A few years ago, not many people other than Keagen Trost and perhaps his family would have realistically envisioned what happened Friday night.

That’s when the 2019 Kankakee graduate officially became a member of the NFL.

After grinding out a seven-year college career that began at Division II Morgan State (Ind.) and ended as a first-team All-SEC tackle at the University of Missouri, Trost was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 93rd overall.

The right tackle was a third-team AP All-American and Pro Football Focus All-American, rated by the latter as the nation’s highest-graded offensive lineman in his second season with the Tigers last fall.

After beginning his career at Morgan State, Trost transferred to Division I FCS Indiana State ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic cost him 2020 and an injury cost him most of 2021 before he became a two-year starter for the Sycamores.

That led him to Wake Forest, where he saw action in a dozen games for the Demon Deacons in 2024, and finally to Missouri, where Trost consistently won pass and run block battles against some of the nation’s premier defensive linemen to further boost his profile.

Trost told the Daily Journal last month that the path he had to take to college football stardom has helped him prepare for his career in the NFL.

“I’m not sure how my career would’ve gone if I’d have just went to Mizzou out of high school, but shoot, I think everything happens for a reason,” Trost said. “If I could do it all over, I would do it the same, honestly.

“It’d be easier if I could go to a big school out of high school, but just going to those different schools, being at those lower levels and kind of working my way up, it kind of just showed how bad I wanted to keep getting better and better.

“I’m trying to bring that same thing to the NFL.”

Slotted as a likely third-day pick between the fourth and sixth rounds of most mock drafts, the Rams didn’t let Trost slip that far when they took him near the end of the third round. With the franchise putting that much draft capital in the former Kay, Trost could find himself competing for playing time immediately.

Trost was joined by another Kankakee area standout to join the NFL this week. Josh Gesky, a 2021 Manteno graduate, signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent following the final round of the draft Saturday.