LOS ANGELES — As he wrapped up an interview, Rams outside linebacker Brennan Jackson made his way across the field and yelled, “Jared! Jared!”
Fellow rookie Jared Verse looked up, waiting for the reason behind this greeting. But Jackson simply waved vigorously. Verse returned the gesture and cried back, “Hey B.J.!”
The Rams remade the front of their defense in the April draft. Their first two picks were spent on Verse and his Florida State teammate, Braden Fiske. A couple of Day 3 picks went to add depth to those positions, with Jackson and Clemson’s Tyler Davis.
Over the last three months, Jackson has leaned on that group as they make their adjustment to the NFL.
“Me and Jared have created some really great friendship. We push each other every single day and just being able to take things from each other and hype each other up when we make plays,” Jackson said. “Same with the guys in the interior. All of us are taking it one step at a time, understanding that we’re all going through it together so just uplift each other.”
The rookies have had some standout moments through the first week and a half of training camp. Verse made an early impression, while Fiske has been one of the highlights since the Rams put on pads on Monday. He followed his strong first day by blowing past offensive linemen in one-on-one pass rush drills and clogging running lanes in full-team work on Tuesday.
Jackson too earned a positive review from head coach Sean McVay on Monday for his work in competitive periods as Jackson has shown off his enduring motor.
“I tell everybody when they ask me how I’m doing: ‘Living the dream,’” Jackson said. “This is everything I dreamed of as a kid, being around such amazing players and vets that all have done a great job of giving their piece of knowledge to me.”
Michael Hoecht is the veteran in the outside linebackers room, and Jackson likes to joke that he’s become Hoecht’s shadow.
He and other Rams have emphasized the mental aspect of the game to Jackson. The rookie is working to understand his advantages and placement within the Rams’ scheme to avoid finding himself in the wrong position and at a disadvantage.
“Everybody here is so talented and so capable of doing the job right, so it really is understanding your piece in the scheme,” Jackson said. “One-on-ones are going to happen and the guy that has a slight advantage is going to be the one that wins.
While he’s had a positive start to camp, Jackson knows there will tough days, too, but he’s preparing for those moments.
“One of the best things Hoecht was saying, when you have a good practice, clip some of those clips and go back on those when you have a bad day,” Jackson said. “Because you’re not going to be perfect every single day. You’re in the NFL, these guys are grown men, everyone’s here for a reason. So remind yourself.”
Third-year safety Quentin Lake had a strong day of camp on Tuesday. He recovered well to break up a deep pass to open up 11-on-11s, albeit taking advantage of an underthrow by Jimmy Garoppolo on the play. He matched up with Cooper Kupp during some drives and held his own, then used his strength to shed a block from Kupp to meet Blake Corum at the line of scrimmage on a run play.
“He’s got great versatility; so smart,” McVay said. “He really understands the defense from an all-11 perspective. … I think he can do a lot of different things in both the run phase and defending the pass.”
The left side of the Rams’ offensive line is banged up after two days of pads. Left tackle Alaric Jackson was in street clothes Tuesday after tweaking his ankle on Monday, while left guard Jonah Jackson left practice late with an athletic trainer. McVay said he did not know yet what happened to Jackson, the Rams’ big free-agent acquisition of the offseason.
