This LA Rams rookie faces the toughest challenge of his 2023 NFL career in Week 5

The LA Rams needed to get bigger, stronger, more physical, and a great deal more durable on the offensive line. While drafting for 'need,' is often fraught with disastrous tales, the Rams front office appears to have bucked the trend by selecting TCU rookie Steve Avila with the 36th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The LA Rams needed a strong offensive lineman to plug former veteran left guard David Edwards' role, but needed a rookie to play better than at a rookie level. The LA Rams could not place the safety and health into the hands of an offensive lineman who was not every bit as productive as a veteran counterpart. Most of all, the Rams simply did not have the draft pick ammunition to salve the position in the hopes of carpet bombing well enough to emerge with a productive rookie out of a half dozen prospects.

The Rams had a silver bullet, their Round 2 pick that would fall as the 36th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. If Steve Avila did not pan out, the Rams would suffer a huge setback throughout the season.

Avila arrives and cements Rams offensive front

To his credit, LA Rams rookie interior offensive lineman Steve Avila has looked the part of an NFL mauler from the get-go. He is a huge mountain-of-a-man who is one of the most physical offensive linemen on the Rams roster. Not only does he deliver at the point of attack, but he is constantly looking to his teammates or uncovered defenders to continue blocking until the whistle blows.

Best of all, he is getting better all of the time:

And so it goes for the LA Rams rookie offensive lineman. Even as he improves each week, the challenges get ever more difficult as well. Avila has brought a fierceness to his position, but the quality of the Rams offensive line is not solely dependant upon Avila, but rather upon the ability of the LA Rams entire offensive line to protect starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. That ability of the group suffered in Week 2 due to multiple injuries, and right now the Rams quality at left offensive tackle is suspect as neither Alaric Jackson or backup Joe Noteboom are practicing.

Another day, another Avila challenge

Of course, Steve Avila will face a huge challenge in Week 5 when he will primarily face Philadelphia Eagles star rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter. And Carter is already getting anointed as one of the NFL's best defenders and is stirring the pot for the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. I'm not saying that Carter is not an outstanding rookie, but in four games he has amassed 125 defensive snaps to generate 1.5 quarterback sacks and eight tackles.

For comparison purposes, LA Rams rookie NT Kobie Turner has 139 defensive snaps and has 1.0 quarterback sacks and eight tackles. And he is playing the nose tackle position in a 3-4 defense. Nobody is anointing Turner with such lofty honors as NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year discussion just yet, and nobody has him in the discussions among one of NFL's best defenders.

Still, Carter is good. But Steve Avila already has some experience in blocking Jalen Carter in a high profile game. It was the NCAA National Championship Game when TCU OL Steve Avila faced off against Georgia DT Jalen Carter. And Avila held his own in that one:

So history will repeat itself once more, and Steve Avila will face off against Jalen Carter in 5the trenches. Will Avila win that matchup? Or will Carter terrorize Stafford? The problem is that even if Avila is a stone fortress, the Rams' offensive line must be just as formidable all over the line of scrimmage to be successful in Week 5.

This game could result in a heartbreaking loss. Or it could prove to be the type of upset that the LA Rams can rally around for the remainder of the 2023 NFL season. We'll know in less than two days time.