What 2nd and 3rd year players are you looking to take the next step?

[WestCoastRam]

I thought it might be good to start a thread to talk about something else besides draft and FA given these dog days beforehand.

A lot of talk has been had about what position we need starters at in the draft and FA but there are always guys who are 2nd and 3rd year players who ascend and become starters every year (Hi Kyren!) I want to know who you think they might be or if they're already starters, what more you expect to see from them.

Also, it's fair to say some guys won't ascend at all and some may even regress. Hit me!

Players that I'm chomping at the bit to see ascend:
- Kobie Turner, he's already dominate as a run defender but I'd like to see if he can add more to his pass rush arsenal and up that pressure rate (sacks are so variable on too many things that not sure he can hit his number again next year).
- Bobby Brown, here's a guy we all thought was just a jag and coaches said had an inconsistent motor but when we got him back from injury, there was a noticable uptick in consistency up front. Can he eliminate the consistency issues and continue to help us in run defense.
- Quentin Lake, he shared dimebacker/safety with JJ last year and settled into Star late in the year. Can he fully take over one of these spots. Not sure he's got enough range and trigger to take one of the deep safety spots but would love it if he could take right or left safety and run with it.
-McCallister and McClendon, what will a year in an NFL weight program and coaching do for these two as far as oline depth? I don't have illusions that they'll take starter spots actually but I would love to see them show that they can be primary backups on the line. Maybe more confidence in McCallister than McClendon.

Sadly, I don't have much hope for any of the corners to ascend though I'm sure some people want and or think Tomlinson can.

 

[dang]

I think we know what we have in BBrown and happily with Turner. I’m hopeful for Davis Allen-TE and BYoung-Edge to become dominant players at their positions.

 

[Merlin]

Good topic.

Hard not to start at the corner spots. Durant was a disappointment for myself, I expected him to show a lot more for us last season. And Tomlinson can play at this level, he has the talent. They took him in the draft so get his head on straight and get him into a form you can use. That group just needs a stud to lead them. Neither of those guys are that unfortunately. Might also need a slot too just to be safe but you can find those a bit later than that CB1.

I don't trust Brown. He did some good things but I think DL is a need. Not our greatest need but certainly a need, specifically someone to be on that other side of the nose from AD and do the work over and around that OT. Basically one more good DL might put our front into that range where opposing OL struggle every snap keeping them under wraps. If Brown could do that we'd be in good shape but he looks like a depth nose to me.

Lake certainly is carrying a lot of hope for that secondary. I hope he's good enough to move back to that pairing.

Also Jackson. I don't see him as the LT of the future even though he's done the job decently. But maybe he gets better and cements that equation for us.

 

[shovelpass]

Byron Young. Great athleticism, looking forward to see him develop and become more well rounded. Felt like he kind of hit a wall towards the end of the season. He was on the field a lot to be fair.

Davis Allen, looked promising and with Higbee's injury we could use a someone at TE.

 

[Londoner]

I’m going to be in the minority here, but I think that Kendrick can establish himself as a solid CB2. The boneheaded penalties seem to have come under control in the second half of the season and he was generally solid in coverage.

Also looking at Tomlinson improving and establishing himself as our best slot CB.

Draft a CB1 at 19, and add Durant as depth, and we should have a solid CB corps.

 

[WestCoastRam]

I think we know what we have in BBrown and happily with Turner. I’m hopeful for Davis Allen-TE and BYoung-Edge to become dominant players at their positions.

I knew I would leave people off!

- Would love Young to develop more power and at least one counter to speed. He needs to.
- I'd love Allen to fill out his frame a tad more and get the nuances, I think he could play Y well but not 100% sure. A well rounded Y tight end is almost an impossible thing to find these days, that's why Rams paid Higbee again, IMO.

 

[WestCoastRam]

I’m going to be in the minority here, but I think that Kendrick can establish himself as a solid CB2. The boneheaded penalties seem to have come under control in the second half of the season and he was generally solid in coverage.

Also looking at Tomlinson improving and establishing himself as our best slot CB.

Draft a CB1 at 19, and add Durant as depth, and we should have a solid CB corps.

I think team sources think Tomlinson is just an outside corner and not really a fit at slot.

I don't have faith but I think Kendrick has the best shot at putting it together. His issues are mental and long speed (which can be buffered if he got the mental stuff taken care of).

 

[Londoner]

I think team sources think Tomlinson is just an outside corner and not really a fit at slot.

Given that he’s under 5’8” I can’t see it myself, but what do I know?

 

[CGI_Ram]

I’m going to be in the minority here, but I think that Kendrick can establish himself as a solid CB2. The boneheaded penalties seem to have come under control in the second half of the season and he was generally solid in coverage.

Also looking at Tomlinson improving and establishing himself as our best slot CB.

Agree. I really like Tomlinson, but it is hard to get past the fact he only got 45 defensive snaps last year. Therefore, somewhat concerning he couldn't grab a larger share there.

