6 times PFF's projected Rams starting lineup missed key position battles

(3) - WRs: WR Davante Adams, Puka Nacua, Demarcus Robinson

The first swing and a miss comes with projecting San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Demarcus Robinson as the third wide receiver option for the Rams in 2025. So this was an easy one to troubleshoot. Yes, we all make mistakes, and this is not an attempt to drum up points with a cheap 'gotcha' moment.

It's simply the absence of who PFF meant to cite that opens the door to speculation. While PFF would almost certainly name Tutu Atwell here if they had the opportunity to pull a mulligan, I'm not convinced that the third wide receiver for this team is so cut and dry.

Might the third-most-frequently targeted Rams wide receiver in 2025 end up as Tutu Atwell? Of course. And the Rams have wagered $10 million to see that outcome come to pass. But it's a long season. And the team is almost certainly going to be tested to revert to more physical wide receivers. If that is the case, then the very physical yet under-the-radar option will almost certainly be WR Jordan Whittington.

Having said all of that, I'm not even ready to exclude rookie WR Konata Mumpfield from the Rams' wide receiver surprises this year. The more I see of his collegiate performance, the easier it becomes to envision instant chemistry with veteran QB Matthew Stafford. Mumpfield is the NFL's version of a knuckleball pitcher in baseball. Nobody except for the receiver and the quarterback knows where he will end up, and how fast he will get there.

He is wowing in OTAs, already getting passionate arguments from some on social media to push his name into the NFL OROY category. He, it's just t-shirts and shorts. But what I take out of the hype right now is the effortless manner that Mumpfield races to catch up to an overthrown pass, or slows down in mid-route to time the football to land in his hands despite being underthrown.

He is impressing more than some over-reactive fans. Keep him on your radar.

(3) - CBs - Darious Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon

While it seems that the change of a pattern that found the Rams reaching out to veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon long after training camp is underway, I don't know that I would be in any rush to presume that Darious Williams and Witherspoon are a lock on the starting positions. After all, a guy is entering his contract year named Cobie Durant, who also started for the Rams at cornerback last season.

And Durant's overall grade of 63.7 from PFF has to keep him in the mix to start in 2025. His postseason grade was even more impressive, getting a 67.8 overall grade.

If I were blindfolded and had to throw darts at who starts this year, I would almost certainly aim for Cobie Durant and Ahkello Witherspoon. The Rams face very physical offenses in the early going, and those two give the team the best chance to match up against them physically

Of course, Coach Sean McVay named Durant as a young cornerback who is showing growth in OTAs already. And he is joined by teammates Emmanuel Forbes and Shaun Jolly, tw players who the Rams are high on, but have yet to step up and earn significant playing time for the team

And there is the persistent NFL rumors that link All-Pro DB Jalen Ramsey to the LA Rams.

It's still early. The Rams did not address the CB position in free agency or the draft (rather than extend Ahkello Witherspoon). Will they be enough? The team has 10 cornerbacks in OTAs. I expect more than one player to be a very positive surprise to Rams fans and the NFL at large when the season starts.