Rankings Rams' Rookies On Impact/Latsch

[RamBill]

Rankings Rams' rookies on impact
By Nate Latsch

http://stl.scout.com/story/1546993-rankings-rams-rookies-on-impact?s=124

Our friend Ryan Talbot at BuffaloFootballReport.com had an article this week examining the Bills’ rookie class and ranking who he thought had the best chance of making an immediate impact. So we’re totally stealing his idea. With a slight twist.
The idea of Rams’ rookies making an “immediate” impact may be a little far-fetched considering that Jeff Fisher isn’t the most likely coach to insert a rookie into the lineup at the start of the season.

After all, we didn’t see first-round picks Greg Robinson and Aaron Donald crack the starting lineup until the fifth game last season — and those were the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 Draft in Robinson and the eventual defensive rookie of the year in Donald.

With that in mind, here are our top five choices for Rams' rookies who could make an impact this season...

5. Louis Trinca-Pasat

An undersized defensive tackle from Iowa, Trinca-Pasat wasn’t selected during the seven rounds of the draft but quickly signed with the Rams as an undrafted rookie free agent. The team’s top three defensive tackles — Donald, Michael Brockers and free agent signee Nick Fairley — should get a bulk of the snaps in the interior but the possibility exists that Trinca-Pasat could not only earn a spot on the 53-man roster but see some game action also.

4. Andrew Donnal

Picked in the fourth round, Donnal was the third offensive lineman the Rams selected in the draft, but the former Iowa right tackle has a chance to emerge as an impact player up front. He was overshadowed with the Hawkeyes by his teammate Brandon Scherff, who was the fifth overall pick by the Washington Redskins, but Donnal’s film shows a player who did a good job in pass pro and also getting push in the run game. the 6-foot-6, 313-pounder was working at left guard during the Rams’ rookie orientation practice sessions and could impress enough during OTAs and training camp to earn snaps at one of the guard spots or right tackle.

3. Rob Havenstein

The 6-foot-7, 321-pounder from Wisconsin, the team’s second-round pick, looks like a prototypical right tackle, where he played with the Badgers, and did a nice job in their run-heavy offense. The Rams expect Havenstein to be their right tackle at some point, but will be show enough to win the starting job for the season opener? St. Louis may opt to use veteran Garrett Reynolds at that spot early on or bring back unsigned unrestricted free agent Joe Barksdale to man that spot for the third consecutive season. It’s hard to see the team going into the season with three new starters on the line, but it’s possible.

2. Jamon Brown

The Rams liked the Louisville offensive tackle enough to bring him to St. Louis for a pre-draft visit and then used a third-round pick to make sure he would return to the Gateway City to begin his NFL career. Though the 6-4, 323-pounder played the strong tackle position with the Cardinals, he is expected to move inside to guard for the Rams. He lined up at right guard during the rookie orientation practices and could crack the starting lineup at that spot for the season opener. Rookie guards have fared better than rookie tackles around the NFL in recent seasons — Zack Martin and Joel Bitonio are two that come to mind from last season — so I like Brown’s chances of making a bigger impact than Havenstein early on. But it’s possible the Rams could use a veteran like Reynolds or Brandon Washington at one of the guard spots instead of Brown to start the season.

1. Todd Gurley

No one knows when Gurley will be fully recovered from the ACL injury that ended his junior season at Georgia, but it makes sense for the Rams to ease him into action rather than push the issue. You can make a case that the Rams’ top offensive players the past two seasons were rookie running backs — Zac Stacy in 2013 and Tre Mason in 2014 — and both of them were on the bench for the first few weeks of those seasons. Gurley has drawn lofty comparisons to Marshawn Lynch and Adrian Peterson, so whenever he’s able to play he should give the St. Louis offense a significant boost.

Also considered: WR Bud Sasser, LB Bryce Hager, RB Malcolm Brown, G Cody Wichmann and CB Imoan Claiborne.

 

[Dxmissile]

I think on offense it's going to be the big H, first half second half Gurley on Defense it's going to be Imoan Claiborne, he has the physical traits to be a standout special teamer and the tackle ability and coverage ability you wanna see from your slot corner. I think it's going to be jenkins, Gaines, Johnson, Joyner Claiborne

 

[Memento]

Rating the potential impact:

1. Rob Havenstein

Positive or negative, Havenstein is going to have the biggest impact on this team and how it does. We have depth at guard. We have depth at center. But if Havenstein doesn't take control at right tackle, it's going to be a long ride. If he does, then we have a nice pair of bookends in Gregzilla and Frankenstein.

2a. Jamon Brown.
2b. Cody Wichmann.

I put them both there because they're going to be fighting it out for the left/right guard slot, depending on where they decide to play Saffold. That leaves one guard slot open, and those two are the frontrunners for the job. That guard slot is very important, given that haven't had a pair of solid guards since...well, I don't know when. Timmerman and Tom Nutten. And with Saffold and his injury history, both of them could be playing a lot.

4. Todd Gurley.

The only reason he falls is not because of talent, but because we have talented players at his position. Mason and Cunningham can hold down the fort until Gurley is ready to play. But we're going to need him before this season is through. Right now, he is arguably the biggest playmaker we have.

5. Andrew Donnal.

I don't think he starts for us. But any offensive line needs quality depth. Donnal provides that.