Undrafted free agent interior offensive lineman Willie Lampkin posted a 94.1 overall PFF grade in Preseason Week 1 and allowed zero pressures across 16 pass sets in Weeks 1 and 2, a performance that forces the Los Angeles Rams to consider him as more than a camp curiosity.
Willie Lampkin did something UDFAs rarely do: he turned preseason tape into a legitimate roster conversation. A 94.1 PFF grade in Week 1 and zero pressures allowed across 16 pass sets through the first two preseason games is elite by any short sample standard, and doing that against NFL competition separates technique-first prospects from the rest of the pile.
Can Willie Lampkin Get A Roster Spot In A Crowded Rams Offensive Line Room?
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What Lampkin did in the preseason is more impressive given the fact that he’s undersized for the position at 5’11, 291 pounds. That level of pass protection, paired with the fact that he outgraded Seahawks first-rounder Grey Zabel in the same window, makes Lampkin hard to ignore heading into final cuts.
Unfortunately, his momentum was cut short last Saturday against the Chargers, when he left the game early in the fourth quarter with an ankle and knee injury.
Head coach Sean McVay confirmed Tuesday that Lampkin will miss “a few weeks.” “He got a bad ankle sprain,” McVay explained. “He’s so tough. It’s kind of a knee and an ankle. He got his, I think it was his PCL. He’s so damn tough, and so it’ll be a few weeks for him.”
The timing couldn’t be worse for the 23-year-old rookie. With NFL rosters set to be trimmed to 53 players by August 26, Lampkin won’t get another chance to prove himself in practice or preseason games before final decisions are made.
From a roster construction angle, the math is straightforward, but not easy. The Rams have invested elsewhere up front, and Alaric Jackson is on track to ramp back into team drills, so an immediate starting job is unlikely. 12 different OL played snaps for the team last season due to injuries and other reasons, so depth is certainly a need up front.
That said, Lampkin’s combination of clean technique and limited pressures earned in live work fits the swing lineman role the team values. If he shows positional flexibility between guard and tackle in full contact reps and can handle special teams duty, he moves from practice squad favorite to realistic 53-man candidate.
This is still a short sample, and coaches will want to see it translate in contact periods and heavier competition, but Lampkin has changed the story. Instead of a default UDFA projection, the Rams now face a decision about roster spots and upside. If he keeps this level of play over the next practices and exhibits the two-spot versatility teams prize, expect Lampkin to be on the active roster conversation rather than an afterthought.
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