Young talent isn’t hard to come by on the Rams’ roster, boasting a bunch of really good players who haven’t yet turned 30. Among the best are obviously Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, as well as Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, John Johnson and Taylor Rapp.
Jared Goff is still only 25 years old and although he struggled in 2019, he did have strong seasons the two years prior.
Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top 25 players in the NFL who will be under 25 years old when the 2020 season begins, using September 10 as a cutoff. Goff and Ramsey just miss the cut by one year, since they’re already 25, while Kupp turns 27 next month.
No Rams made the list, in part because of a lack of qualified candidates. There were two players who at least deserved consideration, though.
Johnson won’t turn 25 until December 19, so he meets the criteria. Though he’s never been a Pro Bowler, he’s played at a very high level when healthy. Unfortunately, he missed more than half the season in 2019, though he still managed to rack up 51 tackles and pick off two passes in only six games.
Rapp is another Rams player who qualified for PFF’s list, being just 22 years old. His lack of experience probably played a role in him missing the cut, being a starter for just 10 games as a rookie. It’d be hard to put him above the players toward the bottom of the list, names such as JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mark Andrews, Courtland Sutton and Terry McLaurin.
No other Rams should have gotten consideration for PFF’s rankings, but a few could pop up on this list next year. Cam Akers could have a big rookie year and make the top 25 in 2021, as could Terrell Burgess. The same could be said about Rapp, since he’ll still be eligible.
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