5 breakout defensive stars for LA Rams DC Staley in 2020?

5 breakout defensive stars for LA Rams Coach Staley in 2020

[ramblinfan.com]

After the 2020 NFL Draft, the LA Rams roster is set. Now, who will step up as future defensive stars of this team? Here are our 5 top nominees:

The LA Rams now draft for the future. How far into the future is where the true debate really happens. While there are some minor tweaks in the team philosophy as to how 2020 schemes will be focused on both offense and defense, the roster has been built with enough flexibility to address many of those questions already.

In fact, as we look towards the 2021 NFL Draft, many, myself included, must resolve where the needs for that draft will exist. We are probably only looking at the next upcoming draft through the lens of 2020 NFL starters. Who do we believe will earn starting roles in 2020? But what if we are wrong about the team’s desperate hopes to land NFL starters in the 2020 NFL Draft? What if, and I’m clearly just speculating here for argument’s sake, the Rams coaching staff is not as panicked by the roster “as is” as the fans and media. What if they know who will succeed this year?

It’s tough for fans to wrap around the same perspective held by the team’s front office and coaching staff at this point in the season. We did not sit at team virtual meetings where the Rams draft priorities were discussed. We know who was drafted, but not why, nor for what role in 2020. If that information was readily available, would we all feel content? Likely not all, but many fans would have a clearer understanding of the roster’s full potential at this point.

Using that as the starting point, the 2020 NFL Draft perspective changes rapidly. If the team truly believes that all 2020 starters are on the roster before the draft, which truly should be the case, then the front office entered the draft entirely for competitive talent and depth. If the team has already decided who will emerge from the draft as the likely starter, then fans’ expectations can relax a bit, and allow rookies to develop at a slower, and more organic pace.

DB Burgess

Terrell Burgess is one of those do-it-all players who always seem to fall in the NFL Draft because teams struggle to slot a multiple-role player. And in the 2020 NFL Draft, this talented defensive back who can assume virtually any role in the defensive backfield fell because teams simply did not know how to project his talents into the NFL.

Burgess is a typically-sized defensive back, standing 5-foot-11 and weighing a svelte 202-pounds. He is the ideal hybrid defensive back, affording the Rams an opportunity to use Burgess as a safety, cornerback, or even linebacker on defense depending on the situation. He was a starter in his senior season only at Utah, when he recorded 81 of his total 116 tackles. Due to his size, he cannot project as a three-down player. But if he adds muscle mass in the weight room without slowing down, He could find significant defensive snaps among cornerback, safety, slot cornerback, or even as a passing down linebacker.

He is a perfect complement to the Rams defensive interior when lined up next to a thumper like Micah Kiser. His pass coverage skill is on par to handle running backs, tight ends, or even slot receivers. Perhaps one of the most undervalued skills Burgess brings to the defense is his incredible preparation and overall football IQ. Not only can he execute defensive plays called, but he is very active diagnosing plays before the snap and flexing his assignment to the proper target.

LB Young

Linebacker Kenny Young will forever be the “other guy” in the trade which sent cornerback Marcus Peters to the Baltimore Ravens for a fifth-round pick. Young was a rapidly improving linebacker while at Baltimore, enjoying the respect of a solid backup linebacker who had stepped up to fill in as the starter on two separate equations. Despite the trust from the Ravens coaching staff to step up for starting snaps, he never seemed to generate that same level of trust from the LA Rams coaching staff.

He was also that guy who welcomed Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew to the NFL with a devastating sack that knocked Minshew’s helmet off. That physical style of play was Young’s trademark as a Ravens part-time starter. In fact, Young started six of the 21 games he played as a Baltimore Raven. As a Raven, he recorded 68 tackles, 2.5 sacks, seven tackles-for-losses, and allowed 19 of 27 passes to be completed.

It was perhaps that 70 percent pass completion rate against him which likely directed him exclusively to the Rams special teams play. But his mid-season arrival likely thwarted his opportunity to contribute on the field for the Rams’ defense. Now the Rams must put his through the paces with their playbook and determine if the 6-foot-1 234-pound interior linebacker has what it takes for a larger role with the Rams in the 2020 NFL season.

Young is a 2018 hybrid defensive player who suffered in his draft stock because scouts could not slot him into a singular defensive role. As we described in a previous article written about Young’s chances to start in 2020:

“He was too big and slow to be a cornerback. He was too slow and muscular to be an NFL safety. And he was judged to be too small and light to be an effective NFL linebacker. So many teams had no clue how to grade him, to project him onto the NFL.

Since the Rams’ new defensive philosophy emphasizes versatility, he will no doubt get solid looks at the linebacker position. That could be as a starter, or simply as a specialty package for the defense. But his role with the Rams truly depends on his ability to remain in the hip pocket of tight ends and running backs in pass coverage. If he demonstrates the ability to defend the pass consistently, the second starting linebacker position is his to lose.

