Look for LA Rams OT Tremayne Anchrum in 2021

There are many reasons why the arrival of offensive tackle Tremayne Anchrum in 2020 did not result in his immediate promotion to a starting role last year. But for the sake of discussion, let’s list a few. For openers, the LA Rams coaching staff was under a lot of duress and extreme pressure to deliver an NFL-ready team by the start of the 2020 NFL season.

The LA Rams offensive line was an enigma. The team had nine starters from 2019 returning, and the team had no time to experiment. That became quite obvious when the Rams began the season with a starting five of Andrew Whitworth, Joseph Noteboom, Austin Blythe, Austin Corbett, and Rob Havenstein.  Eventually, David Edwards would win the starting role after Joseph Noteboom fell to injury.

Even with known players, the coaching staff had to fast-track the starters simply to ensure that the starting players would get sufficient steps to be ready to go.  One exception was the surprising performance of rookie safety Jordan Fuller. But there was that injury to presumed starter Taylor Rapp which opened the door.

Anchrum had no such window of opportunity open to him. Rather the 6-foot-2 314-pound offensive lineman saw action on special teams. For 2020 and after being selected in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft, that was actually a rather admirable season for the young man.

After all, the NFL restricted putting on football pads to an almost point-blank range before the season started. That eliminated any rookie hoping to improve on the Rams depth chart from doing so. Instead, it became the hope of something better far into the future for a lot of hard work throughout 2020.

Anchrum is such a young man. His name surfaced repeatedly as someone who had great training days in 2020. He was exposed to training at left tackle early to see how he might handle the work later. Tremayne Anchrum Jr. is everything you can ask from an offensive lineman. He has good footwork, makes good use of his hands. He pivots his hips and shoulder well to maintain blocks on defenders. But the most outstanding aspect is that he is one of the most intelligent players on the field.

A year ago, Tremayne Anchrum was fighting against the NFL timetable, COVID-19 restrictions, virtual off-season training program, as well as all of the normal challenges facing an NFL rookie who hears his name called in round seven of the NFL Draft. And there he stands, a young man with more desire than ever, and a reputation for good things on the football field.

He is no longer an unfamiliar rookie arriving at the NFL, nor is he simply happy to be given the chance to compete. He’s now an NFL veteran, an offensive lineman who is returning for a second season. This year is a bit different. Last year he proved that he has what it takes to make the Rams 53-man roster. This year? He’s about to prove that he deserves to start on the Rams offensive line.