After selecting eight players in the draft, the Los Angeles Rams added 19 priority free agents in the days after the big event. There’s a good chance at least one undrafted free agent will make the 53-man roster, given the Rams’ knack for finding talent in the UDFA pool.

Former Georgia linebacker Natrez Patrick is among the players aiming to stick with the Rams as an undrafted free agent, but it won’t be easy. He has to not only prove himself on the field, but also show that he’s mature off it.

Patrick was arrested three times for marijuana-related charges during his time with the Bulldogs, but he was never dismissed from the team. He served a four-game suspension and was forced to watch the 2018 Rose Bowl from an in-patient rehab center, but he never gave up his football dream.

After getting back on the right path with the help of motivational speaker Damon West, going to rehab in Augusta, Ga., and the support of his family, Patrick is ready to take the next step and leave his troubles in the past.

After the draft, he drew interest from the Panthers in addition to the Rams – who he had “a lot” of contact with – but he ultimately picked L.A. because of Sean McVay, the lack of depth at linebacker and how he fit with the team.

“It was kind of in limbo, between Carolina and the Rams,” Patrick said in a phone interview. “And I just felt the Rams was the best situation for me. Just the opportunity as far as, there’s a lot of opportunity at that linebacker position as far as depth when it comes to those guys. I just liked the vibe. I like Coach McVay and the message he teaches. And I’ve got nothing but great reviews on them. It was just the best situation for me, my agent and my family.”

Patrick played off-ball linebacker in college, but that wasn’t his position in high school. He was always a hand-in-the-dirt pass rusher, lining up on the edge and getting after the quarterback. He was darn good at it, too, drawing interest from schools such as Alabama, Clemson, Florida and Auburn. As a four-star recruit, he was certainly on most schools’ radars.

It wasn’t until his second-to-last game in high school that he transitioned to inside linebacker.

“All through high school, I never played linebacker. I never stood up. I always had my hand in the dirt,” Patrick said. “Probably a game before the state championship my senior year, it was horrific. Guys were going down left and right out of that linebacker room. And my coach had to make a decision and just said, ‘Man, we need you to do this.’ I had a knack for it. I don’t know what it was, I had a knack for it – an instinct for the ball and it stuck.

“When UGA saw that – because actually, I was brought into UGA as an outside linebacker – when they saw that film of me, they were like, ‘Whoa, we might be able to do something here.’ It’s definitely my roots. Like I said, I’ve been doing it for a long time and it’s not anything new to me.”

With the Rams, he might get the chance to rush the passer again. He said the coaches view him as a versatile tweener who can play inside and outside linebacker, similar to the way Clay Matthews has in the past.

For Patrick, he doesn’t care what he has to do to make the team. He’ll do whatever it takes.

“I fit well wherever they put me,” Patrick said, laughing. “So wherever that may be. They’ve actually been talking about me being a tweener between inside and outside ‘backer. So I’m excited, I get to go back to my roots a little bit and rush the passer. But wherever they put me. I don’t care if they want me to hold the water bottle. I’ll do whatever they want me to, it doesn’t matter.”

Patrick is a bigger linebacker, listed at 6-foot-3, 242 pounds. His play reflects that size, too, because he knows how to lay the wood. He says his “physicality” is his best trait as a linebacker, but that doesn’t mean he’s only a thumper.

“I’m an all-around player, but my physicality is different,” he said. “I’m a bigger-bodied backer and I want you to feel me when I get to you.”

Patrick didn’t get a combine invite because of his previous arrests, so he wasn’t able to showcase his speed, agility and movement skills in Indianapolis. He’s a fluid athlete and when he gets to Los Angeles for minicamp on Monday, he wants to show that.

When asked what he wants to prove to the Rams in minicamp, he made it very clear what his goal is.

“Just run. I’m going to try to come in in the best shape and show them that I can run and fly around, look explosive, look quick and just fly around,” he replied without hesitation.

Patrick doesn’t necessarily see himself in any other linebackers in the NFL, as he always tries to be his own player. However, there is one player he’s been watching a lot of, and it’s someone the Rams saw a lot of in Super Bowl LIII.

“I’ve been looking a lot at Dont’a Hightower. Coming from Coach (Jeremy) Pruitt. Pruitt was one of my coaches when Coach (Mark) Richt was (at Georgia), and Coach (Glenn) Schumann. Guys that have been around him and told me the type of person, the type of player he is. His body type, all the above,” Patrick explained. “So that’s kind of a guy I’ve looked after. I’ve always modeled my game after myself. I’ve never modeled my game after anybody else, but if there was anybody that I’ve paid attention to and tried to take anything from, it would’ve been him.”

The pre-draft process is long and grueling for prospects, but Patrick embraced it. He said it was “exciting” and trained with “a great group of guys” at Chip Smith’s performance center in Georgia.

He was pleased with his pro day performance and his hard work paid off, eventually earning him the opportunity in Los Angeles.

“It was an amazing adventure. Like I said, just the opportunity – it wasn’t promised for me. I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, but I conquered them and I’m glad I can put all of that behind me and I still have a chance to live my dream. … I was fortunate to sign with the Rams,” Patrick said.

Despite the negative impact his past mistakes had on his draft stock, Patrick wouldn’t change a thing. He said his lowest point was having to watch his team in the Rose Bowl from a rehab center, which is when he realized he had to put football and his family first. After being away from the team and reflecting on his situation, Patrick said he “had no more selfish intentions.”

“It definitely changed me as a person. I had to grow up. I was making immature, young mistakes. I had to grow up,” he said. “It helped me, I think. I wouldn’t change anything if I was to do it all over. Because it made me the person that I am today.

Making the 53-man roster on a team that just reached the Super Bowl won’t be easy, but Patrick has the drive and talent to attain his goals. Don’t be surprised if he catches the eye of McVay, Wade Phillips and the rest of the Rams’ coaches next week and throughout the summer.