Which second-year player will take the biggest step forward for Rams?

Stetson Bennett, Zach Evans, and Davis Allen are hoping to be more involved in sophomore campaigns

Les Snead and Sean McVay knocked the Los Angeles Rams’ 2023 NFL Draft class out of the park. Not only did they find several day-one starters, but they also identified multiple rookie of the year candidates despite not making their first selection until #36 overall.

Receiver Puka Nacua is already on his way to becoming a house hold name. He hauled in 114 passes for 1,667 yards and seven touchdowns across 17 regular season games and LA’s wildcard loss to the Detroit Lions. Nacua has emerged as the Rams’ top receiving option even with former triple crown winner Cooper Kupp still on the roster.

Steve Avila, Kobie Turner, Byron Young, and Ethan Evans all handled starting duties early on and are hoping to improve into their sophomore campaigns. Avila is moving to center after playing left guard as a rookie. Turner and Young must take a step forward in order to help fill the major void left by Aaron Donald’s retirement.

The bigger question heading into 2024 is who steps up out of the rest of the draft class. Who is the most likely breakout candidate in their second season?

Stetson Bennett, QB

Les Snead mentioned at the league’s annual meeting that Bennett has been working out in Texas and plans to onboard with the team for offseason workouts. Jimmy Garoppolo is entrenched as Matthew Stafford’s backup for 2024, though he’ll miss the first two games of the season due to suspension.

Bennett will have plenty of chances over the preseason to remind LA why they drafted him in the fourth round a year ago. That will be his audition for the backup role in 2025 and beyond, and the Rams need to start thinking about a succession plan for Stafford.

Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

Nick Hampton, OLB

Ochaun Mathis, OLB

Hampton played 70 defensive snaps last year with the majority coming between weeks 14-18. That may suggest he was coming on stronger over the second half of the season, as Mathis’ opportunities began to dwindle around that same time—his 75 snaps all came prior to Week 12.

In terms of production, Hampton seemed to fare better than Mathis. Hampton was tasked with pass rushing 32 times in 2023 and recorded three total pressures for a win rate of 9.7%. Mathis had significantly more pass rushes at 53, but drew only five pressures for a win rate of 5.9%. Hampton earned a 74.0 pass rushing grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF) while Matthew was much lower at 50.7. That was the lowest grade on the team for edge rushers, and even Keir Thomas and Zach VanValkenburg graded higher.

Which edge defender has the better chance of a breakout next year? The Rams need all the help they can get at OLB after missing out on free agency at that position.

Warren McClendon, OT

If you want a reason to be optimistic about McClendon and have heard a lot of draft chatter about Georgia tackle Amarius Mims, know that McClendon is the guy who kept Mims on the bench while the two were both in Athens. Still, the NFL and the draft is about projection, but McClendon is still just 22 years old. He didn’t get many opportunities to play in 2023.

Davis Allen, TE

When Davis Allen had opportunities last year he seemed to make the most of them. He missed most of the preseason before debuting in the third and final game—and hauled in eight catches for 53 yards versus the Las Vegas Raiders. When Tyler Higbee was out against the Baltimore Ravens, Allen played 55 snaps and caught four passes for 50 yards and his first career touchdown in one of the offense’s best outings of the year. In the playoffs when Higbee suffered a major knee injury, Allen stepped in to catch both of his targets for 28 yards.

One encouraging aspect of Allen is that he seems to come down with the ball when it’s headed in his direction. He converted all eight of his preseason targets and then caught 10 of 11 targets over the regular season. That’s how you earn the trust of your quarterback and help move the chains.

Can Allen steal playing time away from LA’s veteran free agent signing, Colby Parkinson?

Tre Tomlinson, CB

When Tomlinson played in the preseason he fared well, even against his former TCU teammate and now Los Angeles Chargers receiver Quentin Johnston. While his opportunities in the regular season on defense were limited—he was a stalwart on special teams—he did not play as well as he did in the exhibition games and seemed to have a problem drawing penalties.

With the offseason signings of Darious Williams and Tre White, Tomlinson may once against find himself buried on the depth chart and relegated to special teams duties.

Zach Evans, RB

Kyren Williams seems primed for a monster 2024 campaign as the team’s lead back after LA’s offseason investment along the interior of the offensive line. Ronnie Rivers was tendered as an exclusive-rights free agent and will return as Williams’ backup.

But Williams has a concerning injury history, and there’s no denying that Evans is immensely more talented than Rivers. Hell, Evans probably has more natural gifts than Williams even—but he must prove to coaches he can be trusted in pass protection before he makes his way onto the field regularly.

Jason Taylor, DB

Barring John Johnson returning to the team, there is playing time up for grabs at safety. Kamren Curl fills a spot and could move around in the defense. Russ Yeast is the other starting safety right now. Even if he is unable to break into the starting lineup on defense, Taylor should be active on special teams.

Desjuan Johnson, DT

Drafted with the final pick last year, Johnson is Mr. Irrelevant. He impressed over training camp and played 105 snaps including the playoffs. The Rams did a good job working Johnson in on passing downs (60%), as he’s most effective rushing the passer. LA will probably draft along the interior defensive line at some point, but there’s reason to believe that Johnson has room and ability to grow as a player.