#NextLevelRams: 2017 Training Camp Update

by Grant Larson
Athletics Communications

With NFL teams reporting for camp all across the country this week, Colorado State will have 10 #NextLevelRams on NFL rosters.

The veterans of the group, Shaquil Barrett (Denver Broncos), Kapri Bibbs (San Francisco 49ers), Crockett Gillmore (Baltimore Ravens) and Weston Richburg (New York Giants) are all entering their fourth seasons in the NFL.

Gillmore (third round, 99th overall) and Richburg (second round, 43rd overall) were both selected in the 2014 NFL Draft. In three seasons, Gillmore has played in 32 games, hauling in 51 receptions and seven touchdowns. He was sidelined by an injury for the final nine games of the 2016 season, but enters camp this week as the starting tight end. Already hailed as one of the game's premier centers, Richburg allowed just 11 total pressures on 611 pass-blocking snaps (1.8 percent) in 2016. His 90.3 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus was the highest mark by a center. "I believe Weston Richburg is the most well-rounded and complete center around the league," former Pro Bowl offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley said to Bleacher Report. "In terms of the next generation and the next group of guys, he's leading the pack."

These were the top pass blocking centers in the NFL in 2016. pic.twitter.com/nO8QKyYM5I
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) June 19, 2017

This offseason saw running back Kapri Bibbs traded from Denver--where he played the first three seasons of his career after signing as an undrafted free agent--to the the San Francisco 49ers. The highlight of the young running back's professional career came in Week 9 when he scored a 69-yard touchdown on a screen pass, a play which was named NFL.com's "Can't-Miss Play of the Week". Bibbs was pegged by many to inherit the Broncos' starting spot late in the season, but instead found himself on the injured reserve after suffering a sprained ankle in Week 13.

Another undrafted free agent from the 2014 class, Barrett factors to play a pivotal role yet again on the league's top defense. In his two seasons on the Broncos' active roster, the former Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year has recorded 86 tackles, 7.0 sacks and six pass defenses in just 32 career games. Alongside Von Miller, Brandon Marshall and Shane Ray, Barrett and the Broncos' linebacking corps was named by Willie McGinest as the league's top unit entering the 2017 season. Barrett was also featured as one of Pro Football Focus' "Secret Superstars", as the analytics-based outlet touted his elite 81.2 run-defense grade. Suffering an injury during offseason workouts, Barrett will enter training camp on the non-football injury list with no immediate timetable for return.

Even without DeMarcus Ware, the Broncos will still have one of the most fearsome pass rushes in the NFL pic.twitter.com/Ate5pFU0cI
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) July 8, 2017

Entering their third NFL seasons are offensive lineman Ty Sambrailo (Denver Broncos) and quarterback Garrett Grayson (New Orleans Saints). In his first two seasons, Sambrailo has played in 13 games and started seven. The start of the former second-round draft pick's professional career has been plagued by injuries that cut his rookie campaign short and greatly hindered his upper-body strength in 2016. Now fully healthy, Sambrailo impressed the Broncos' new coaching staff in the offseason and enters training camp as the club's starting left tackle. Colorado State's all-time leading passer, Grayson spent last season on the Saints' practice squad after landing a spot on the team's 53-man roster his rookie year. He remains a backup to future Hall of Famer Drew Brees.

Rounding out the returnees are second-year players DeAndre Elliott (Seattle Seahawks), Rashard Higgins (Cleveland Browns) and Cory James (Oakland Raiders). Elliott joined the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent and quickly emerged as one of the team's top special teamers. He finished his rookie season with eight tackles and was named a team captain for the Week 14 matchup against Green Bay. A fifth-round selection of the Browns, Higgins recorded six catches for 77 yards as a rookie but was burdened by a quarterback carousel that forced six different signal callers--including two rookies and a listed wide receiver--into the role. Middle linebacker Cory James entered the 2016 season hopeful to make Oakland's final roster, but quickly emerged as one of the league's top defensive rookies. Through Week 6, his 33 tackles ranked second on the team and third amongst all rookies. He finished his rookie campaign with 48 tackles and a forced fumble in five starts.

Raiders LB Cory James has the most tackles for a LB (21) without having a missed tackle this season.

Stats to know: https://t.co/oY7eLXHHVf pic.twitter.com/hhiJ7P6PaK
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) October 7, 2016

The latest Ram in CSU's linebacker-pipeline to the NFL, Kevin Davis joined the Los Angeles Rams in April as an undrafted free agent. Pro Football Focus immediately named him one of the biggest steals of the UDFA class and profiled him in their article, "Sure-tackling LB Kevin Davis signs with the Rams".

The NFL Preseason begins on Aug. 3 with the annual Hall of Fame Game, this year featuring the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. All teams must have their rosters down to the final 53-man by Sept. 2 before the regular season officially kicks off on Sept. 7.

#NextLevelRams

Player	Team	Season	Depth Chart
Shaquil Barrett	Denver Broncos	4th	2nd at SLB, behind Von Miller
Kapri Bibbs	San Francisco 49ers	4th	3rd at RB
Kevin Davis	Los Angeles Rams	1st	4th at WLB
DeAndre Elliott	Seattle Seahawks	2nd	4th at LCB
Crockett Gillmore	Baltimore Ravens	4th	1st at TE
Garrett Grayson	New Orleans Saints	3rd	3rd at QB
Rashard Higgins	Cleveland Browns	2nd	2nd at RWR
Cory James	Oakland Raiders	2nd	1st at MLB
Weston Richburg	New York Giants	4th	1st at C
Ty Sambrailo	Denver Broncos	3rd	1st at LT

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