Here's why I've never been higher on anyone than this outstanding Day 3 rookie

The LA Rams 2024 NFL Draft class is bursting with future NFL stars. Whether you want to focus on Day 1, Day 2, or Day 3 of the rookie class, the front office appears to have outdone itself by not only adding passionate players at a position of need, but the scouting departing seems to understand the complex and intricate challenges of ensuring that rookie prospects who are selected must be a fit for this team and that this team must fit them.

And the 2024 rookie class appears to hold the potential to be a success at all levels.

But I have to pause the onslaught of injuries and free agency additions for a moment and focus on a rookie who I loved from the moment that this team chose him with the 217th overall pick in Round 6 of the 2024 NFL Draft. He was one of the few rookies I had identified in a pre-draft Rams mock draft, and my reaction to his selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, a round later than I had him projected to come off the board, was predictably quite positive.

Arkansas center Beaux Limmer may not have jumped off the draft board as a need for the Rams roster, but that is the sweet outcome of drafting the best player available. Ultimately, opportunities for their performance arrives, and the Rams have the benefit of having a talented player ready to fill the unexpected need.

While most draft profiles projected Limmer as an early Day 3 rookie prospect, some projected him as early as a late Day 2 draft prospect. What worked against him was the fact that this was a rookie class that was quite deep at the center position. As a result, many top tier rookie prospects fell into Day 3. In fact, only two centers, Duke's Graham Barton and West Virginia's Zach Frazier, were chosen before Day 3 rolled around.

Okay. But with the Rams moving starting left guard to center, what chance did Beaux Limmer have at contributing in 2024? And if he would simply be a bench warmer, how would that improve the team? Ah, that's where the real value for Beaux Limmer comes in.

Preseason performance confirms optimistic expectations

The truth of any NFL team's front office is that you cannot turn a blind eye to impressive talent that is on the draft board, even if you already believe that you have sufficient depth on the roster at that position. Such was the case with the LA Rams, who not only has moved the very impressive Steve Avila from left guard to center, but who also boasted backup center Mike McAlister on the roster.

But Beaux Limmer was a bargain valued offensive lineman in Round 6. As strong as an ox, and as sharp as a tack, Limmer's only limitations was a lack of refined and sophisticated blocking techniques. He is used to mauling anyone in front of him, but in the NFL, power alone won't cut it.

Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 312 pounds, Limmer could pass as an offensive tackle. But he is a true NFL center, built to neutralize even the biggest and most powerful nose tackles he will face, even in the NFL.

Of course, expectations and projections are just fancy words for speculation. Or as we used to say in financial analysis, they are simplys SWAGS. But the thing about the NFL is that you quickly gain evidence of whether those guesses are in line with actual performance, overly pessimistic, or overly optimistic. In the case of Beaux Limmer, the preseason results confirmed optimistic projections:

And so, the Rams, already struggling with preseason injuries to LT Alaric Jackson, RT Rob Havenstein, and LF Jonah Jackson, had to deal with the real challenge of how long the team could keep Beaux Limmer on the bench in the face of so many injuries.

Even as the Rams entered the season with many injuries, there continues to be a level of comfort in knowing that the team, with the exception of offensive tackle positions decimated by injuries, has solid talent as backups. And so, the team entered Week 1 a bit shaken, but still hopeful.

And thus begins the Beaux Limmer chapter of the Rams season:

Limmer enters the fray mid game in Week 1

The LA Rams entered the Week 1 game on the road with the Detroit Lions a bit banged up on the offensive line. In fact, the team's starting five offensive line did not resemble the projected starters at all. The Rams offensive line configuration was:

• LT Joe Noteboom - 27 Snaps
• LT AJ Arcuri - 51 snaps (replaced Noteboom)
• LG Steve Avila - 37 snaps
• LG Jonah Jackson - 41 snaps
• C Jonah Jackson - 37 snaps
• C Beaux Limmer - 41 snaps
• RG Kevin Dotson - 78 snaps
• RT Warren McClendon - 78 snaps

As you can see by the above data, the Rams were mixing and matching players on the offensive line throughout the game. Kevin Dotson, who played the entire game, also suffered a foot injury and is now considered day-to-day. So when rookie Beaux Limmer entered the fray, he was not only stepping into an NFL game in the heat of battle. He was surrounded by a patchwork group of offensive lineman that were injured, struggling, and on the ropes.

And yet, he put on a performance that not only seemed to rally the fans, but that caught the eye of HC Sean McVay as well:

Is this a temporary chapter for rookie center Beaux Limmer? I'm not convinced that he will return to the bench as players heal. After all, we know that the team has already cautioned fans that players may not return to the active roster during the team's Week 6 BYE. And if Limmer plays to expectations, the pressure to get Avila back onto the football field may dissipate completely. After all, the team has a limited number of IR to active roster moves to use this season. If Limmer's level of play can give the front office more options, so much the better.

He may have simply been the best player available in Round 6 of the 2024 NFL Draft. But now, rookie center Beaux Limmer is the keystone to the 2024 iteration of the offensive line, and therefore, for the success of this season.

Has any rookie found himself in a more pressure-cooked position? Well, we need to look no further than the 2023 NFL season and the record-setting performance of rookie WR Puka Nacua. Have the Rams found a star on Day 3 of the draft once more?

Stay tuned, fans. This is just starting to get good.

And as always, thanks for reading.