'Inside the Draft' Shows Hectic Rams UDFA Process
Many who watch football on a regular basis are familiar with the 'War Room' during the draft and how chaotic that process can be, but few see what happens afterward when undrafted players are sought after by teams.
The time leading up to the NFL Draft each season as well as the time leading up to it is a scramble of epic proportions. But when the cameras turn off after the last pick, for some teams the chaos is just starting.
Imagine an NFL Draft with no order of picks. A free-for-all of sorts where it's a first-come, first-served process for some players. That's very much how undrafted free agency works as soon as the last pick is selected. Teams need to have their board ready and start making calls as soon as that bell rings, hoping to make contact with, and convince a player to sign before another team does.
In their ongoing series “Inside the Draft,” the Rams unveiled the organized chaos that goes into signing college free agents after the NFL Draft and shared a behind-the-scenes look at how the undrafted free agency process works and the number of staff members they have calling players and agents.
In total, the Rams were able to come away with 17 undrafted free agents from hundreds of calls made. There are typically more than 400 UDFAs that are signed across the league, and 'chaos' just begins to describe the process.
Two things are synonymous with the Los Angeles Rams under the Sean McVay era; winning and undrafted rookies finding a way to carve out a role.
Several prospects very well could be the next big-time addition to the Rams' lineup, quickly becoming a can't-miss prospect with the upside to shine. It happened with cornerback Darious Williams. Shortly after, Troy Hill became a star.
