LA Rams TE Davis Allen is the next rookie to step up this season

The LA Rams know that they draft well in 2023. Not only does the team have a starting left guard in rookie offensive lineman Steve Avila from Round 2, but the team added rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua in Round 5. The team also rounded out the defensive front with OLB Byron Young and NT Kobie Turner. Then the is punter Ethan Evans, who also doubles as the guy who kicks off the football from the kicking tee.

Of course, whenever discussing rookie classes, we cannot ignore the steep climb to contribute of undrafted players, like long snapper Alex Ward. Out of 14 draft picks, and signing rookies after the draft, the LA Rams landed six starters for the team. Is that number soon to be seven?

That's what my eyes told me in Week 14.

Let's reframe the LA Rams game against the Baltimore Ravens for just a moment. The Rams were playing on the East Coast, three hours earlier than they normally play football. The weather was windy and rainy. The game was played on a hostile football at M&T Stadium. Finally, the Rams were down to just two healthy tight ends for the game.

The Baltimore Ravens know a thing or two about defending tight ends. Their roster typically touts three tight ends, all of whom can see plenty of action in any given football game. So parading a rookie tight end into a pseudo-starting role on the football field due to injury to the intended starter is not a story that typically ends well.

This one did.

The 6-foot-6 245-pound rookie tight end out of Clemson appears to be a natural fit in this offense. He has the sense to feel where the weak spots in the secondary are located, and he is a difficult player to bring down once he gets the football secured and starts running to daylight.

LA Rams rookie tight end Davis Allen found plenty of light, catching four of five passes thrown his way for 50 yards and a touchdown. Prior to Week 14, he caught the only pass thrown his way this season. But now with the Rams down to two tight end, Allen is the next man up.

The LA Rams are going to need everything that Davis Allen's got to finish on a positive note this season. The Rams (6-7) have four more games to go, and may need to run the table to have any shot of an NFC Playoff berth. But from what we saw from Allen in Week 14, that is definitely doable.