5 fun facts about the LA Rams 53-man roster

The Los Angeles Rams have revealed the team’s initial 53-man roster and signed another 14 players to the practice squad.

Tweaks will likely be made to the initial roster in the coming days, such as moving Johnny Hekker and Coleman Shelton off the COVID-19 list and potentially placing Obo Okoronkwo and Tremayne Anchrum on the short term (3 week minimum) injured reserve.

The excitement surrounding LA’s roster is high, and so are expectations for the upcoming season. We are less than 10 days away from the Rams’ season opener against the Chicago Bears, and it feels like a good time to dive into some of the more fun details surrounding the squad.

Who is the shortest Ram?

RB Darrell Henderson is listed at 5’8 and the shortest player on LA’s roster. Henderson has a compact body and weighs 208 pounds. Being short may be an advantage for a running back, as it can be difficult for defenders to locate the ball carrier behind the taller offensive lineman. Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars was a famous example of this, and he was just an inch shorter than Henderson.

The next shortest players are WR/PR Tutu Atwell and corner Darious Williams at 5’9.

The award for the tallest player goes to...

OT Rob Havenstein (6’8), who bested fellow offensive tackles Andrew Whitworth and Alaric (AJ) Jackson by a single inch. Height is an important measure for tackles along on the offensive line because it typically also correlates with length and reach. Havenstein and Whitworth have formed a reliable duo heading into their fifth season together, and they are also tied with DE A’Shawn Robinson as the heaviest Rams (330 pounds).

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You can probably guess the lightest member of the team

Atwell is listed at 165 pounds; however, the rookie confessed at the start of training camp he is truly only around 155 pounds. The young speedster looked like the fastest player on the field at times during the preseason, but the Rams will need to be opportunistic in their utilization of Atwell in order to limit the number of hits he takes.

For reference, DeSean Jackson is the next lightest Ram weighing in at 175 pounds.

Age is just a number

Whitworth is also the oldest Ram at 39, rounding out his hat trick for these awards. Los Angeles has only three other players over age 30, which represents just 7.5% of the total roster: DeSean Jackson, Matthew Stafford, and Aaron Donald.

A trio of 21-year old rookies comprise the youngest players on the initial 53 - Atwell, Bobby Brown III, and Ernest Jones. A total of 9 rookies made the team, which makes up 17% of the roster.

SEC Schools are well represented:

Georgia (4)

Leonard Floyd, Sony Michel, Stafford, JR Reed

Alabama (2)

A’Shawn Robinson & Terrell Lewis

Oklahoma (2)

Bobby Evans & Okoronkwo

Oregon (2)

Johnny Mundt & Justin Hollins

TCU (2)

Joseph Noteboom & Travin Howard

Utah (2)

Terrell Burgess & Matt Gay

Washington (2)

Taylor Rapp & Greg Gaines, both are members of the 2019 draft class

Wisconsin (2)

Havenstein & David Edwards, a great college program to find offensive lineman