LA Rams roster becoming incredibly athletic thanks to 2023 NFL Draft

The LA Rams 2023 NFL Season is going to be a lot of work, particularly since the team is leaning so heavily upon rookies this year. But lots of work appears to be something that the Rams rookie draft class of 2023 is quite used to. In fact, to get where they currently are, you could even conclude that hard work is the preferred method for the LA Rams rookies

Why is athleticism important? All things being equal, the players who are stronger and faster have a competitive edge on the football field. The key is to ensure that all things are equal. The LA Rams struggled in the 2021 NFL Draft because it appeared that the Rams' strategy in the 2021 draft class was to emphasize athleticism at the expense of all other factors. Size, experience, football IQ, and production were not a factor in that 2021 rookie draft class.

Thankfully, the Rams appear to have found a balance this time around, as the team has a tremendously athletic group of rookies this season, but did not appear to take any shortcuts along the way.

If you were wondering, Kent Lee Platte did not include Wingate punter Ethan Evans in his 2023 Draft Class list (above). The reason? Not enough published measurements to compare him to other rookie punters.

The LA Rams are getting underway with OTAs this week, and the initial results are as positive as you might expect. One of the surprising names to surface from the first OTA recap is Rams undrafted rookie running back Tiyon Evans out of Louisville. He was noteworthy because he made an impression on both Rams' reporters J.B Long and D'Marco Farr as a player who was ripped with muscles. So how athletic is he? Actually, he scored very highly on composite speed, which is a very good thing for an NFL running back.

Does athleticism make a difference? I think it can, particularly when athleticism is blended with other contributing factors used to assess and project rookie prospects. The LA Rams 2023 draft class has checked the boxes on players who can compete.

Will that make a difference? I think it can. The Rams hired some of the best in slot positional coaches this year to prepare for the busloads of rookies who would be onboarding with the team this year. They simply need great students of the game to instruct. It appears that the Rams have done what the team needed to do by adding some quality young players who can not only play in the NFL but compete for playing time in their rookie season.