If you were inside MetLife Stadium ninety minutes before kickoff last Sunday, the last human you would have sought out for advice was the bare-chested 27-year-old basking in the late-morning December sunlight.

Every week, Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Michael Hoecht takes a couple pregame laps around the field before kicking his pregame routine into high gear. Faced with sub-freezing temperatures in the Meadowlands, he decided to brave the elements and get a true gauge of the conditions. Shortly thereafter, his entire position group had followed suit.

"It really wasn't that bad once you get warmed up, and you start moving a little bit," Hoecht told us on Rams Revealed. "And between us, you have some Vaseline on your arms to kind of keep the heat in."

In many ways, the youthful Rams edge defenders taking Hoecht's cue is emblematic of the 2024 season. Once an undrafted member of the pandemic rookie class, the Ivy Leaguer has played up and down the line, made it to his fifth pro season (the first on the practice squad followed by four on the active roster), and has seen the entirety of the LA defense turn over in his time.

"Yeah, it's weird. I blinked and the room was pretty much all rookies, or second-year guys. We had a new coach (outside linebackers coach Joe Coniglio) and I was kind of the old guy in the room," Hoecht said of how fast the Rams roster composition changed. "It was interesting for me to kind of take on that role, and I feel like I had to grow up pretty quickly and start to really understand what it means to not only be in this defense but also be on the older side of this defense."

That position room now consists of NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year favorite and first-round pick Jared Verse, fifth-round rookie Brennan Jackson, and second-year standout Byron Young. (Unfortunately, Nick Hampton was recently placed on injured reserve.)

When those teammates have questions about the scheme, navigating life in the NFL, or a sprawling metropolis like Los Angeles, Hoecht is their go-to resource.

"If I can help the team, just provide any sort of leadership or connection to that 2021 Super Bowl team," the Canadian-born Hoecht volunteers. "All of a sudden people started coming to me for answers, and I had all the answers to those types of questions and I was like, great. This is a role that I can thrive in."

For more on the Rams playoff push, including a preview of the rematch with Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, join us for a holiday edition of our weekly player show.

Rams Revealed presented by Sleep Number is also available on YouTube or in audio format wherever you get your podcasts.