Coming out of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams’ class of rookies has a theme to it. Yes, it’s a collection of talented players who each could contribute relatively early in their careers. However, more importantly, they give the coaching nearly endless options on offense and defense.
Versatility is the name of the game in the NFL and the Rams have plenty of it – not only with the different positions their guys can play, but with the number of personnel groupings Los Angeles can now activate.
This draft class was all about giving Sean McVay – and to an extent, defensive coordinator Brandon Staley – more options scheme-wise.
For the last three years, McVay has leaned heavily on utilizing 11 personnel on offense. The Rams have had three really good starting receivers on the roster each season, so it’s easy to understand why McVay would want to keep them on the field.
This graphic will put into perspective just how reliant the Rams were on 11 personnel in 2017 and 2018.
Sean McVay and the Rams used 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) on 90+% of their offensive snaps in 2018.
Over the past 2 seasons, the @RamsNFL have used only 5 personnel packages on offense, while 3 teams have used 30+ (@ChicagoBears, @Saints and @Ravens).
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— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) June 26, 2019
The Rams began to shift gears in 2019, though. McVay, after seeing the offense sputter a bit, diversified. The running game wasn’t working and Jared Goff was facing far too much pressure. McVay didn’t abandon 11 personnel completely, but he got his tight ends on the field more and expanded the playbook.
Last season, the Rams used 11 personnel 70 percent of the time – still second-most in the NFL, but they also used five different personnel packages. That’s the same total as they used in 2017 and 2018 combined.
Coming out of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Rams are well positioned to diversify their offense moving forward.
“Just like anything, defenses start trying to catch up to what we were doing in 11 (personnel) and Sean even said he wanted to go back to where he could do similar stuff but out of more diversified personnel packages and so we’re going to get two tight ends on the field more,” GM Les Snead said this week on SiriusXM NFL Radio.
That wasn’t the only time Snead mentioned being more diverse on offense. He did so after the draft, too.
“Like I’ve always said, what we’ve been doing in ’17 and ’18, Sean loves personnel packages, so multiple tight ends and wide receivers, so adding Mr. (Brycen) Hopkins and Mr. (Van) Jefferson today is good,” he said.
The Rams boast excellent depth at all three skill positions on offense. They can go four deep at wide receiver with Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Josh Reynolds and Van Jefferson, and they’re three deep at running back with Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson Jr. and Malcolm Brown. The same goes for tight end with Tyler Higbee, Gerald Everett and now Brycen Hopkins.
The Rams have the ability to use not only 11 personnel, but also 22 (2 RBs, 2 TEs), 13 (1 RB, 3 TEs) and 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TEs), which was the team’s second-most popular grouping last season. And they can do so with a variety of players, not just the same five faces.
Snead even hinted at using Hopkins in “exotic personnel packages,” which is an exciting phrase to hear uttered about the Rams.
The same goes for the defense, which is now led by Staley. Under Wade Phillips last season, the Rams didn’t have much variety with their personnel and players on defense. Aaron Donald, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Michael Brockers typically stayed at their respective positions.
Nickell Robey-Coleman covered the slot, with Jalen Ramsey and Troy Hill outside. Cory Littleton was the only inside linebacker who played consistently, and Marqui Christian joined Taylor Rapp and John Johnson often as the third safety.
It wasn’t a bad defense, but it wasn’t one that varied much week-to-week. Under Staley, the defense should be more “multiple” and unpredictable going from one week to the next.
Terrell Burgess can play safety and nickel back, which is a nice bonus in itself. He can be used almost interchangeably with Johnson and Rapp, which makes it tough for opponents to read the defense.
“To be able to get Burgess at the end, just the makeup of the human being, the versatility of his skill set, I think it’s huge. Especially, when you look at John Johnson and Taylor Rapp, feel really good about those guys, but there’s a lot of personnel groupings you can activate defensively where you’re playing with three safeties,” McVay said after Day 2 of the draft. “When you’ve got a guy that can play safety, or really that nickel spot based on his athleticism, it’s a really exciting thing to be able to add to that group.”
The cornerback group is more versatile, too. David Long Jr., who should have a bigger role in his second season, can play both in the slot and outside. The same goes for Hill, and even Ramsey to an extent. The Rams don’t have to keep their corners in specific spots, especially with Burgess able to play all over the secondary. When Robey-Coleman was there, he was pigeonholed to the slot because of his smaller stature. That’s no longer the case with Burgess and Long stepping up.
The same goes for the defensive line, where A’Shawn Robinson, Joseph-Day and Brockers can all play either nose tackle or defensive end. Aaron Donald can play defensive end, too, but he’s best at 3-technique.
The Rams should be more unpredictable on both offense and defense next season after their additions in the draft and also in free agency. And specifically in the draft, the motto was to give McVay more options.
Now, it’s just a matter of seeing how he uses his shiny new toys in 2020.
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