EARTH CITY, Mo. -- We've officially reached the closest thing to a dead period the NFL has to offer these days as organized team activities are over and training camp has not yet arrived.
That means vacation time for the players, coaches and, yes, reporters. In the meantime, let’s get to know some of the lesser-known additions to the St. Louis Rams' roster: the rookie free agents.
Position: Linebacker
College: Minnesota
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 231 pounds
Stat to know: Had a productive senior season in general but stood out for his knack of finding a way to create turnovers. He had six in 2013 with two interceptions, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He finished the season with 72 tackles in addition to the takeaways.
Road to the roster: Hill was a well-respected contributor for the Gophers, holding the team captain role last year. His reputation as a smart, heady player could help him in his pursuit of landing a roster spot. From just down the road in St. Charles, Mo., Hill would love nothing more than to land a spot with his hometown team. The good news for Hill is the Rams could well have some openings at linebacker. James Laurinaitis, Alec Ogletree, Jo-Lonn Dunbar and Ray-Ray Armstrong are likely roster locks and Daren Bates probably is too, given his special-teams abilities. But that could leave room for one or two more and so far the Rams have yet to add any veterans behind the young group. Like Bates and Armstrong a year ago, Hill's best bet to earn a spot will come on special teams.
