Turf Show Times
The Rams may have another day 2 or day 3 draft steal in Kam Kinchens
Backs against the wall because of a strapped cap situation and trades, the Rams drafted 14 players in 2023 and another 10 in 2024, but they only had one first round pick. Out of those 24 picks, first rounder Jared Verse has been a standout and yet he’s far from alone and that list of draft hits is getting longer with rookie third rounder Kam Kinchens posting his third interception in the last three games.
Kinchens was PFF’s highest-graded rookie in Week 11:
It’s not so amazing that a player would just have a good week.
What’s amazing is that the Rams have four rookies — FOUR — who are standing out for playing well beyond their years and their draft position:
Verse and Fiske are battling for Defensive Rookie of the Year, while Kinchens has now stepped up with three interceptions since going from a backup to a player with a role on Sundays.
Limmer has also pushed a $17 million player out of his spot.
In addition to these four, defensive tackle Tyler Davis has quietly increased his reps, including a career-high 31 snaps against the Patriots. For better or worse, sixth rounder Joshua Karty is the kicker and Jordan Whittington has 201 yards because he stepped up a little bit during the injuries to Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
And by next year, we could be talking about Blake Corum as L.A.’s starting running back.
That’s more amazing given that last year’s class includes these key players:
We know the stories of the standouts like Nacua, but there’s time left for Warren McClendon, Davis Allen, and Nick Hampton to prove their value in the future.
If the worst case scenario is that the Rams have drafted 5-7 starters in the last two years, that’s a better worst case scenario than any team in the NFL. And that was without a first round pick in 2023.
If Les Snead hits his third shot in a row in 2025, the rest of the NFL may not catch up to what happens next.
