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As a former Wake Forest alum myself, I tend to have a soft spot for those to played my beloved school, "Little Ole" Wake Forest. While in the ACC, Wake is one of the smallest Big 5 Conference Schools and, due to its academic rigor, the recruits are usually underdogs, clawing and fighting their whole careers to play well in the ACC.
Brandon Chubb is the son of a former NFL Linebacker and cousin of RB Nick Chubb, Todd Gurley's replacement at Georgia. Despite only being a two-star recruit, Brandon became a full time starter for the Demon Deacons in his RS sophomore year eventually becoming a two-time captain and earning First Team All ACC Honors in his senior year.
Fortunately for me, I had an opportunity to speak with Brandon. He indicated to me that even though longtime Rams MLB James Laurinaitis was no longer on the team that there would be a lot of competition for a roster spot.
Roster Battle
Chubb finds himself in a battle to make the team. Despite the starting three linebackers presumably "set", Chubb indicated to me that he's been told there is a good opportunity to make the team, pointing to years past of low round draft picks and UDFA's making the team, specifically Bryce Hager, Daren Bates and Cameron Lynch.
The Rams seem to have a track record of finding gems at linebacker, and Chubb fits the mold: a player with great production at the college level that was overlooked in the draft process for measurables.
Expectations
Obviously as a fellow alum, I'm rooting for Chubb to make the roster. The only doubt that lingers in my mind is the timed speed and role for him on this roster. The Rams run a lot of nickel and with flexible Mark Barron, the team will likely only carry five LB's, leaning on RB's to handle more of the special teams duties (like Chase Reynolds).
An interesting note that Brandon shared with me was that while he played as the "Mike" in Jim Grobe's 3-4 scheme, he switched to the "Will" in David Clawson's 4-3 scheme. For the Rams however, he will be at the "Mike" to start in the offseason, with flexibility to also move outside.
Chances of Making Roster (5/10)
Due to the track record of LB's I'm tempted to give Chubb a decent chance to make the final 53-man roster. He had over 100 tackles his senior year and fought through adversity (coaching change, few wins, etc.). However, as mentioned earlier, Fisher really likes RB's handling some of the special teams duties which could really hurt Brandon's chances.
Again, I'd like to thank Brandon Chubb for his time in answering some questions for me. If you like to follow him on Twitter Rams Nation, he's @4ocho.