DL Robinson

Defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson has been a notoriously strong defensive lineman whose efforts to dominate on the line of scrimmage have been stymied by his role as the primary blocker-gobbler on the defense. The good news is that being the primary focus of opposing offensive linemen will likely end the moment he steps onto the field lined up to All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald. The bad news is that it will determine just how good he truly is when facing just one blocker.

Robinson is most closely similar to former LA Rams defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh. Suh was a powerful big man who intimidated offenses. And both Suh and Robinson have attracted more than their fair share of blockers. Robinson gives all the appearance of a circus strong-man, and he plays like it. While he will fill the Rams minor need as a true defensive nose tackle, he does have the potential to play any of the Rams’ defensive line positions.

So far, his role has been virtually one dimensional on defense. Stand-your-ground, don’t advance and don’t retreat, and don’t let anyone with the football get past. He has been very effective in that very specific role, but do not look for the Rams to repeat that simplistic ask. After all, the Rams deception keys on players doing the unexpected. While Robinson will likely not slide into pass coverage, the 6-foot-4 330-pound mini-Hercules can devastate offenses in multiple ways. He can become a huge pivot player for the Rams to stunt on the defensive line, simply by turning him towards Aaron Donald’s blockers and letting Donald loop behind him for an unhampered shot at the offensive backfield.

And at 6-foot-4, do not be surprised to see an occasional play where Robinson stands up and slides back into coverage. His height and arm-length create natural obstructions to a quarterback’s visibility and passing lanes. Robinson excelled in a limited role with the Detroit Lions in 2018, earning an impressive 89.7 rating from Pro Football Focus. When that did not result in more snaps in 2019, he struggled with his continued limited role. He arrives at a much larger role and into the spotlight aimed the Rams defensive front, and the energy and change of zip code should result in a very motivated strong-man. To succeed here, he doesn’t need to sack the quarterback. He just needs to take some of the pressure off Donald. He’ll do a little of both, making him an ideal complement to Donald, and the ideal nose tackle for the Rams.

LB Kiser

LA Rams inside linebacker Micah Kiser was on track to earn a starting linebacker role next to Cory Littleton in 2019. But an injury derailed those plans, an injury which not only put him on the bench but which shattered his hopes to secure his first starting role for the team. Now, as he battles back from injury, Kiser must once more battle for a starting role on this defense. Can he do it?

Kiser is a 6-foot-0 244-pound brute in the Rams defense interior. He is the run-stopper interior linebacker which the Rams have sought in recent years. He was slated to partner with cover-specialist Cory Littleton in 2019, a duo that would have had a devastating impact against opposing offense. Now Kiser must hope for another coverage-type linebacker to pair alongside in the Rams defense for 2019.

Kiser was the pre-draft favorite to land a starting role as an interior linebacker on the defense, and if his rehab has remained on track, we have no reason to change that projection. He is the favorite from the crowded linebacker group simply because he had the starter designation from 2019. While the defense will have new strategies, the Rams will continue to emphasize run defense from the interior, which is directly in Kiser’s wheelhouse. If the Rams can pair up Kiser with a coverage specialist linebacker like Travin Howard, or newly signed UDFA linebacker Bryan London II on defense, the Rams will have both run and pass defense for the interior covered in 2020.

OLB Lewis

Outside linebacker Terrell Lewis was one of our favorite edge rushers from the 2020 NFL Draft. But in virtually all of our mocks leading up to draft day, Lewis was selected at 52, and never lasted until round three. His fall to the 84th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft has been attributed to concerns about his health. But in all honesty, there was much more going on in the early rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft than imperfect medical information.

The draft was loaded with wide receivers, quarterbacks, defensive backs, offensive tackles, and even defensive linemen. With mini-runs occurring throughout the NFL Draft, edge rusher Terrell Lewis was a secondary target for teams. Fortunately for the LA Rams, they were able to call his name in round three.

Yes, Terrell Lewis was injured in Alabama. He suffered an elbow injury, followed by an ACL injury the following year. In a year with many concerns over incomplete medical histories, and plenty of talented alternatives, Lewis was simply a casualty of timid NFL general managers who opted for above-average players with relatively certain NFL futures than high-ceiling players who may have greater injury risks. Fortunately for the Rams, Lewis’ upside was too attractive to look-away from.

Let’s discuss that upside. Lewis flashed elite potential at college and will slide into a custom-built role for him in the NFL. He will be coached by two of the best outside linebacker coaches in the NFL: defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, and linebackers coach Joe Barry. He will play opposite veteran OLB Leonard Floyd and be the primary pass-rusher off the edge alongside defensive lineman Aaron Donald.

For all of the “if he stays healthy” warning labels on this guy, he will absolutely begin his NFL career with a huge impact. That floor could be at the Clay Matthews level where he is proficient but perhaps not headlining, but he will hold his own for the Rams for as their primary pass rusher. On the other hand, his upside is much more, particularly in years two and three. The LA Rams sought a competent edge rusher in the 2020 NFL Draft. What they found is a player who has the perfect scenario to become an NFL elite player.