LA Rams 2020 NFL Draft class saving the day like the cavalry

Round 7 Pick 234: Clay Johnston

The LA Rams new linebacker Clay Johnston seems like the perfect late-round steal that matches with the Vic Fangio style defense that Brandon Staley is trying to build for the Rams.  Johnston’s role should be close to that of Danny Trevathan. a shorter linebacker who specializes in run defense.

Johnston excels at finding a running lane and shooting the gap to blow up runs. He has great tracking speed in shirt distances and can move parallel at the line before charging downhill. However, don’t expect too much out of him in pass coverage.

While he has had a couple passes defended and two interceptions, don’t expect him to cover well in open space. If he is in pass coverage he would be better in a zone where he has a short area to worry about as he isn’t athletic enough to man up with tight ends and running backs.

Both Johnston and Micah Kiser seem to be the favorites to be the Rams starters at linebacker. The problem is both specialize at run defense and suffer in coverage. Just as Trevathan had Roquan Smith the Rams need to find a balance with their linebackers. However, if these Kiser and Johnston are the starters expect a stout run defense.

If you want the full breakdown of Clay Johnston, just click here to see his full profile.