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theramswire.usatoday.com]
UDFA Aarion Penton suddenly has immediate impact potential with Rams
Los Angeles Rams cornerback Troy Hill was suspended for the first two games of the 2017 season, which gives an opportunity Aarion Penton.
Hill, who was an undrafted free agent from the University of Oregon in 2016, will miss the first two games of the upcoming season due to substance-abuse suspension. The Rams did not draft a cornerback in the 2017 NFL Draft but did sign Penton as an undrafted free agent.
After the draft, this is what Rams head coach Sean McVay had to say about their defensive backs:
“I think when you look at just coming out of the minicamp, what we saw, I think there’s a handful of guys that showed they can play at the corner spot … You see guys like Troy Hill, Nickell Robey(-Coleman), they give us some depth. E.J. Gaines has played a lot of football.”
The Rams have Trumaine Johnson and Kayvon Webster as their two likely starting cornerbacks on the left and right side. Then, Robey-Coleman will presumably play the slot.
McVay mentioned that the defense will look different playing for their new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.
The Rams are speculated to move slot cornerback Lamarcus Joyner to safety, which means they do lack depth beyond Gaines.
Meanwhile, Hill played 100% of defensive snaps against the Giants, 95% against the Buccaneers and 65.7% against the Seahawks.
In their draft guide, Pro Football Focus ranked Penton ahead of UCLA’s Fabian Moreau, who was selected in the 3rd round.
Expect him to have a chance to fill many of the snaps that Hill won’t be able to during the first two weeks of the year if he makes the roster. And if he does make the roster and play well, Penton may have just suddenly stumbled into an opportunity for real NFL success next season.
