The Los Angeles Rams had a very busy draft weekend this year. The team, which is known for building through free agency, had 14 total picks in the draft, which is an average of 2 per round. The Rams didn’t even have a first-rounder. Despite this, the team still managed to bring in multiple day-one starters. Highlighted below are three players who you can expect to make a huge impact on the Rams team this season.
2023 Los Angeles Rams Rookie Preview
Rams OL Steve Avila – Jayne Kamin-Oncea/GettyImages
1. Steve Avila – Offensive Line – 2nd Round
Steve was drafted with the Rams’ very first selection in the draft at spot number 36 overall. Offensive Line was a massive problem for the Rams last year as they had a different starting offensive line combination during back-to-back weeks all but once last year. Avila will solidify the o-line if nothing else, but by availability, he played nearly every snap during his final collegiate season (14 games) at TCU. Avila has already been taking snaps with the 1st team and has blended right in so far.
Due to practice restrictions, the biggest asset of Avila’s has not yet been showcased, and we won’t get to fully see it until the season actually starts, and that is his run-blocking ability. He is a road paver that flattens whatever defender lines up in front of him, and I pity some of the defensive players this preseason.
Rams DE Byron Young – Brevin Townsell/ LA Rams
2. Byron Young – Edge Rusher – 3rd Round
After losing premier edge rusher Leonard Floyd in free agency to Buffalo this off-season, the Rams needed to rebound in a big way to fill that position, and they did precisely that by drafting Byron Young in the 3rd round. Although Young’s frame is bigger than Floyd’s, he still has the same blazing speed off of the edge. Young is listed at a stout 6’2″, 250 lbs., and ran a 4.43 40-yard dash. This is itself an insane metric, but coupled with his strength (22 reps on the 225 bench press), Young has the physical tools to dominate the league off the edge.
Rams RB Zach Evans (21) – USA TODAY Sports
3. Zach Evans – Running Back – 6th Round
Many people around the league have high hopes for Zach entering the 2023 NFL season, including NFL.com writer Chad Reuter. Chad named Evans to his NFL 2023 all-rookie team over the names of every other running back drafted except for Bijan Robinson. That is some extremely high praise considering that Evans is currently sitting at 4th on the depth chart.
However, with the turmoil that the running back group for LA has endured over the last season, don’t be shocked if Evans can nudge his way into the rotation, and once that happens, good luck taking him off of the field. Evans is a prototype of an ideal NFL back. He is strong enough to run between the tackles, elusive enough for runs to the outside, and is a receiving threat as well through the air averaging over 10 yards per reception for his college career.
Typically, the Rams don’t rely much on rookies to impact their roster in significant ways, but with the departures of big-name players like Leonard Floyd, Jalen Ramsey, Taylor Rapp, etc., the team really needed to bring in some great talent, and they did just that in the draft. Both offensive and defensive day-one starters were added, Steve Avila and Byron Young.
Several crucial depth players were drafted to the team to help solidify positions, like Zach Evans at running back, Puka Nacua at wide receiver, Jason Taylor II at safety, and many others. This season should be a fun one for the Rams as we get to see the impact of several young players, something we haven’t seen from the team in a long time.
