8 2021 LA Rams rookies who could surprise in 2022

If you were looking for immediate impact players out of the LA Rams draft class of 2021, you were likely rather disappointed. For all intents and purposes, the Rams draft class, chosen for raw athleticism, really did not move the needle very much in terms of on-field production. But let’s caveat that with one very important word. Yet.

It could be that the player(s) arrived simply too raw, and could not refine their techniques quickly enough to earn a regular spot in the team’s rotation. Or it could be that the player(s) were injured too quickly in the season, and were benched and rehabbing before they could line up next to their teammates on the football field.

I: That incredible inside linebacker on the Rams roster

Whatever the cause, we know the effect. Of the nine players added via the 2021 NFL Draft, only one, inside linebacker Ernest Jones, earned and played a starting role on the team by the season’s end. While that may disappoint and discourage some, it proves two vitally important elements of the LA Rams roster-building methodology.

First, the LA Rams draft for the future. That is, they are not necessarily trying to fast-track a young prospect and bolt on the playbook and send him onto the football field unprepared. The Rams are patient, extremely patient, and have a tendency to red-shirt rookies for the entirety of the season.

Perhaps more important evidence discovered from the 2021 NFL season proved that the LA Rams roster was rather talent-rich all season. The only true ‘impact players’ added to the team during the season were bonafide NFL stars in their own right. Even second-year players were hard-pressed to get more than just rotational roles on this team.  So who could be that pleasant surprise to the fans in their second year? We’ve uncovered seven more such players. So who are they? Let’s find out…