Tag: Steve Avila

Will Rams snap NFL’s longest active streak of drafting offense first?

The Rams are tied with the Chargers and Steelers for the longest active streaks of drafting offense first. Will they snap it this year?

Before Sean McVay arrived in 2017, the Los Angeles Rams fielded an anemic offense for years. From 2007 to 2016, they never ranked higher than 21st in points scored and finished last in the NFL in scoring three times.

It’s hardly surprising that he and the Rams have sunk a lot of resources into the offense over the last seven years, being an offensive-minded coach, but this year’s draft class could be more about helping the defense.

Just about every mock draft has the Rams targeting a defensive player in the first round, whether it’s an edge rusher, a cornerback or a defensive tackle to help fill the void left by Aaron Donald. If the Rams do draft a defensive player with their first pick, it’ll snap a four-year streak of Los Angeles taking an offensive player first – tied for the longest active streak in the NFL with the Steelers and Chargers.

Here’s a look at each of the Rams’ top draft picks under McVay.

  • 2023: OL Steve Avila (36th)
  • 2022: OL Logan Bruss (104th)
  • 2021: WR Tutu Atwell (57th)
  • 2020: RB Cam Akers (52nd)
  • 2019: S Taylor Rapp (61st)
  • 2018: OL Joe Noteboom (89th)
  • 2017: TE Gerald Everett (44th)

Going all the way back to 2013, Rapp is still the only defensive player drafted first by the Rams, so it’s been a heavily skewed toward the offense for the last 11 years. That just goes to show it hasn’t been completely because of McVay.

Les Snead, of course, has been the Rams’ GM since 2012, and he’s the primary decision-maker when it comes to draft picks – in conjunction with his head coach.

All signs point toward the Rams taking a defensive player first this year, given their needs on that side of the ball. However, no one should be surprised if they select a wide receiver in Round 1, or potentially an offensive tackle to be the long-term solution behind either Alaric Jackson or Rob Havenstein.

Sean McVay is excited to see Steve Avila and his ‘amazing athleticism’ at center

Sean McVay is excited about Steve Avila moving to center, even if the second-year lineman is a bit nervous about the change

The Los Angeles Rams’ starting offensive line will look a bit different in 2024, even if there’s only one new player expected to step in. In addition to re-signing Kevin Dotson and tendering Alaric Jackson, the Rams signed Jonah Jackson to a three-year deal worth $51 million.

It was a surprising move considering he plays the same position as Steve Avila (left guard), but the Rams are opening a spot for Jackson by moving Avila inside to center.

Avila played both center and guard in college, but center was actually his primary position – and possibly even his better one. When McVay shared the news with Avila, he said the lineman was both excited and nervous about it.

“He’s like, ‘Man, I don’t know as much as Coleman.’ I said, ‘That’s okay! You don’t have to right now. Let’s just take incremental steps,'” McVay said, via Stu Jackson of the team’s official site. “He’s a guy that loves being in the building. And so, like I was talking about earlier, you don’t need to go from A to Z, let’s just take the incremental steps. Let’s continue to learn, with the right foundational understanding of what are we trying to get done? What are you looking at? What are the things that are important to be able to communicate?”

Avila played every single snap as a rookie in 2023, never coming off the field for an offensive play once all year. He played all of those snaps at left guard and had a lot of success, but playing center comes with more responsibility: protections, run-blocking assignments and identifying blitzers.

McVay is confident Avila can handle those duties, especially with Matthew Stafford being such an experienced quarterback, and he’s excited to see what the second-year player can do at his new position.

“He’s got an amazing athleticism for a big player,” McVay said. “He’s got great contact balance, you can see his ability to take second-level angles of departure, fit second-level blocks, play in space. That was one of the things that I went back and evaluated. I think he’s got the natural ability to play on the left or the right side of the line, be another lefty center for us.”

McVay: Signing Jonah Jackson, moving Steve Avila to center ‘came together last minute’

The Rams didn’t plan to sign Jonah Jackson and move Steve Avila to center until Coleman Shelton voided his deal, which set things in motion

Things don’t always go according to plan in the offseason so teams are forced to adapt and adjust. That’s what the Los Angeles Rams did when Coleman Shelton decided to void his contract and become a free agency.

The Rams still wanted to bring him back but he left to join the Bears and the team had just spent $48 million on right guard Kevin Dotson. So they began looking elsewhere and saw Jonah Jackson on the market.

Sean McVay told reporters at the annual league meetings this week that the Rams’ plan to sign Jackson and move Steve Avila to center came together at the last minute.

“Hey, Kevin’s at right guard, Jonah played left guard, and oh by the way, this stud rookie left guard that you had, he was an excellent center at TCU,” McVay said, via Stu Jackson of the team’s site. “And when you want to try to be able to improve and push the envelope with the interior parts of the offensive line, it really wasn’t part of the plan until you realize, wow, we might be able to get Jonah Jackson, and if we did that, even went back and started watching – and this all came together last minute – TCU, and you say, you know what, he did a great job at center, there’s a lot of work.”

McVay said moving Avila to center “was never really part of the plan” until Shelton became a free agent, so the Rams planned to keep him at left guard – a position Avila played every single snap at last season.

