Los Angeles Rams: Rookies in great position to learn from Andrew Whitworth

After the Los Angeles Rams used their first two picks of the 2018 NFL Draft on offensive line, rookies Joseph Noteboom and Brian Allen can learn a lot from Andrew Whitworth.

As soon as Sean McVay was hired as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Rams in January 2017, one of the first priorities he wanted to address was making sure the offensive line saw improvement to provide Jared Goff with a better chance of competing. During his rookie campaign that resulted in a 0-7 record, the former California star received some unfair criticism for his struggles since the Rams didn’t exactly do the best job of providing Goff with the necessary protection.

Not to mention, to say the offensive line of Los Angeles was horrendous would be a huge understatement, so it was great to see McVay and company address the unit early on in free agency with the signing of Andrew Whitworth. After spending his entire career as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, Whitworth made a huge statement by willing to join a team coming off a four-win season like the Rams, and it turns out this was the best decision the veteran could have made since the team is now a heavy Super Bowl contender.

Plus, when looking at Whitworth’s veteran experience, his presence alone throughout the 2018 season (and hopefully beyond) will hopefully pave the way for some of the newest members of the Rams. Despite not having a pick in the first or second round of this year’s NFL Draft, Los Angeles was pleased to land two new members to the offensive line in Joseph Noteboom (third round out of TCU) and Brian Allen (fourth round out of Michigan State).

For a team that proved last year they are in fact one of the best when it comes to finding value in the middle rounds, McVay and the Rams never would have made the decision to bring these new lineman on board if they didn’t see some sort of potential in the future. Even if they end up having limited roles as rookies in 2018, just the thought of Noteboom and Allen spending their first season picking the brain of Whitworth could work wonders in the long run.

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Adding depth to the offensive line was a top priority for Los Angeles heading into the draft, and seeing them waste no time with the selection of Noteboom along with Allen shows they realize the importance of building the next great wave of offensive lineman. Thanks to veterans like Whitworth leading the way, that next great wave could even end up being better than originally expected, although they still have plenty of work ahead when it comes to proving themselves worthy.