With the offseason program complete and Rams Training Camp presented by UNIFY Financial Credit Union starting up later this month, it's time to look ahead. As part of the preparation for training camp, theRams.com will be spotlighting a handful of players new to the Rams' roster. Continuing the series is rookie defensive back Russ Yeast.
How He Got Here: The Rams used their seventh selection in the 2022 NFL Draft on Yeast, taking him 253rd overall in the seventh round.
What's Next: Competing for playing time. As mentioned in the newcomer updates on his fellow first-year defensive backs, there are snaps in the rotation to be earned with Darious Williams departing in free agency, and given the attrition experienced last year, it might be incentive for the Rams to build that depth and get the younger players some playing time early on.
Bet You Didn't Know: Continuing a common trait among Rams draftees, Yeast played on both sides of the ball in high school and also returned kickoffs. Overall, he rushed for 1,525 yards and 19 touchdowns and hauled in 32 receptions for 602 yards and eight touchdowns in 14 games as a senior at Greenwood (Ind.) Center Grove.
Quotable: "This is the best time to get those kinds of guys, right, the guys in the shorts. You get those guys out there that can run around, and you get those guys, you can really evaluate the movement, you can evaluate ball skills, you can evaluate a lot more than you can from the people up front. So it's been really fun watching those guys compete and go at it, and it's been really fun watching the evaluations of (general manager) Les (Snead) and his staff, and our coaching staff, all come to fruition." – Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris on the competitiveness between the younger and older defensive backs
