Turf Show Times
Good for a sixth round rookie, or a good NFL starting center? The jury is still out on Beaux Limmer.
Los Angeles Rams rookie center Beaux Limmer was exposed by Jalen Carter in the team’s playoff loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Carter sacked Matthew Stafford in the red zone on third down to put the Rams behind the chains on the potential game-winning drive. The following play, Carter pressured Stafford again to force an errant throw out of bounds. So close, yet so far—and that’s a lot on the shoulders of a young player.
While it’s impressive that Limmer was able to take the reigns and earn the starting center job for LA despite his sixth round draft status, the Rams must now be honest with themselves and assess exactly what they have in their rookie.
Was Beaux Limmer simply good for a rookie and sixth round pick, or is he a good starting NFL center relative to his peers?
These are the ten highest paid centers by draft round:
While the highest paid centers in the NFL have a history of being selected in the first three rounds of the draft, the top 10 does include a few undrafted players and a former sixth-round pick.
That’s a promising sign for Limmer’s long-term prospects and the idea that he may be on an upward trajectory as a still-developing player.
There are 29 centers that played at least 614 snaps this season. Of that group, Limmer ranks 26th in terms of Pro Football Focus (PFF) grading with a mark of 55.5. He’s 17th in run blocking with a grade of 65.4 and dead last in pass blocking at 40.2.
Another discouraging sign is the fact that Limmer was tied for the second-most penalties at center with 10. Only fellow rookie Graham Barton had more at 13. Barton was drafted in the first round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jake Brendel of the San Francisco 49ers and Tyler Linderbaum of the Baltimore Ravens also were flagged 10 times.
LA experimented with Steve Avila and Jonah Jackson at center during training camp and into the early part of the regular season. Limmer was thrust into the starting lineup due to injuries, but he held his own and rightfully earned the first-string job.
While the writing on the wall suggests that Jackson is on his way out of Los Angeles,...
