Don't get me wrong on Rapp--I'm a big fan and solid in my book means alot. And they have put him man on tes almost all season. But that also inflates the tackle numbers fwiw. I meant to communicate I dont think he has JJ3 upside. Hope to be proved wrong but in the meantime I'll take the solid SS safety/cover player combo he is right now. The Rams are a smart team--they recognize how important coverage and the passing game is to winning. Rapp right now reacts slow--he's usually late in the run game and in zone coverage. He plays best in man but to be expected with a rookie. Also, they put alot on him and I think the dbs know Weddle needs some help which keeps them conservative. Plus, cant drop INTs all day. NFL teams are going to stock their rosters with players like Rapp. Essentially the new 3-4 ILB. Which is where I'd love to see him play. Tired of the Reeder experiment.
Long is a starter on 3rd downs and passing situations in the future imo. That's probably 30+ % of snaps. This dude just covers tight like a boss. Love the way he plays. They give him any sort of role consistency and I could easily see him play at or above Hill's level next year. And Hill is on of the best #2 corners on any team. When Hill is up for free agency, after next year I believe, he is going to get paid. And Long steps right in.
Marqui is a solid coverage player but he isnt a physical player imo. He needs to play Weddle's spot at Free/Deep Safety to maximize his skillset.
Gaines is good right now. I'm very impressed with his quickness off the snap. Could see the Rams playing Gaines and SJD simultaneously vs run teams with one on the nose and the other at end to replace Brockers. Prefer rotating them to keep them fresh but dollars right.
All I have seen out of Edwards and Evans is some marginally good run blocking. Evans is getting babied with a ton of help. Hav was left on an island. I've never been sold on Hav as a player--always played super slow and uncoordinated to me. With bad fundamentals--his hand placement in pass pro is cringe worthy. Basically, I havent seen enough true snaps to judge either. And Edwards penalties dont mean anything to me. They were ticky tack and he's a smart dude. Won't happen again unless he gets physically beaten.
