Rookie Chris Garrett will be ideal teammate for LA Rams Aaron Donald
In LA Rams News: Rookie outside linebacker Chris Garrett may have fallen far in the 2021 NFL Draft, but he is ideal for LA Rams Aaron Donald
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Chris Garrett will be ideal teammate for LA Rams Aaron Donald
The fact of the matter is that LA Rams rookie outside linebacker Chris Garret was one of the most productive NCAA pass rushers in the 2021 NFL Draft. In fact, his 36.5 quarterback sacks over 28 games and three college football seasons were one of the most dominating performances of this millennium. And yet, the 6-foot-4 245-pound dynamo was still on the draft board for the LA Rams with the 252nd pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. He may even have been undrafted had the Rams not called out his name.So why did he fall so far, while dominating offensive lines his entire collegiate career? Well, it comes down to a matter of trust. After all, Chris Garrett is just the third player from Concordia to land a spot on an NFL team. The first was wide receiver Todd Black, who was a Chicago Bear in 1987. The second was defensive end Zach Moore, who played for four different teams in four NFL seasons from 2014-2018. In terms of finding NFL stars at Concordia-St. Paul? Perhaps there was good reason to be wary.
Production was too good?
Still, that production was perhaps another reason that caused pause from NFL teams. As the old adage goes: “If it’s too good to be true, it usually is.” While this is a good rule to instill in the minds of children who haven’t the experience to measure the unforeseen risks in their decisions, it may not be the best default when selecting potential players whose production is off the charts.
Garrett accounted for 166 tackles in 28 college games. That’s nearly six tackles per game, and even without the huge number of quarterback sacks, is eye-popping in its own right. But there’s more. He forced 15 fumbles, deflected nine passes, recovered four fumbles, and even blocked a kick. But the statistic that caught my eye is 48.5 tackles for a loss, and 273 yards lost from those tackles. (we’ll talk about them more later).
The challenge in taking those numbers at face value is that if you accept them as-is, then Garrett has the potential to be an elite NFL pass rusher. And yet, there he was, almost ignored from the draft class of 2021. What was missing?
The perfect partner for an All-Pro pass rusher
The LA Rams have sought the right partner to complement the dominating presence of All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald on the defensive line for years. In each season, the Rams have either uncovered a player who can apply significant pressure on the quarterback, or who can disrupt the running game.
Perhaps the best complementary player so far has been veteran outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who has done an outstanding job of playing well at all aspects of the outside linebacker position.
Still, it’s been an Aaron Donald dictated defense. Offenses have simply mastered their strategy of locating Donald and then directing the offensive play in another direction. While Floyd has helped the Rams defense to get to the quarterback if the offensive line remains too focused on Donald (He had seven sacks against Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, a team infamous for committing 2-4 offensive linemen to block Aaron Donald per play)
Turn the beat around
Even with just Chris Garrett on the football field, he flashes an amazingly fast bust off the edge. When he came in to face the Las Vegas Raiders with the Rams behind by the score of 7-0, the offense had not gotten on track, and the defense was trying to turn the momentum around. Chris Garrett did exactly that when he tipped a 1st-and-10 pass by Raiders quarterback Nathan Peterman into the outstretched arms of teammate J.R. Reed. The Rams were able to convert that turnover into a touchdown.
While this was all preseason, this was Garrett’s first chance to compete against other players in the NFL. In just two series, he demonstrated the same explosiveness and game-changing ability that he showcased throughout his collegiate career. In essence, the NFL game of professional football is not bigger than Chris Garrett. It seems that Chris Garrett has grown to the level of the NFL game.
Why Garrett is more than meets the eye
Nobody argued that the collegiate performance of Chris Garrett was anything short of masterful. The pushback came in the form of two arguments. The first from those who believed that he faced far inferior competition in college than he will meet in the NFL. The second is from those who believe that he was too sold-out to get to the quarterback, and would be a huge liability to an NFL defense trying to set the edge or defend against the run.
But he made another eye-popping play, tackling one of the Las Vegas Raiders hottest running backs Trey Ragas for a six-yard loss on first down. Two plays later, Garrett and teammate Jonah Williams sacked Peterman for a five-yard loss. In the next play, Garrett broke up a pass to running back Ragas. On the very next play, Garrett sacked Peterman again, forcing a fumble. While the Raiders recovered the football, Garrett proved in two defensive series that he is more than meets the eye.
Picking up the pace
The latest fad for NFL offenses when matching up against the LA Rams is to dink and dunk the ball. Perhaps the best (or worst) example of that is the offensive game plan used by the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. They effectively ran the ball at the heart of the Rams defense and then used short high-percentage passing plays to keep the defense off-balance. But they have done so because the tremendous power of Aaron Donald, and his ability to pressure quarterbacks so quickly, has forced offenses to shorten the field.
But even All-Pro Aaron Donald has his limits. Facing multiple blockers and game plans that move the ball away from him have been effective. But now that the LA Rams have a bit of lightning-fast pressure coming from the other side of the football field? What if…?
Garrett proved in the preseason games just how effective he can play without Aaron Donald on the field. He tipped a pass to his teammate for the interception, got a tackle on a running back for a huge loss, got two quarterback sacks, and even forced a fumble. They were all back-to-back plays that occurred over the span of five minutes. If the LA Rams needed a faster pass rusher to flush out the quarterback like a bird dog flushes out ruffed grouse, then the Rams have their guy.
Garrett is not overly powerful. He is simply built to terrorize quarterbacks off the edge, and he will get the chance to do so this season. To this point in time, the Rams have sought players who would allow Aaron Donald to flush the quarterback out of the pocket and then make the sack. With Garrett, the Rams have a player who can flush the quarterback into Donald’s waiting arms. Donald will pick up the sack because Garrett has picked up the pace.
