Surprising: Rams rookies surprised the league despite not having a first-round pick…
ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams knew going into the 2024 season that they would have to rely more than in previous years on their youthful players and rookies.
The Rams would not resemble the team that had sold its high draft picks to acquire talent as recently as the 2021 season, having let go of several veteran contributors throughout the offseason and opting not to spend heavily in free agency.
Quarterback Stetson Bennett, who missed the entire season due to sickness, was the biggest loss for the Rams. Rams coach Sean McVay stated during his season-ending news conference that it is too soon to determine the backup quarterback’s availability for the upcoming campaign. Earlier this month, Snead was asked if he thought that choice was a mistake. “I would say no because it is very early,” Snead remarked. I believe it’s probably necessary to consider the entirety of a player’s career in order to decide whether a draft pick was a mistake. Time will tell, then.”
However, Snead saw the Rams’ “remodeling” process as being accelerated by the rest of their rookie class, and the team made the playoffs in a season that many observers did not think they would. This season, McVay and a number of senior players—such as defensive end Aaron Donald and quarterback Matthew Stafford—discussed the enthusiasm and vitality that the younger players provided to the locker room.
The Rams’ two draft selections, Nacua (Offensive Rookie of the Year) and Turner (Defensive Rookie of the Year), are vying for end-of-season honors. Nacua set an NFL rookie record for the most receptions and receiving yards during his debut season, with 105 receptions for 1,486 yards and six touchdowns. Nacua’s yardage total eclipsed Bill Groman’s 63-year-old record of 1,473 receiving yards in 14 games in 1960.
With nine sacks, Turner matched the franchise record set by Donald in 2014 for the most by a rookie for the Rams. He also made history as the only rookie in the franchise’s history to lead the team in sacks at the conclusion of the regular season. Additionally, according to Next Gen Stats, he had 22 QB pressures when double-teamed, although acknowledging that playing with Donald contributed to some of his success. Quinnen Williams of the New York Jets, a defensive tackle, has the most.
This season, Turner topped rookies in sacks. Where is No. 2 on the list? Young, who in 17 games had eight sacks. Young (63), and Turner (47), together accounted for 110 pressures in the 2023 season, the most of any rookie combo since 2018, according to Next Gen Stats.
“I’m quite enthusiastic about them,” McVay remarked on the two. “I just believe that two guys who performed a terrific job for us and who are highly coachable and in line with our search criteria make up wise. I felt Kobie was really good. I felt Byron improved throughout the season; he’s wise above his years.
“…our club has a unique bunch of young players, but those two in particular were truly standouts, and I’m really happy with them.”
In response to a question regarding the implications of the rookie class’s success for the Rams’ team-building methodology going ahead, Snead stated that “we’ll take an intentional approach to that” but that it’s too soon to determine “the blueprint for 2024 coming forward.”
Snead stated, “I think we’re lucky to have another year of… possibly more than the typical seven draft picks.” “This year, we have a first-round pick, so we’ll keep attempting to get good football players from the draft-related area of the acquisition calendar. And then bring them back in, incorporate them into our group, and ideally we’ll be stronger than we were this year—at least in terms of manpower.”
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