4 Rams ranked in top 101 players in NFL, including 2 in top 10…

4 Rams ranked among top 101 players in NFL, including 2 in top 10

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

Cameron DaSilva


The regular season is nearly upon us, which means it’s time for outlets to rank the best players in football. The Rams have one of the best rosters on paper, headlined by Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald, boasting a stacked team from top to bottom.

So it’s no surprise that they landed four players on Touchdown Wire’s list of the 101 best players in the NFL today. More impressively, three of those players were ranked inside the top 25, including two in the top six.

So which players made the cut in Doug Farrar and Mark Schofield’s rankings? You can probably guess at least three of them.

90. CB Darious Williams


Williams has finally started to generate some national buzz outside of Los Angeles. Rams fans know how talented he is in coverage, but he’s a legitimate Pro Bowl talent with elite quickness and ball skills – which casual NFL fans should learn this season.

Here’s part of what Touchdown Wire wrote about the Rams’ No. 2 cornerback, lauding his play in coverage last season.

Williams took a huge step forward in 2020, playing over 900 snaps and locking down one of the outside cornerback spots for Brandon Staley’s defense. He was impressive in coverage, allowing a completion of just 48.7% when targeted, and an opposing passer rating of a mere 55.4 when quarterbacks threw in his direction. His 11 pass breakups were a career-high mark.

23. QB Matthew Stafford


Stafford’s stock has been on a rise all offseason since joining the Rams via trade, with expectations being set extremely high for the former Lions quarterback. He should’ve been ranked among the 101 best players regardless of which team he was on, but him joining the Rams certainly gives him a boost in these rankings.

There are still questions about his decision-making at times, but he’s going to bring a more aggressive approach on offense than what the Rams had with Jared Goff. He’s as smart as any quarterback in football and will elevate the offense with his pre-snap reads, too.

Of course, now Stafford gets to operate in Sean McVay’s offensive system, that should find ways for him to attack defenses working off play-action concepts with misdirection elements that stress defenses sideline-to-sideline as well as deep downfield. This could lead to some of the best football of Stafford’s career.

6. CB Jalen Ramsey


Farrar and Schofield view Ramsey as the best cornerback in the NFL, as they should. He’s versatile, rangy, big and instinctual, making him a rare defender in today’s pass-happy league. Ramsey can play outside, in the slot, in the box and even at safety, which not a lot of cornerbacks can say.

It’s great to see Ramsey getting respect as a top-10 player overall because he truly is a game-changer in the secondary.

The “Star” role allowed Ramsey to revisit what he did at Florida State, and allowed him to use his athleticism and field acumen all over the field. From the slot last season, Ramsey allowed six catches on 12 targets for 40 yards, 42 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 57.6. It will be interesting to see if new Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris will have Ramsey in that similar multi-tiered role.

3. DT Aaron Donald


Some might be surprised to see Donald not first or second on this list, but those spots were reserved for Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers, respectively. Donald is the best defender in the league and the top pass rusher, impacting the game in a variety of ways.

He may never win NFL MVP, but Donald has the attention and respect of everyone in football – whether it’s his teammates, opponents or analysts who watch him every week. Whether he’s ranked first or fifth by an outlet, it doesn’t make much of a difference. Everyone knows how dominant he is on the interior.

We all know that Aaron Donald is a Destroyer of Worlds as an interior defensive lineman — he’s had more than 100 total pressures in three of the last four seasons, which would be All-Pro work for an edge-rusher, never mind an inside guy who is the primary focus of every offensive line he faces.