LA Rams: Rookie Ben Skowronek may not be long shot to make roster

The LA Rams have made it a point to draft wide receivers who have perfected the art of route-running over almost all other attributes. That has led the team to roster very similar players in Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, and to a lesser extent Trishton Jackson and practice squad player J.J. Koski.  Running precise routes was an integral part of the team’s passing offense arsenal with quarterback Jared Goff slinging the football.

It seems as though the LA Rams draft strategy changed somewhat in the 2021 NFL Draft. The team focused on rote athleticism, speed, and the ability to catch contested balls. That new set of skillsets led the team right to the doorstep of former Notre Dame wide receiver Ben Skowronek. Skowronek only had a 136.4 passer rating when targetted in 2020 per Pro Football Focus LA (@PFF_Rams).

That in itself is a fairly spectacular statistic to find in the seventh round of any NFL Draft. But it was especially impressive considering that Skowronek turned four completed passes into three touchdowns on November 14, 2020.  Considering that the LA Rams want to bolster the offense’s ability to put points on the board, Skowronek is a fine step in the right direction.,

So where will the LA Rams play him? Well, he has the athleticism to play at virtually any position on the offense. So the best answer is… anywhere?

We’d hinted that the Rams offense would really gel by adding a fullback to help clear out running lanes as well as add a runner/receiver at one of the lesser defended positions on the offense. Skowronek has tremendous blocking chops, but his athleticism gives him far more versatility than a rumbling fireplug fullback running into the line of scrimmage.

Skowronek may appear to be just a special teams’ gimmick-gadget player. But in the hands of head coach Sean McVay, he becomes an incredible versatile weapon to line up almost anywhere on the football field, and creates a blocker, receiver, or rusher that creates tremendous nightmares for defensive coordinators. He has the blocking ability of a tight end. He has the pass-catching ability and speed of a wide receiver. Finally, he has the willingness to line up anywhere on the field to give the Rams offense an advantage.

He may have been selected with the 249th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, but don’t think he is a longshot to make the team.