Pro Football Focus ranks Rams roster among best in NFL
Cameron DaSilva
[
theramswire.usatoday.com]
Even before adding Marcus Peters, Aqib Talib, Brandin Cooks and Ndamukong Suh, the Los Angeles Rams had one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. That was the case last season and it was certainly true heading into 2018.
Acquiring those four stars only added to the stacked roster Los Angeles had to begin the offseason. Pro Football Focus recognizes how much talent the Rams have but wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s one of the five best rosters in the league.
Instead, PFF ranked the Rams’ roster ninth, which is a huge jump from their 31st ranking a year ago.
Biggest strength: Interior defender Aaron Donald was the best player in the NFL in 2016 and still somehow managed to get better the following season, leading to his placement at No. 1 in our top-50 list for the second consecutive year. Donald led all players at his position in total pressures (71) despite playing in just 14 games in 2017.
Biggest weakness: Brought in as a third-round pick out of Louisville in 2015, Rams guard Jamon Brown underwhelmed in his first two years as a depth player and carried his poor play as the starter in 2017. He earned a 51.2 overall grade across 1,097 snaps last season, allowing 38 total pressures (30 hurries, 7 hits, 1 sack) in the process.
By the numbers: Overshadowed by Donald, Rams star running back Todd Gurley earned a career-high 92.0 grade as the focal point of Sean McVay’s offensive attack. He ranked inside the top 15 in yards after contact per attempt (2.81) and forced missed tackles on the ground (38) in addition to his fifth-ranked yards per route run (2.14).
Aaron Donald and Todd Gurley clearly give the Rams a big boost overall as they both led their respective positions in overall grades. In fact, Donald had the highest grade of any player in the NFL last season, coming in at 99.7
The weakest links on the roster come at right guard (Jamon Brown), inside linebacker (Mark Barron, Ramik Wilson, Cory Littleton) and edge rusher (Samson Ebukam, Matt Longacre). If the Rams can get solid play out of those three spots, they’ll be in great shape.
