LA Rams OL Coach Aaron Kromer allows team to dig deeper in NFL Draft
By Bret Stuter
The LA Rams can choose to draft later round offensive linemen because OL Coach Aaron Kromer can coach them up into NFL caliber players with a better than the average success rate
The LA Rams have had a lot of success upfront on offense. That success had allowed the team to propel a young quarterback Jared Goff to among the elite passes of the NFL. That success allowed running back Todd Gurley to strike fear into NFL defenses throughout the league. And that success allowed the Rams to redefine the NFL passing game to a quick-strike multi-level threat that could move the chains regardless of down or distance. And that success has been possible due to LA Rams running game coordinator/offensive line coach Aaron Kromer.
But what’s past is past. The LA Rams face a true identity crisis as the team emerges from a down season in 2019, and has already taken up the yolk for making the 2020 season a success. To fans, success oftentimes carries a bit of nostalgia with it. A successful offseason is one that brings back productive veterans at market rates. And in some situations, that’s great.
Offensive line coach Aaron Kromer does not have the luxury of easing back with the belief that today’s starters will return the next football season at the same playing level. Kromer must enter each new year as though the LA Rams will need to start the youngest and most inexperienced offensive linemen. And for 2019, that very much proved to be the case.
The team entered 2019 planning for a new left guard in second-year player Joseph Noteboom and center in a second-year player Brian Allen. Neither seemed prepared for their promotion, fell to injury which ended their season, forcing Kromer to send rookies David Edwards and Bobby Evans to the front lines. That was a test of the team’s resilience. While the team struggled at times, eventually the offensive line passed the test of injuries.