Player
Omar Speights
LB · Rams
Omar Speights: facts drawn from the play-by-play.
UDFA out of LSU to Rams starting LB — 91 solo tackles in 33 career games.
TrendSpeights by season (Rams)
| Season | G | Solo | Asst | TFL | Sacks | PDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 14 | 37 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 2025 | 19 | 54 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Speights went undrafted in 2024 out of LSU (after transferring from Oregon State) and quickly worked his way onto the Rams' defensive rotation. Rookie year: 14 games, 37 solo tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble — UDFA gold.
Year 2 (2025) the volume exploded: 19 games (Rams' deep playoff run), 54 solo + 49 assist = 103 total tackles. He's now a full-time MIKE/WILL on a contending defense.
Total tackles per season
| Season | Solo + Assist |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 71 |
| 2025 | 103 |
103 total tackles in 2025 — a top-volume LB number from an UDFA in Year 2.
Milestone54 solo + 49 assist = 103 total tackles in 2025. Tackles totals in triple digits are the traditional benchmark for "starting MIKE linebacker" — Speights cleared it in his second NFL season as an undrafted free agent.
For reference, this is in the range of established veterans like Bobby Wagner's late-career years on the Rams (108 in 2023). Speights inherits some of that role on the same defense.
174 career total tackles in 33 games — 5.3 per game from a UDFA linebacker.
SplitCareer regular season + playoffs
| Stat | Total |
|---|---|
| Games | 33 |
| Solo tackles | 91 |
| Assist tackles | 83 |
| Total tackles | 174 |
| TFL | 4 |
| Sacks | 1 |
| Pass Defenses | 5 |
| Forced Fumbles | 1 |
Speights' 5.3 total tackles per game career rate is high-end starting LB territory.
He's averaging 2.5 assist tackles per game — one of the higher rates in the league, which fits a thumper-style linebacker working in tandem with the pass-rushers. The Rams' edge talent (Verse, Young) keeps blockers occupied; Speights cleans up.
Just 4 career TFL despite 174 tackles — a true catch-the-ball-carrier role.
RareWith 174 total tackles, just 4 are behind the line of scrimmage. That's a 2.3% TFL rate, well below average for an off-ball LB (5-8% is typical).
The read: Speights isn't a downhill blitzer — he's a read-and-fill linebacker who arrives downfield after the offensive line creates contact. It matches the Rams' defensive design under Chris Shula, where the front absorbs blocks and the LBs flow.
From UDFA to outproducing several drafted 2024 LBs in Year 2.
ComparisonThe 2024 LB draft class included Payton Wilson (3rd-round, PIT), Edgerrin Cooper (2nd-round, GB), and Junior Colson (3rd-round, LAC). Through two seasons, Speights' 174 career tackles is in the same range as those drafted peers — Cooper and Wilson have had higher peaks, but Speights' availability has been better.
33 games played in 2 seasons (regular + playoff) is full availability for a UDFA on a deep depth chart. The Rams' position coaches have made the call clear: he's a starter, not a UDFA project.
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