Will St. Louis Rams Running Back Tre Mason Break Out in 2015?

The St. Louis Rams have a good corps of young players on their roster thanks to the plethora of draft picks that they have picked up over the past couple of seasons. The Rams’ have players on their roster with the potential to be future stars.

According to NFL Network’s Heath Evans, one Ram will take the the next step this season. Evans labeled running back Tre Mason as one of the NFL’s breakout stars headed in 2015.

During an “NFL Now” feature for NFL.com, Evans said of Mason: “Tre kind of had to wait his turn (in 2014). When he got it, you see plays like this. You see the electrifying speed. But you saw a back that really started to get a hang and a knack for what (St. Louis coach) Jeff Fisher was trying to create on the offensive side of the ball. He’s got a big offensive line in front of him. I think he learned to hang on to the ball last year. That ball is precious. You can’t put it on the ground, otherwise an old-school, Jeff Fisher-type coach isn’t going to have you on the field. I look for big things from Tre Mason next year.”

Like Mason, Evans is a former Auburn running back. He played for the Tigers from 1998 through 2000. After being selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft, Evans spent 10 seasons in the NFL as a fullback.

Also a third-round draft choice, Mason didn’t play in the Rams’ first four games of the season. After that, Mason showed what he was capable of averaging eight yards per carry against the 49ers in his first game and then rushing for 85 yards against the Seattle Seahawks a week later while having the majority of the team’s carries.

Mason finished with a pair of 100-yard games as he finished with 765 yards and four touchdowns on 179 carries, second among rookies behind only Cincinnati’s Jeremy Hill.

Some key factors for Mason heading into the 2015 will be the quarterback and offensive line. The Rams obtained quarterback Nick Foles in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles who gives them a viable option at the quarterback position, something that Mason didnt have last year.

However, Mason also will be working with new faces on the offensive line. The Rams don’t will most likely have three new faces up front, the majority of which could end up being rookies.

As it stands right now, the only offensive lineman that Mason will be familiar with are Greg Robinson and Rodger Saffold, while the other three positions, could be filled by Tim Barnes, Barrett Jones and Garrett Reynolds.

Tre Mason had a solid 2014, but will need to avoid a sophomore slump next season. The Rams have been slow the last two years to get the run game going and they will be looking to Mason in 2015 to avoid that trend once again.

There is no question Mason has talent and has the potential to break out, but the Rams still need to give him some decent blockers on the offensive line in order for him to take the next step.

Next: St. Louis Rams: Looking Ahead To the 2016 NFL Free Agency

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