The Los Angeles Rams' selection of defensive playmaker could spell a shift in role for standout defender in 2025
Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, one of the biggest needs that the Los Angeles Rams had to solve was adding to their pass rush depth behind Jared Verse and Byron Young. The two are productive pass rushers, but the players behind them are unproven after the departure of Michael Hoecht in free agency. Thus, […]
Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, one of the biggest needs that the Los Angeles Rams had to solve was adding to their pass rush depth behind Jared Verse and Byron Young. The two are productive pass rushers, but the players behind them are unproven after the departure of Michael Hoecht in free agency.
Thus, the Rams selected Josaiah Stewart, a pass rusher from Michigan, to help fill out the room. It initially came as a surprise that the Rams selected him in the third round, as this wasn't viewed as an early-round need for the team. However, Stewart was undeniably a talented prospect, so the pick was more than fine.
At first, it seemed like Stewart was designated to be the team's designated pass rusher, a rotational subpackage pass rusher put in for obvious passing situations. Given his slight frame at 6'1 and roughly 240 pounds, this made sense. However, a snippet from Jourdan Rodrigue's story in The Athletic revealed an interesting tidbit about how the Rams plan on utilizing Stewart and could spell a different role for Byron Young.
"Josaiah Stewart, the outside linebacker out of Michigan whom the Rams selected with pick No. 90, is a little bit of a nostalgic pick who also follows their pattern of late. The high-motor pass rusher has the athleticism and personality to fill the role in the five-man rush packages left by Michael Hoecht in free agency…Stewart will now be the youngest, but he already has the personality and position flexibility to slot into what the Rams call their “Cheetah” package, which presents extra pass rushers who can either purely rush, simulate pressure or even drop into coverage in some instances."
These "five-man rush packages" are the Rams' penny fronts, a 5-1 front that the Rams often use in base formations. That's where Michael Hoecht played the most often for the Rams there, and the Rams won the Super Bowl with these fronts at the, well, forefront of their defense.
This emphasis on Stewart as a "base" defender, as well as a later near-trade that almost happened for a similar pass rusher in the draft, almost seems to point to a bigger role in mind for Stewart than originally anticipated. Perhaps, Stewart could be headed for the starting job opposite Jared Verse, which Byron Young currently occupies, to take Young off the field on run-downs.
It certainly seems like a signal of their desire to improve in every facet of the game to make a deep playoff push. Regardless of how the snaps shake out, the Rams definitely improved their defensive front.
