Rams’ undersized, undrafted rookie center Willie Lampkin raising eyebrows in preseason

Willie Lampkin was a starting guard for five years of college football, and at North Carolina last season he was a first-team All-American and won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the best offensive lineman in the ACC. With that kind of résumé, you’d think he would have been a top draft prospect.

One problem: At North Carolina’s Pro Day, Lampkin measured at just under 5-foot-11, and he weighed 279 pounds. NFL teams don’t want offensive linemen who are that small. Lampkin went undrafted.

But Lampkin signed as an undrafted free agent with the Rams, has worked primarily at center, and in the Rams’ preseason debut he put on a show: Undrafted rookie offensive linemen aren’t often the subject of highlight videos, but the NFL’s official Reddit account posted a video showing Lampkin making four pancake blocks in the Rams’ preseason opener against the Cowboys.

That’s getting Lampkin noticed, and Rams head coach Sean McVay said after the preseason game that Lampkin stood out not just on social media, but to the Rams’ coaching staff.

“I thought he did a nice job,” McVay said of Lampkin. “Obviously, he has great leverage, can get underneath people and be able to finish. That was what you loved about him at North Carolina, but just a competitor. He’s tough, he’s physical. He understands how to play to his strengths. I think he’s done a really good job, I thought a lot of guys did a nice job, but I was pleased with Willie.”

The odds are stacked against any undrafted rookie, and especially one who’s as undersized as Lampkin. But at some point, a player’s performance on the field has to matter more than his height and weight. If Lampkin keeps playing this way in the preseason, he’s going to force his way onto the roster.