Eyes of the Guru IDP Info, Part 8: Los Angeles Rams

Photo: USA Today Sports

The Rams sold out to win the Super Bowl after the 2021 season, expending a lot of roster-building capital (money and picks) to acquire proven veteran players and a few superstars. The gamble worked, and three years later, they have paid the piper. Los Angeles is out of salary cap purgatory, and it had a first-round pick for the first time since 2016.  

Considering where they were in terms of cap and draft choices, the organization and coaching staff did a masterful job of keeping the Rams competitive on the field over the last two seasons. They had a bunch of mid to late-round picks last year, so the defense was exceptionally young and, other than Aaron Donald, void of superstars. Starting in round three, the team used seven picks on the defensive side in 2023 and four more this year, including one in each of the first three rounds.

The cupboard has been restocked, so after finishing in the middle third of the league against both run and pass in most statistical categories last year, the Rams should be ready to make some noise again.  It might take a minute for everyone to jell, but this could be a formidable defense once they get comfortable.     

Defensive Linemen

There is no replacing a player like Aaron Donald, but the Rams have made the defensive line a major focus over the last two drafts. That means they are very young, but there is talent to work with. After picking up edge defender Byron Young and tackle Kobie Turner in round three last spring, Los Angeles added edge Jared Verse in round one and tackle Braden Fiske in the second this year.

Young led the team's edge position with 1023 snaps last year, while Turner's 731 were second only to Donald on the inside. Not only did they gain a lot of experience, Turner led the team with nine sacks while Young tied Donald for second with eight. Both youngsters were fantasy relevant, with Turner's mark of 29-27-9 ranking twelfth among tackles and Young's 42-19-8 with 3 takeaways landing 23rd at the edge position. Considering that rookies generally start slowly and improve from there, these two could be heading for big things in year two.

How good can this defense be if the team hits on Verse and Fiske as well? The chances of that happening seem pretty good. Verse dominated against small school competition while playing at Albany. He transferred to Florida State and continued to dominate Division 1 competition. In 25 games with the Seminoles over the last two years, Verse posted 89 combined tackles, 18 sacks, and 3 turnovers.

He has an impressive combination of speed, explosiveness, and power that makes him hard to handle off the edge. Verse can outrun a blocker on one play and then run through him on the next. It's his ability to switch between speed and power in the middle of a play that could make him special at the NFL level. His pass rush garners most of the excitement, but Verse is just as tough against the run. He sets the edge well and gets off blocks quickly to make tackles. With the speed to chase down plays from the back side, opponents can't run at him, and they can't run away from him. Between Verse and Young, the Rams could have an elite duo on the edge for the next several years.

Braden Fiske also started his college career at a smaller school, transferring from Western Michigan to Florida State after his junior year. Expecting Fiske to fill the shoes of Donald would be unfair, but he does show similarities in his game. Fiske is not a 2-gap anchor that can eat up blockers and force runners to go around. He is a one-gap penetrator whose game is built on quickness and relentless hustle.

Fiske was productive at Western Michigan and brought that production to Florida State, where he totaled 43 combined tackles and 6 sacks as a senior. He should be an excellent scheme fit in the Rams' attacking, one-gap scheme. Fiske may not have the overall effect on the field that Donald had, but he has the potential to produce similar numbers.  

Bobby Brown III fills out the lineup at the nose tackle position. At 332 pounds, he is the 2-gap road grader that eats up blockers and double teams in the middle to force runner wide, giving the outside tackles a lot of single blocking and allowing linebackers a clear path to the ball. While vital to the success of his team, Brown's production is not going to do much for ours. 

The addition of Verse surely means a reduced role for Hoecht. He could open the season as a starter with Verse working his way in as the third man, but it is safe to assume that the roles will soon be reversed.

• DT Kobie Turner – High upside DT2
• DT Braden Fiske – Could start slowly but should eventually put up useful numbers
• DT Bobby Brown – No fantasy impact
• DT Larrell Murchison – No impact
• DT Tyler Davis – Developmental rookie
• Edge Byron Young – High floor second starter with upside
• Edge Jared Verse – May not start right away, but the ceiling is way up there
• Edge Michael Hoecht – Edge2 ceiling that is likely to drop as the season advances
• Edge Brennan Jackson – Developmental rookie
• Edge Nick Hampton – No impact expected
• Edge Desjuan Johnson –  No impact expected