Breaking: Rams sign in two five-star talented players in a blockbuster deal…
Nine of the Los Angeles Rams’ ten 2024 NFL Draft selections are now under contract after the team signed rookie contracts with Brennan Jackson and Kamren Kinchens.
At No. 19, Jared Verse, the Rams’ first-round selection overall, is the only rookie still on the roster without a contract.
Verse’s contract is not concerning because he will receive the standard compensation for a first-round selection at his draft position along with a fifth-year option that the team may exercise at a later date.
Los Angeles can proceed with the majority of its rookie class during OTAs, which are set to take place this week until the first half of June, now that the majority of the class has signed. Following that, the Rams’ official training camp and preseason start date will be preceded by a required minicamp.
Braden Fiske and Verse are expected to start, but Jackson and Kinchens will have to fight for defensive snaps and rotational roles. Kinchens may be utilized as a third option in some sub-packages, or he may compete with Russ Yeast for one of the first safety slots. Verse and Byron Young will probably start the season ahead of Jackson, but his early tenacity should get him snaps right away.
Jackson was chosen in the fifth round at No. 154, while Kinchens was selected in the third round at No. 99 overall. But Los Angeles isn’t scared to include players in the mix if they show they deserve it, regardless of where they were chosen. Puka Nacua, who was also selected in the fifth round and went on to become a star on the offensive end of the field, is the best example.
Although the roster may still be affected by Aaron Donald’s departure, the front staff realized it needed to add young, inexpensive talent to the defense. Chris Shula, the defensive coordinator, will have to figure out a way to replace Donald with a committee of players because no player on the defense can equal what he accomplished up front.
Tyler Davis of the Rams is eager to work with Braden Fiske and Jared Verse.
On Day 3, the Rams selected Tyler Davis from Clemson with the 196th overall pick, making Jackson not the only defensive lineman chosen. Since Verse and Fiske were all ACC players, Davis had the opportunity to watch them play, and the defensive tackle stated he is eager to work with them.
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2024’s most significant Rams: #4 Kobie Turner
How good is Kobie Turner likely to be for the Rams?
In what was considered to be a rebuilding season, the Los Angeles Rams shocked everyone by making the playoffs the previous year. The breakthrough of then-rookie defensive tackle Kobie Turner may have been the biggest individual surprise on the 2023 team. Turner’s exceptional play in the second half of the season even surpassed his offensive co-star Puka Nacua’s record-breaking debut.
How good is Turner going to be for the Rams? Despite being a third-round pick in the late compensatory zone of the draft, he was on the verge of ranking among the top 10 interior pass rushers in the previous season. This group of defenders was primarily made up of highly sought-after free agent signings and first-round draft selections. The only rookie defensive tackles in the same conversation were Pittsburgh Steelers second-round pick Keeanu Benton, who had almost half as many pass-rushing snaps as Turner with almost the same efficiency, and Jalen Carter, who was taken ninth overall by the Eagles. Turner is providing the Rams with more value than they could have imagined, and perhaps the best is still to come.
The former Richmond and Wake Forest standout has shocked many in the NFL and emerged as one of the Rams’ most crucial players:
One, two, three, four – Kobie Turner, DT
Five: OLB Jared Verse; Six: Special Teams Coordinator Chase Blackburn
Reasons Turner will be a key member of the Rams in 2024:
It’s no secret that Aaron Donald’s absence upon his retirement will have a significant impact on this defense. It’s hard to picture LA’s pass rush being better without Donald, even if Turner is able to advance further along with the addition of more talent along the defensive line—another season of growth from Byron Young, Jared Verse, and Braden Fiske. That’s not meant to be a slight to Turner and company’s potential, but we also can’t undervalue Donald’s contribution to the development of other defenders as well as his own output. The greatest inside pass rusher in football history is Donald. It would be foolish to assume that the Rams won’t miss him frequently this season.
However, Turner will be the driving force behind the Rams defense’s advancement if it happens. He’s already demonstrated leadership by being one of the first to greet LA’s most recent draftee class. He has already won over the hearts of the fans by singing the national anthem during sporting events in Los Angeles.
I posed the question last week: might Turner emerge as Los Angeles’ next defensive standout? The majority of fan responses stated that he already is. Though I’m not ready to call him that just yet, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the defensive tackle step up his game and definitively respond to that query with his performance and actions rather than just words.
Kobie Turner is the only defender who is more crucial to the Rams defense than anybody else this year, and the 2024 campaign will provide him the chance to prove that he belongs in the NFL’s top class of interior defensive linemen.
