn their names, but they were one of the best in the league last year. I’m just here, I’m excited. It’s always good when you get to absorb knowledge from the best.”
Trinca-Pasat is similar in size to Donald, the 2014 NFL defensive rookie of the year. Trinca-Pasat is 6-1, 290. Donald is 6-1, 285.
“I was seeing a little bit of him on film and heard of him coming out of Pitt,” Trinca-Pasat said. “He’s just a really good player, a very good guy I’ve heard. I haven’t met him yet, but I’m looking forward to it.”
The rookie defensive tackle will get to know his new teammates during the Rams’ offseason program. He’ll have a chance to impress his new coaching staff during OTAs and training camp.
Trinca-Pasat impressed draftniks with his play at Iowa, where he started 38 games over three seasons, and then during the draft evaluation process at the Senior Bowl, Scouting Combine and at his pro day.
Trinca-Pasat racked up 69 tackles, including 11.5 for loss, and 6.5 sacks during his senior season with the Hawkeyes. He then put up solid numbers at the Combine — 4.96 seconds in the 40-yard dash, 32-inch vertical leap, 4.30 seconds in the 20-yard shuttle and 7.40 seconds in the 3 cone drill — and showed off his versatility at his pro day by also going through drills as a fullback.
Ourlads’ NFL Scouting Services rated Trinca-Pasat as the 13th-best defensive tackle prospect in the 2015 Draft and projected him as a fourth- or fifth-round pick. NFL.com projected Trinca-Pasat as a fifth-round pick.
“Made a reputation for himself by being a relentless worker on and off the field,” Ourlads’ David Syvertsen wrote in his scouting report. “He lacks the ideal physical gifts that most teams want out of a defensive tackle, but coaches love to have this kind of guy on the depth chart. He plays with great pad level, quickness, and aggression. He can be a handful for blockers to deal with as games wear on and fatigue sets in. He will be limited to certain roles at the next level, but there is a spot for this kind of player on every team.”
Rams’ offensive lineman Andrew Donnal, a fourth-round pick from Iowa, echoed those sentiments about his college teammate.
“He’s a great guy to have on your team, on your side,” Donnal said. “He’s an all-for-the-team kind of guy, not selfish at all, and just willing to do anything. That’s what makes him so great. He’s extremely hard working and a great guy to be on this team.”
