Turf Show Times
Rams undrafted free agent linebacker Shaun Dolac is getting positive reviews from coaches
The Los Angeles Rams made several upgrades to the linebacker position this offseason. They opted not to bring back Christian Rozeboom while signing Nate Landman from the Atlanta Falcons. During the draft, they selected Chris Paul Jr. in the fifth round and then signed Buffalo’s Shaun Dolac as an undrafted free agent.
It’s hard to evaluate players this time of year as the pads have yet to come on. While it can be difficult to weed through the ‘coach’s speak’, how a coach praises a player certainly can’t go unnoticed. If a player get a generic “we’re excited about him”, that’s one thing. However, if a coach goes into detail, that’s noteworthy.
That has been the case for the undrafted free agent, Dolac. From Wyatt Miller of the Rams team website, Dolac made an impression during OTAs and could force his way into snaps this season.
Heading into the season, Landman and Speights will certainly be the favorites to start. However, there will be a lot of opportunity for other players to step up as well. Chris Paul Jr. was also considered a potential steal in the fifth-round. Rams inside linebacker coach Greg Williams seemed excited to get a look at Paul once the pads are on. With that said, it has been Dolac who Williams raved about mostly because of his work in the classroom. Said Williams,
“Shaun could probably take you out here and teach you the defense right now. He is a quick study, man, he really is. And that’s one thing you respect from him… I think from the way he plays the game above the neck and the way that he had tackled in college, (if) he does that, Shaun is going to be another guy that will be somebody to reckon with.”
Dolac will need to earn a spot on the 53-man roster and as an undrafted free agent, that won’t be guaranteed. Still, after Speights, Landman, and Paul, there is a lot of opportunity at the linebacker position. It’s hard to see Dolac starting, but he could earn early snaps on special teams.
With training camp starting in two weeks, Dolac will need to take what he has learned in the classroom and apply it on the field. While Dolac went undrafted because of his size, it was a mild surprise. During the pre-draft process, it was Dolac’s play-making instincts in large part because of his football IQ that really stood out. That football IQ has seemlingly already surfaced in the early portion of OTAs.
Dolac is a player that many will be watching during training camp. With a strong summer and preseason, it would not be surprising for him to find his way onto the roster.
