Rams Well-Represented on All-Rookie Team

When discussing Los Angeles on that side of the ball, it's hard to start any conversation without mentioning rookie linebackers Jared Verse and Omar Speights.

Both players made Ben Solak's All-Rookie team for ESPN, with Solak heaping massive praise upon Verse.

"Verse may have the most laugh-out-loud-dominant reps of a rookie pass rusher since Micah Parsons, bowling over quality left tackles or slicing through gaps for fourth-down tackles for loss," Solak wrote. "He's the definition of a splash player, and his immediate impact on a thin Rams defensive line was a huge part of their postseason push."

Verse registered 66 tackles, 4.5 sacks, a couple of forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries this season, posting a fantastic 86.2 overall grade at Pro Football Focus.

Meanwhile, Speights was impressive, as well, finishing with 67 tackles in a part-time role (he only played in 38 percent of the Rams' defensive snaps this year).

"Speights was tossed into the starting lineup in Week 8 after Troy Reeder hit injured reserve with a hamstring injury, and neither Speights nor the Rams have looked back," Solak wrote. "Speights plays with his hair on fire and is one of the Rams' most reliable tacklers -- an area that was a big problem for this team pre-Speights but has progressed as the entire defense has embraced an increased physicality."

While Verse was a first-round pick, Speights went entirely undrafted, making his efforts this season all the more eye-opening.

Verse, who also made the Pro Bowl, logged a couple of tackles and a fumble recovery touchdown in the win over the Vikings. Speights, meanwhile, recorded four stops.

Both players have been pivotal in Los Angeles' second-half surge, and you can bet that they will be vital if the Rams want to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Round this Sunday.