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In Their Own Words: Kelly Ready to Compete in Running Backs Room

With the close of the 2018 NFL Draft, 11 college prospects can now call themselves Los Angeles Rams.

After a draft haul that saw the franchise make moves to acquire 10 selections in Day 3 alone, the Rams were able to replenish depth at multiple positions — bringing in several new, dynamic playmakers.

And now that the big event has come and past, therams.com will be taking a look at each member of the club's 2018 Draft Class.


Rams running back John Kelly had the unique opportunity to learn from one of the league's brightest talents while at Tennessee. For two seasons, the dual-threat back got the chance to develop under the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, Alvin Kamara, before having his own breakout season last year.

Kelly finished his junior campaign with a team-high 831 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on 189 carries. He became one of just four players in the country to lead his team in both rushing yards and receptions.

In 2018, the running back will once again have the chance to learn from one of the NFL's best, a former Offensive Rookie of the Year and the current AP Offensive Player of the Year, Todd Gurley — something Kelly is looking forward to taking full advantage of.

Here is John Kelly in his own words:

On how he feels about being drafted by the Rams:

"This feels unreal. I can't even explain it. I'm so blessed. I felt comfortable with foregoing my senior season and taking my next step in my football process. I mean it just landed me a job with the Rams, so I feel like I made a good decision. I'm blessed."

On taking on a bigger role as a pass-catching running back at Tennessee:

"I just wanted to show my versatility in the game. I got a chance to learn from guys like Alvin and just do work with the receivers and everything. I definitely just wanted to be able to incorporate the route running and pass-catching in my game because I know it translates to the league. So, I was just blessed to have a guy like Alvin that was able to show me how to perfect my craft on that."

On what it was like watching his ex-teammate Alvin Kamara make an impact in the NFL and if he thinks he can make an impact himself:

"Yeah, definitely. Me just being able to watch him work at practice and caught everything, translated to the league. I expected him to do the great things that he did and just having a guy like that is motivation for all the younger guys that are under him. So, that definitely motivated me a lot, too, as I continued."

*On watching Todd Gurley throughout the years and what he thinks he can contribute in the running backs room:
*

"Oh yeah, I definitely got a chance to watch Todd play over the years. I think he's a great back in the league, obviously. I really just can't wait to be able to learn some of the things that he was able to do and just be able to compete with him at practice. So I'm definitely looking forward to it."

Check out the jersey numbers that have been assigned to the Rams' draft picks and undrafted free agents.

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