Every spring in the NFL offseason marks the time for the NFL draft, as former college stars realize lifelong dreams of having a shot to play with the best players in the world. The beauty of the NFL draft is, that no matter how much scouting is done, it’s impossible to know whether these prospects will turn out the way the team selecting them envisions them to be. Every draft produces prospects who fall exceedingly short of expectations, while some burst onto the scene to take the NFL by storm.
Last season, the Rams appeared to have one of the best draft performances in the league, nabbing multiple instant starters in Puka Nacua, Steve Avila, Kobie Turner, and Byron Young, none of whom were first-round selections. The Rams, of course, look to have that much success in every draft class, with the 2024 draft as no exception.
One player who was selected by the Rams in April was safety Kamren Kinchens out of the University of Miami. The Rams had a clear focus on improving their secondary throughout the offseason, so they selected Kinchens 99th overall to fit that focus.
Kinchens has already earned some high praise from head coach Sean McVay in his first training camp as a professional.
The Rams are known league-wide as a team that does not play their key players in preseason games. Kinchens was notably not on the field in the Rams’ second preseason game against the Chargers, so the media rightfully had questions as to why the third-round pick did not appear in the game.
McVay told media members, “We’ve been holding him out for precautionary reasons… He’s done a great job. It was really one of those deals that we didn’t feel it was necessary to expose him to possible injury. He’s going to be a guy that’s going to be a factor for us.”
Based on this quote from Coach McVay, it is clear the team has high hopes for what Kinchens could bring to the table for the Rams defense. In the first, unofficial depth chart of the preseason, Kinchens was listed as the backup to fellow safety Kamren Curl. However, with the aging John Johnson III listed as the starting safety opposite of Curl, there is a chance Kinchens gets a real shot to contribute throughout the 2024 season.
The ball-hawking Kinchens recorded 11 interceptions as a two-year starter at Miami, proving to be one of the best safeties at the FBS level during his collegiate career. The Rams finished ranked 30th in the NFL in takeaways last season, a statistic McVay believes Kinchens has a shot to help change this year.