Davis Allen-TE

An if there is a player we really NEED to step up, Allen is that guy. Our TE depth isn't great with Higbee recovering from injury.

 

[Memento]

Cobie Durant is my choice to take the next step in development. Also, I think Nacua, Agent Zero, The Conductor, Avila, and K-Will take another huge leap. I'm hopeful for Lake, Yeast, and Ethan Evans to take another step in the right direction. We need Allen to take a huge leap because other than him, we have little at the position. And then there's other options: THT, Hampton, Mathis, Johnson, Taylor, Zach Evans, McClendon, maybe even Bruss, Zachary Thomas, Kier Thomas, Arcuri, and Tanner Brown?

Again, my choice is Cobie Durant, but there's a lot of exciting second and third year players.

 

[Mojo Ram]

My vote goes to TE Davis Allen.

Someone needs to step up and supplant Higs. Hello? Anyone?

 

[hotanez]

 

[Londoner]

View: https://youtu.be/BpbAqUuSBZg?si=cVk7ip_jeK7IurTz

 

[WestCoastRam]

View: https://youtu.be/BpbAqUuSBZg?si=cVk7ip_jeK7IurTz

Amazing movie.

 

[WestCoastRam]

Cobie Durant is my choice to take the next step in development. Also, I think Nacua, Agent Zero, The Conductor, Avila, and K-Will take another huge leap. I'm hopeful for Lake, Yeast, and Ethan Evans to take another step in the right direction. We need Allen to take a huge leap because other than him, we have little at the position. And then there's other options: THT, Hampton, Mathis, Johnson, Taylor, Zach Evans, McClendon, maybe even Bruss, Zachary Thomas, Kier Thomas, Arcuri, and Tanner Brown?

Again, my choice is Cobie Durant, but there's a lot of exciting second and third year players.

If all Nacua did was stay healthy next year and not develop any further, I'd jump for joy!

 

[oldnotdead]

This is the year it should come together for Durant. Playing CB in the NFL is extremely technique heavy, and it's a huge adjustment for many players. I remember an interview with Quentin Jammer about how big the adjustment is and how it takes a couple of years to really get it together particularly when they are constantly switching coverage types, i.e man, and the different zone styles.

Durant has the skillset where he can be a good boundary CB. He was a 3rd day pick for a reason. In college he was his best in a zone scheme. He was raw in his man coverage skills. I anticipate him being more consistent this year. I think he's starting to "get it".

I was really impressed with Lake. I loved when Snead grabbed him. He's got the skills to be a very good safety. I can see a long career for Quentin as a starting safety for the Rams. I'm really looking forward to seeing Jason Taylor the forgotten DB on this roster. He has the traits you want in a safety. Good speed and length for the position. He dropped to the 7th round because he's raw but his film flashes. IMO I think Lake and Taylor will be the Rams safeties long term. I think the jury is out on Yeast.

There is no question Turner will continue to evolve into a very good DT. IMO the jury is still out on Brown. I don't see him as a 0T NT and still think he plays best as a 1T. He flashes but he doesn't dominate in the middle. Again it could be in how he's being played.

In college McClendon was a mauler in the run game. It's why I've projected him as a RG since he was drafted. Unless he's radically improved his foot quickness I don't see him as a RT at this level. Though Havenstein also has heavy feet so who knows. Regardless I think he could be an asset in the run game but it remains to be seen how he would fare against NFL pass rusher.

Mike McAllister is an intriguing prospect. He definitely caught the Ram's attention with his performance in TC last year. But like Shelton, McAllister is basically only a center. With good coaching to make proper OL calls I think McAllister can be a good center. He's built much like Shelton which limits his use as an OG but he's shown good movement ability to make the requisite blocks. I think he could be a very good backup C going forward.

I believe the Rams will draft at least one WR and I see both having good length and probably 4.5 type speed. I also see another RB taken probably in the 5th round. The Rams need better than Rivers as their #2RB. I feel that Puka and Robinson closed the door on Atwell and Sean's fascination with small fast receivers. The problem with Atwell is his smaller catch radius and most of all his inability to block in the run game.

 

[Faceplant]

Kobie Turner, he's already dominate as a run defender

Sigh....

Davis Allen, looked promising and with Higbee's injury we could use a someone at TE.

This ^^. Allen looked pretty damn good in that Ravens game and I cannot wait to see more of him.

Really hoping to see more from Yeast and Lake also. We need better play on the back end of that defense.

 

[WestCoastRam]

Sigh....

Am I missing something about Turner's run defense? He led all Power 5 DTs as a run defender in college and... was the best rookie interior defender against the run this year.

I suspect people just saw his size and said, must be an interior pass rusher instead of watching him play.

Sigh indeed.

 

[HitStick]

I hope they all have a Kyren esque second year

 

[OldSchool]

Davis Allen taking a step forward would be huge for the team.

Only slightly behind that for me would be Byron Young. Followed by any of the CB.