5 reasons to believe LA Rams DB Robert Rochell breaks out in 2022

Reason III: He was injured in 2021, or we wouldn’t need to sell his potential for this year

The LA Rams do not promote rookies to a starting role without plenty of due cause. Rochell, for all of his training camp positive mojo, was getting attention from the coaching staff due to his beating their expectations. And that is not an easy task to do among coaches who had already gone to bat for you to select you from all of the candidates in an NFL Draft.

Rochell was a promising young player, but he was banged up frequently as well. He missed playing time due to a banged-up knee, due to testing positively for COVID-19, and finally due to a chest injury (no further details available). Hey, it happens. He is a tall and speedy defensive back who just happened to get his first taste of NFL playing time.

Rookies experience school of hard knocks

A similar type of experience occurred for rookie defensive back Jordan Fuller, who played very well when he played, but who also was banged up quite a bit in his rookie season. In his offseason, he added muscle mass, or as he coined it later, he added a bit of armor and protection. I truly expect Rochell to undergo a similar type of muscular enhancements for his second season, a bit of metamorphosis or strength upgrade.

Rochell’s chest injury pulled him off of the field for the last five regular-season games and all of the postseason play. While it would have been an intriguing experience to witness Rochell’s ability to ramp up his game in the ultra-competitive NFL Playoffs, the fact is that Rochell was a solid prospect whose role was growing on the Rams throughout the season. Had he played his entire rookie season out without injury, it would not even be necessary to discuss what he may be in 2022. That would already be the consensus.