The Rams faced a lot of questions entering the 2020 NFL Draft, and while some of them were answered, others still remain. After ignoring the offensive line and linebacker position, many are wondering what the plan is at both of those spots.
The team will attempt to figure that out this summer whenever training camp begins, but there’s still a lot of uncertainty on this roster after the draft.
Here are the seven biggest questions for the Rams coming out of the 2020 draft.
Who will start at inside linebacker?
This is a question a lot of fans are asking, and rightfully so. The team didn’t select an inside linebacker until No. 234 overall, when it drafted Clay Johnston, who tore his ACL in October. Johnston may be ready for the start of the season, but as a seventh-round rookie, he most likely won’t start.
So who will?
It’ll likely come down to some combination of Micah Kiser, Travin Howard and Kenny Young. Troy Reeder will be in the mix, too, but he really struggled last season when he replaced Bryce Hager. The Rams have very little proven talent at linebacker and it’s likely to be one of the weakest positions on the team.
Kiser has the best chance to start, followed by Young and Howard in that order.
What will the offensive line look like?
It seemed unfathomable that the Rams could ignore the offensive line until the seventh round, but that’s what they did. Tremayne Anchrum was their only pick on the O-line, coming at No. 250 overall.
Andrew Whitworth will be the starting left tackle, but the other four spots are up in the air. Right tackle might be Rob Havenstein’s job to lose if he isn’t traded, and Austin Blythe has a good chance to start at center if the Rams get sufficient play out of their guards.
Bobby Evans will probably be the swing tackle with Austin Corbett at left guard and David Edwards at right guard. But that’s just a guess at this point in the offseason because so much is still to be determined.
Regardless of how this competition shakes out, the Rams are betting on their young linemen, which is a huge risk.
What will Darrell Henderson’s role be?
Cam Akers has the size and power to be an every-down back, more so than Henderson. Akers was also a higher draft pick and someone the Rams coveted, so he could see the bulk of the carries in the backfield.
If that’s the case, what will Henderson’s role be? It’s very possible he’ll be a change-of-pace receiving threat on third down for the Rams and nothing more. The Rams want to use a committee so Akers won’t get 250 carries, but Henderson certainly won’t be, either.
And that’s without considering Malcolm Brown, who is also in the mix as the No. 3 back.
But with Henderson generating so much hype after Todd Gurley’s release, the addition of Akers surely complicates things for the second-year back. He may not be the fantasy stud so many people are expecting him to be.
How will Terrell Burgess be used?
Burgess was one of the most versatile players in the draft class, exhibiting the ability to play free safety, strong safety, nickel cornerback and even boundary corner. Brandon Staley and the Rams will surely take advantage of his position flexibility, but how exactly will they deploy him?
That’s to be determined, but Sean McVay said after Burgess was drafted that it’d be an “ideal situation” if Burgess were able to cover the slot as well as play safety. that very premise should get Rams fans excited.
Burgess will compete with David Long Jr. at nickel corner, but also back up Taylor Rapp and John Johnston at safety. His presence will allow Rapp to play more of a strong safety role in the box, while Johnston can be stuck on tight ends and play the deep middle, too.
Expect to see Burgess on the field plenty as a rookie thanks to his coverage skills and versatility.
Is the heavy usage of 11 personnel over?
For the last three years, the Rams have leaned heavily on 11 personnel – which features three wide receivers, one running back and one tight end on the field together. With Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Brandin Cooks, it’s easy to see why the Rams would use that grouping so often.
But now the Rams have more options than they had before thanks to their recent additions in the draft. They have three capable running backs in Akers, Henderson and Brown, three pass-catching tight ends with Tyler Higbee, Gerald Everett and Brycen Hopkins, and four talented receivers with Josh Reynolds and Van Jefferson behind the starters.
It likely means McVay will expand the playbook to feature more personnel groupings, such as plays with four wide receivers or three tight ends. McVay almost never uses two-back sets, either, but that could change in 2020 with Akers and Henderson on the field together.
Les Snead hinted at more personnel groupings being a part of the plan, pointing toward Hopkins and Jefferson as reasons why.
“Like I’ve always said, what we’ve been doing in ’17 and ’18, Sean loves personnel packages, so multiple tight ends and wide receivers, so adding Mr. Hopkins and Mr. Jefferson today is good,” Snead said.
Expect the offense to expand next season with this infusion of young talent.
Who will start opposite Leonard Floyd at OLB?
Considering the Rams gave Floyd a $10 million contract, he’ll almost certainly be one of the starting edge rushers. The question now is who will replace Dante Fowler Jr. as the weakside outside linebacker opposite Floyd.
The Rams have options, but also a lot to figure out. Samson Ebukam has starting experience, but his upside isn’t as high as Ogbonnia Okoronkwo. And then there’s Terrell Lewis, who the Rams added at No. 84 overall. When healthy, he’s a quality edge rusher who can play both the run and the pass well.
Jachai Polite and Natrez Patrick are wild cards in this group, who could impress in camp and carve out roles as backups.
Most likely, it’ll be either Ebukam or Okoronkwo starting on one side. Just don’t discount Lewis’ potential, especially if Brandon Staley had a say in the pick.
What’s the plan for Brycen Hopkins and Van Jefferson?
Hopkins and Jefferson were both drafted at positions of relative strength for the Rams – at least in 2020. They were seemingly set at tight end with Higbee and Everett, and at wide receiver with Kupp, Woods and Reynolds.
So where does that leave Hopkins and Jefferson? It’s hard to see either one playing significant snaps as rookies, though they could get on the field in specific packages. But unless they really emerge as playmakers in practice and the preseason, they’ll probably be limited to less than a third of the offensive snaps.
That’ll change in 2021, though, when Everett, Reynolds and Kupp all become free agents. That’s when Jefferson and Hopkins could be elevated to WR3 and TE2 roles, respectively.
