Offense
I might be in the minority here, but I love what the St. Louis Rams did during the draft and what direction they are taking their offense in. Todd Gurley is an Adrian Peterson type back that you can build an offense around. He has breakaway speed, terrific power, incredible vision (something Trent Richardson lacked, which is a big reason why he hasn't done well) and can be a good receiver too. The Rams are pairing Tre Mason with him too, and Mason was a very good runner last season. These two could get over 2,000 combined rushing yards next season when just looking at their talent. The Rams made a huge investment in their offensive line throughout the draft. AT left tackle, Greg Robinson is the presumed starter. He had a really rough rookie season in 2014, but he has all of the tools to be one of the most dominant left tackles in football, and he should be much better in his second year. At left guard, the Rams have Rodger Saffold. He's a very solid guard, and can go through very dominant stretches. At center, Tim Barnes takes over for Scott Wells and at this point in Wells' career Barnes is an upgrade. He was solid last season, but should be better with consistent playing time. On the right side of the line, there will be either Barrett Jones or Jamon Brown playing guard, and Rob Havenstein at right tackle. Havenstein is just an enormous human being, and he'll be an impact player in the run game straight away. Right guard will most likely be the weak spot of this line, but Jones and Brown have talent and they could be solid. The most controversial and publicized trade of the NFL this offseason was the Sam Bradford/Nick Foles trade. The Rams got the big armed player in the deal, and this offense could be really good for Foles, or really bad. Foles is terrible under pressure, so if there are still a lot of troubles along the O-line, then this might be a long season for him. With that being said, this offense is clearly turning into a run first offense, and defenses will have to stack the box against Gurley which will really allow Foles to stretch the field. It's a question mark at this point in the offseason, but St. Louis could really benefit from Foles being their QB. At wide receiver, the Rams have depth, but no stellar talent. Kenny Britt continues his career revitalization as he resigned with St. Louis, and Brian Quick can hopefully return from injury and continue right where he left off at, which was seemingly his breakout season. They also have Tavon Austin who has yet to justify his top 10 draft choice, Stedman Bailey who has been okay, but a better kick returner than receiver and Chris Givens who had a good rookie season but has been shaky at best since then. So again, it's not the best situation for the Rams as they don't have a go-to-guy for Nick Foles, but all five of those guys have talent or have shown at least something positive, and they all are young enough to develop and improve their respective games. At tight end, the Rams have another couple solid players in Jared Cook and Lance Kendricks. Cook is the more athletic, better receiver of the two, and he has shown that he can be a solid option across the seams. Kendricks gets moved around a lot in the offense. He is very versatile, and a solid all around player for them. Upper management was smart with the decision to make this a run-centric offense in 2015. They don't have the pure talent to keep up with any of the good passing offenses in the NFC, and they need to have their own game plan for them to win. If they have a good rushing attack, kill some time off the clock, try to limit turnovers and rely on their defense to get stops, this team can surprise people in 2015. I'm predicting a bottom 10 finish on offense, but I think they will have a top 5 rushing attack in the NFL next season.
Defense
The St. louis Rams have one of the most important things a defense can have. An identity. They have invested in their defensive line, and it has paid off in a huge way. Robert Quinn is a bona fide superstar. He is coming off of a subpar season (for his standards), but he should be one of the better defensive players in the NFL in 2015. Opposite Quinn, Chris Long is coming off of a big injury, but when he's healthy he is one of the most consistent defensive ends in football. He is terrific against the run and more than holds his own against the pass. The Rams also have William Hayes as added depth, and he is coming off of a solid season in relief of Chris Long. In the middle, the Rams have the most dominant trio of defensive tackles in the league. Aaron Donald had one of the best rookie seasons for any defensive player, let alone DT, in a long time. He finished the year with 9 sacks, and was a constant disruptor in the opponents backfield. He should already be looked at as a top 5 defensive tackle, and if he shows any development in 2015 he will be the best defensive tackle in the NFL. They also signed Nick Fairley this offseason. Fairley is an interesting case, because if he is inspired and plays with a fire under him, then he is a top 5 defensive tackle in football. If Jeff Fisher can get him to play up to his potential, there is no telling what this D-line can do. They also have Michael Brockers, who despite the Fairley signing, is a very good defensive tackle in his own right. He has stretches where he is absolutely dominant against the run, but he is coming off of a somewhat down season. This defensive line is the equivalent of the Cowboys offensive line, it has a very good chance to be special. At linebacker, St. Louis is solid but not spectacular. James Laurinaitis is a solid inside linebacker. He's a tackling machine and he's good against the run, but he can struggle in coverage. Alec Ogeltree is one of their starting outside linebackers, and he is an intriguing player. Another tackling machine, he is extremely athletic and can make jaw dropping plays but he's also very inconsistent. Hopefully he can have a better all around season in 2015. Opposite Ogletree, Jo-Lonn Dunbar is manning the other spot. He's a decent starter, but not terrific. The Rams also signed Akeem Ayers too. I have no idea if they are going to play him as a linebacker, or an edge rusher, but if they do play him as an OLB then he could steal the starting job from Dunbar. In the secondary, this Rams team is decent all across the board, with no established star players. Janoris Jenkins and E.J. Gaines are their two starting outside cornerbacks, and both of those players are solid young players. They have their inconsistencies (especially Janoris, he often gets caught trying to go for the interception and then can get burned) but they both have shown that they can be starting NFL cornerbacks. In the slot, Lamarcus Joyner enters his second season, in what should be a good one for him. He has the skills and size to be a terrific slot cornerback, and with regular snaps I think he could breakout this season. At safety, a combination of T.J. McDonald, Rodney McLeod and Mark Barron will get most of the playing time. All three of those guys are pretty young, but again they don't inspire much confidence as they all have their flaws and are just average players. The success of this defense relies on two things. First, the incredible defensive line. If this defensive line plays to its ceiling, it will cover up a lot of short comings in the rest of this defense and they will be able to dominate as a unit. Second, Jeff Fisher. He is a good coach, and if he gets this defense playing hard like they often do against better teams (see Seattle and Denver last season), then this team will be very competitive.
I wish I could say that this Rams team will be better than 6-10 or 7-9, but that's where I think they will fall again. I think they will shock a couple of very good teams this season, and often play up to the competition, but also play down to competition below them. I like the direction this team is taking, and their defensive line is so ridiculous. I mean ridiculous enough that I will watch Rams games with the sole intent of watching their D-line. They still lack an overall talent level, and a good QB, to compete for a playoff spot.
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