LA Rams: 5 reasons to believe defense will play well in Week 7

Reason 2: Young players will reinforce the defense

Even as the LA Rams draft for 2021 seemed to focus upon offensive weapons, the team also sprinkled the rookie class of 2021 with defensive players with tremendous upside. Those rookies will eventually develop far enough to earn playing time. When they come online, you can expect them to make a difference for this team.

Already, the coaching staff is beginning to tweak the snap count and roles of some players. A struggling David Long Jr. has watched his role diminish while the team has given more playing time to Robert Rochell. He was joined in Week 6 by DB Donte Deayon. While the Giants were at a competitive disadvantage, the Rams secondary kept them there.

Rochell is a rookie from a small school. While this is his first NFL season, he is already showing flashes of brilliance. He has 11 tackles, one interception, and three passes defended. In 19 targets, he has allowed just 11 completions, good enough for a 57.9 percent completion rate. That’s incredible for a rookie who hails from Central Arkansas, and with five games played and already two starts, will only get better.

Matched up with defensive back Donte Deayon has been somewhat of a very pleasant surprise. Deayon has allowed just five completions on 11 targets, good for a 45.5 percent completion rate. He has four tackles so far. But most impressive is the fact that even when a receiver makes a catch, they are only averaging 5.0 yards per completion against Deayon.

The Rams have rookies DL Bobby Brown III, OLB Chris Garrett, and ILB Ernest Jones waiting for their shot to make significant contributions on defense. They will, over time. For now, they are watching, waiting, and learning from more veteran players.