PFF: Position unit rankings entering 2016

[www.profootballfocus.com]

Quarterback Situations
27. Los Angeles Rams

Starter: Jared Goff
Backup: Case Keenum

Key stat: 58.8 percent of Goff’s yards gained last season came in the air rather than after the catch, a figure that would have ranked in the top 10 in the NFL.

Jared Goff is the QB of the future for L.A. The only question is how long Rams fans have to wait to see it. He was the highest-graded QB in the nation last season, and even when pressured, had an NFL passer rating of 87.1, but his college offense was not exactly pro-style, and there may be an adjustment period before he is ready to start. If he isn’t, Keenum will get a chance to add to a career that is only 942 snaps old, but has seen some bright spots. Last season, he started five games, and outside of a poor first start against the Ravens, graded well.

Running Back Units
6. Los Angeles Rams

Starter: Todd Gurley
Backup: Tre Mason

Key stat: 45.9 percent of Todd Gurley’s yardage came on runs of 15+ yards, the highest rate in the league.

Gurley overcame one of the ugliest offensive lines in the NFL en route to the most touchdowns (10) and broken tackles (42) of any rookie back. Now two years removed from an ACL injury, there is reason to believe Gurley could reach the next level in 2016. During his last season at Georgia, he recorded 37 broken tackles on 123 attempts.

Receiving Corps
32. Los Angeles Rams

Projected starters: WR Kenny Britt, WR Tavon Austin, WR Brian Quick, TE Lance Kendricks
Key depth: WR Pharoh Cooper, WR Mike Thomas, WR Marquez Bradley, TE Tyler Higbee

Key stat: Tavon Austin has graded higher as a runner than as a receiver every single season since entering the league.

This isn’t an ideal welcome to Los Angeles for Jared Goff (California), with—in our opinion—the lowest-ranked group of wide receivers and tight ends in the NFL waiting for him. Lance Kendricks dropped four of the 29 catchable passes thrown his way last season, and doesn’t look ready to be the team’s top tight end, so it may not be long before Tyler Higbee (Western Kentucky), who had the fifth-highest receiving grade among tight ends in college a year ago, takes his spot in the starting line up. At wide receiver, Tavon Austin has graded higher as a runner than as a receiver in every season since entering the league. He can make people miss in space, though, forcing 19 missed tackles on 52 receptions, and 14 on 52 carries a year ago. Kenny Britt is the default top receiver on this roster, but had more drops (five) than touchdowns (three) a year ago.

Offensive Lines
31. Los Angeles Rams

Projected starters: LT Greg Robinson, LG Jamon Brown, C Tim Barnes, RG Rodger Saffold, RT Rob Havenstein
Roster depth: Isaiah Battle, Andrew Donnal, Garrett Reynolds

Key stat: The Rams’ projected starting offensive line has played 230 snaps together.

In 2015, the Rams loaded up on offensive linemen in the draft. They hit on Rob Havenstein, but they are still waiting for the rest of their younger linemen to develop. In the short-term, they might be better off finding someone else at left tackle and starting Garrett Reynolds, but instead, it looks like they will stick with their younger linemen for now and see if they can reach their potential.

Defensive Front Sevens
4. Los Angeles Rams

Projected starters: DT Aaron Donald, DT Michael Brockers; DE William Hayes, DE Robert Quinn; LB Mark Barron, MLB Alec Ogletree, LB Akeem Ayers
Other names to know: DT Dominique Easley, DT Cam Thomas; DE Quinton Coples, DE Eugene Sims

Key stat: The Rams recorded a stop on 63.0 percent of run plays in their base defense last year, third-best in the league.

The Rams front seven is a tale of two position groups really, but the quality of their defensive line still pulls them near the top of these rankings. Their defensive line is stacked with Aaron Donald the star of the starting crew and bringing Dominique Easley off the bench will give the Rams quality depth at defensive tackle for a second year in a row. If Robert Quinn can reproduce his 2013 form then this defensive line would boast two of the best players in the entire NFL. The intrigue at linebacker is how Alec Ogletree will fare having finally made the switch to middle linebacker to replace the departed James Laurinaitis.

Secondaries
27. Los Angeles Rams

Projected starters: CB Trumaine Johnson, CB E.J. Gaines, SCB Lamarcus Joyner, S T.J. McDonald, S Maurice Alexander
Other names to know: S Cody Davis, CB Coty Sensabaugh, CB Marcus Roberson, CB Troy Hill

Key stat: Johnson allowed a 55.0 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks, the second-lowest rating among NFL cornerbacks in 2015.

With the Rams choosing Trumaine Johnson over Janoris Jenkins (Giants) this offseason, the former now becomes their No. 1 cornerback. Beyond Johnson though, they have Joyner—who graded out as average in coverage last season, and was a bit of a liability against the run—and Gaines, who made some good plays as a rookie in 2014, but missed the entire 2015 season due to a foot injury. At safety, McDonald has put together some good stretches of play, particularly during the second-half of the 2014 season. The Rams also have to replace Rodney McLeod (Eagles) with Maurice Alexander, who earned negative overall grades in four of his five fill-in starts last year.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/14/2016 03:45AM by LMU93.