How many rookies will make the Rams roster this year?

Almost 50-percent of the Los Angeles Rams roster today is comprised of rookies, an incredible number that emphasizes just how badly Les Snead needed to find cheap replacements for veteran losses. How many of them can expect to make the initial 53-man roster after training camp and preseason?

The number is going to be smaller than 40, but probably also bigger than the 14 drafted players in the 2023 class.

I can guarantee that the names that make the final roster can’t be predicted today, still a month away from the start of training camp, but at least a dozen of the drafted rookies should be locks. It’s the undrafted rookies that come with more unpredictability.

In a post for The Athletic that is not actually too early, Jourdan Rodrigue predicted 15 rookies to make the 53-man roster. The only player from the draft class that was omitted from inclusion was the final prospect overall: Mr. Irrelevant Desjaun Johnson.

That leaves the 13 other draftees plus undrafted free agents kicker Tanner Brown and longsnapper Alex Ward.

But probably leading the way among undrafted free agents who aren’t only special teamers without competition would be offensive lineman Mike McAllister, who has gotten a shout out from head coach Sean McVay already. On defense, positions all over the field are up for grabs, so name almost any prospect at safety, cornerback, or linebacker and you might land on a player who makes the final 53-man roster.

Cornerback Timarcus Davis? Linebacker DeAndre Square? Safety Quindell Johnson?

Any of those and plenty of others are possibilities when you’ve got 40 rookies, including 26 undrafted free agents. And when you draft 14 players, it only increases the odds that one or two or four of them don’t make the final roster. Could Ochaun Mathis or Zach Evans or Jason Taylor II fall out of favor despite their clear roads to playing time if they perform well in camp?

We won’t know how many rookies make the final roster until September. But the number could be the highest in the NFL.