PFF cites Rams group among the Top 5 of NFC and here's why they got it right

What other improvements did team make to bolster ground attack?

If the team restricted improvements to the Rams roster solely to the running back room, there would be only limited upside for the team to improve its rushing offense in 2024. Fortunately, the team attacked the problem of improving the running game from all angles, and the results should prove to be impressive in 2024.

To run effectively, the ability to run block and create running lanes becomes paramount. Unlike passing plays in which multiple receivers run routes, but only one player is targeted, running plays commands the active and physical participation of all players. If you don't have the football in your hands, you are expected to block for the guy who does in this offense.

With that in mind, did the team become more physical at other positions?

Rams WR room bolstered as blockers

While not everyone applauded the team's selection of former Texas WR Jordan Whittington in Round 6 of the 2024 NFL Draft, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of fans and websites that love the selection. They get it. Now, why are those insightful fans and bloggers so pleased with Whittington in this offense?

He is the ideal clay that can be shaped and sculpted quickly into a masterpiece. In short, he not only knows how to catch a football, but he has a strong foundation in all of the asks put to rookie wide receivers in this offense that they must accomplish before getting a chance to take the football field.

Whittington is a savvy and willing football player who volunteers to do whatever the coach asks of him. While that suppressed his offensive production and likely dropped his projections on many NFL Draft boards, he likely enhanced his standing on the Rams draft board. After all, what's not to love about a wide receiver who not only catches the football, but blocks, runs solid routes, can run with the football, can sub in to return kickoffs or punts, and who can churn out a lot of yards after the catch?

Doesn't that sound just like a Rams receiver?

Built to block, this 6-foot-1 202-pound Brickhouse brings one more physical presence to an offense that demands physicality from every receiver. Well, that is exactly what Whittington excels at. A tough-minded son of a gun, Whittington transitions instantly from catching a football into a guy running right down a defender's throat. It's his fearless pursuit of contact that makes defenders shy away from him.

But that same 'here I come, ready or not' mindset serves him well as a blocker too. Fearing nothing, Whittington loves to seek and destroy defensive backs and even outside linebackers or defensive linemen as a blocker. And he is strong enough to stop them dead in their tracks.