Rams relentless pass rush has found its stride at the perfect time

The Young and the Rest(less)

We tend to gravitate to the players on a roster whose statistics that are easily tracked spike. That makes NFL players who land among the top players in the NFL with interceptions and quarterback sacks household names. But defensive coaches and players know and understand the vital relationship required among players to fill their specific roles to allow players to shine with those limited but publicly tracked statistics.

For every pass rusher, someone has to apply blanket pass coverage to force quarterbacks to hestitate throwing the football. For every run stuffing linebacker, there must be a blocker-gobbler defensive lineman who occupies two or more offensive lineman at the line of scrimmage, allowing the linebacker an unfettered path to the ball carrier.

For every strong passing quarterback, there is an unheralded offensive line that keeps him protected.

When the LA Rams drafted rookie outside linebacker Byron Young from the University of Tennessee in Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft, they were taking a risk. Some draft analysts cited his age as a reason to hesitate selecting him. Younger players tend to have longer careers. and are viewed as more coachable. The Rams had attempted to infuse young players into their pass rush, and had failed. But Byron Young was different.

He was 25 when selected by the LA Rams. And he cares. His NFL Draft profile highlighted that fact:

"
He really appreciates every second he is on the field and our coaches would love that. He probably ends up standing, but I think he’ll be better with a hand in the ground.
"

Regional AFC team scout

Byron Young met and forged an immediate bond with fellow rookie NT Kobie Turner. Young was the strong and silent type. Turner was the opposite, a chatty and jovial teammate who loudly and proudly embrace the team's high standards of grinding relentlessly to prepare themselves for the NFL regular season. Those preparations and training clearly worked, as both Young and Turner excelled instantly.

Of course, it's easy to look good playing alongside All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald. Many NFL veterans had done so in the past, spiked their production, signed lucrative contracts elsewhere, but fade back to competent but not elite production off the edge.

The Rams rookie duo was somehow different. They played out of the love of the game. And their sensational rookie season was so good that they prompted the front office to think outside the box. What would the defense do if the team could land a second set of high-performing rookies in the 2024 NFL Draft?