5 breakout defensive stars for LA Rams Coach Staley in 2020

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After the 2020 NFL Draft, the LA Rams roster is set. Now, who will step up as future defensive stars of this team? Here are our 5 top nominees:

The LA Rams now draft for the future. How far into the future is where the true debate really happens. While there are some minor tweaks in the team philosophy as to how 2020 schemes will be focused on both offense and defense, the roster has been built with enough flexibility to address many of those questions already.

In fact, as we look towards the 2021 NFL Draft, many, myself included, must resolve where the needs for that draft will exist. We are probably only looking at the next upcoming draft through the lens of 2020 NFL starters. Who do we believe will earn starting roles in 2020? But what if we are wrong about the team’s desperate hopes to land NFL starters in the 2020 NFL Draft? What if, and I’m clearly just speculating here for argument’s sake, the Rams coaching staff is not as panicked by the roster “as is” as the fans and media. What if they know who will succeed this year?

It’s tough for fans to wrap around the same perspective held by the team’s front office and coaching staff at this point in the season. We did not sit at team virtual meetings where the Rams draft priorities were discussed. We know who was drafted, but not why, nor for what role in 2020. If that information was readily available, would we all feel content? Likely not all, but many fans would have a clearer understanding of the roster’s full potential at this point.

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Using that as the starting point, the 2020 NFL Draft perspective changes rapidly. If the team truly believes that all 2020 starters are on the roster before the draft, which truly should be the case, then the front office entered the draft entirely for competitive talent and depth. If the team has already decided who will emerge from the draft as the likely starter, then fans’ expectations can relax a bit, and allow rookies to develop at a slower, and more organic pace.

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