Turf Show Times
The offense came alive for the Los Angeles Rams in their opening preseason victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Stetson Bennett turned the corner in his third set of exhibition games, and Cody Schrader closed out the contest with multiple punishing runs.
These are the highest graded players on each side of the ball for the Rams from Saturday night’s game along with a few other interesting footnotes.
While Schrader will get the credit in the box score for his long, punishing runs towards the end of the game, Lampkin was moving defenders and clearing the path for his running back. The draft community loved Lampkin and he was an oft-discussed name in the spring; however, he’s a historical size outlier and that made him effectively undraftable. That doesn’t mean Lampkin can’t overcome the odds and become a reliable pro, and his NFL debut was a strong first effort in doing so.
Lampkin finished with a 92.2 grade in the run game versus a 78.6 grade in pass protection.
Despite playing only six snaps and carrying the ball five times, Schrader forced four missed tackles and accumulated 36 yards after contact. The opportunities may have been limited, but he certainly made the most of them. Schrader also added a nine-yard touchdown through the air.
Did Schrader earn more looks over the remaining two exhibition games? The Rams may want to give more rest to Blake Corum and Jarquez Hunter.
The Rams may need Quessenberry behind Rob Havenstein at some point this season, and he looked the part against Dallas. Quessenberry has always graded positively according to PFF, though in the regular season he’s been closer to average or above average.
Dedich started multiple games last season when the offensive line was missing a few starters. He played well in those opportunities, although—like Lampkin—he is noticeably undersized. He played 48 of 67 offensive snaps and graded better in the run game (80.6) than in pass protection (66.9).
Ronnie Rivers was technically the fifth-highest graded player on offense but played only three snaps. I usually apply a threshold of five snaps before including in this list.
Bennett completed 16 of 24 passes (66.7% completion) for 188 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. However, PFF attributed Rams receivers with three (!) drops which would move Bennett to an adjusted completion percentage of 82.6%. That is impressive and underscores the turnaround we are seeing from the third year QB.
Bennett finished with one big-time throw and a turnover-worthy play. He converted one first down with his legs as well.
The PFF grades were not kind to Blake Corum, who started this game and scored two touchdowns. Corum earned marks in the passing game of 31.3 and in pass blocking...