Now, though, Jackson steps in as the starting left guard, Avila moves to center and Dotson remains the starting right guard. That’s a massive trio on the interior of the offensive line, one that should do a better job of keeping Matthew Stafford upright and clearing running lanes for Kyren Williams.

Jackson may have been pricey ($51 million for three years), but he should be an upgrade for the Rams after letting Shelton walk.

Steve Avila savagely roasts analyst on Twitter who downplayed Aaron Donald’s greatness

An analyst on Twitter said Aaron Donald “was not the player he thinks he was” and Steve Avila savagely roasted him with the perfect response

Anyone who’s gone up against Aaron Donald at any point in their career knows how insanely difficult he was to block. It didn’t matter if it was Year 1 or Year 10, Donald was one of the most unstoppable players of his generation.

Steve Avila got a taste of that firsthand last season when he was tasked with blocking Donald during practice. As a rookie, Avila quickly learned how big of a challenge that was, and that’s with getting help from his center and left tackle.

So when an “analyst” on Twitter foolishly said Donald wasn’t as good as he thinks he was, Avila couldn’t help but step in and put Mr. Harrison P. Kent IV in his place.

It’s hard to tell if Kent is just a parody account and trolling for engagement, but regardless, Avila’s response was absolutely perfect.

There’s no coming back from that savage roasting by Avila. Might as well shut down the account and find a new line of work.

Rams do a ton to reinforce their offensive line with Kevin Dotson, Jonah Jackson deals

The Rams re-signed guard Kevin Dotson and acquired guard Jonah Jackson in moves that tell you all about Sean McVay’s state of mind.

The Los Angeles Rams have the wherewithal to put an explosive offense on the field, and they’ve done a lot to keep Matthew Stafford healthy and throwing all those deep balls. On March 7, they re-signed guard Kevin Dotson to a new three-year, $48 million contract, and on Monday, they agreed to terms with former Detroit Lions guard Jonah Jackson.

Not only does this set the Rams up with a dominant guard tandem; it also allows second-year man Steve Avila to move from left guard to center. Avila played 1,076 snaps at center for TCU from 2019 through 2022.

As for Jackson, the 2020 third-round pick out of Ohio State allowed two sacks and 27 total pressures on 480 pass-blocking snaps. Wrist and knee injuries gave Jackson a bit of an abbreviated season, but when he was on the field, he was on point far more often than not — not only as a pass-blocker, but as a stand-alone run-blocker and puller in Detroit’s highly complex run game. The Rams have moved a bit from their formerly preferred inside/outside zone to more gap concepts of late, and Jackson is a nice fit.

What the addition of LG Jonah Jackson means for Steve Avila

The Rams are signing LG Jonah Jackson, which will have a big impact on Steve Avila’s role in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Rams made sure to prevent Kevin Dotson from hitting the free-agent market by signing him to a three-year deal worth $48 million last week. It was a big move for the interior of their offensive line, but they didn’t stop there.

On the first day of the legal tampering period, the Rams agreed to a three-year deal worth $51 million with guard Jonah Jackson. It came as a huge surprise, especially considering the Rams already have a standout left guard, Steve Avila.

The addition of Jackson will have a big impact on Avila’s role moving forward. Assuming Jackson will remain at left guard like he has for the last four seasons, Avila will move to center. That’s actually his natural position, having started there for TCU in 2020 and 2021 before moving to guard in 2022.

There’s also a possibility that the Rams will try Jackson at center, a position he played for one year in college at Rutgers. That seems less likely, given Avila’s dominance at center with the Horned Frogs, but it remains on the table.

Los Angeles now has three quality starting-caliber guards on its roster. A trio of Jackson at left guard, Avila at center and Dotson at right guard is one of the best in the NFL, and that’s something the Rams envision helping their offense immensely – particularly in the running game where all three players have excelled.

In college, Avila earned a 75.8 grade as a center in 2020 and 81.3 in 2021, proving to be one of the better players at that position in the entire country. He only allowed four sacks in two years as a starting center, giving up only two other hits on the QB during that span.

Jackson has allowed 120 pressures at left guard in his NFL career and only 11 sacks in four seasons, but he’s at his best in the running game. According to PFF, he had run-blocking grades of 70.3 in 2022 and 76.4 in 2021, never finishing a season with a grade below 58.2 in that department.

The Rams have a trio of road-graders on the interior, which must have Kyren Williams smiling from ear to ear. Matthew Stafford should be thrilled, too, knowing he’ll rarely have defenders pressuring him up the middle.

Rams land NFL-high 4 players on PFWA’s 2023 All-Rookie Team

The Rams had 4 players selected to the PFWA All-Rookie Team, the most of any team in the NFL this year

The Pro Football Writers of America gave the Los Angeles Rams’ rookie class a ton of praise on Tuesday with the release of its 2023 All-Rookie Team. The PFWA voted four Rams to the team, which is the most of any team in the NFL this season.

Puka Nacua was selected at wide receiver, with Steve Avila making it at guard. On defense, Kobie Turner and Byron Young were both selected after putting together outstanding seasons with nine and eight sacks, respectively.

The next-closest team to the Rams was the Lions, who had three players selected. A total of 17 teams had rookies selected by the PFWA.

The only other Rams player who had a case was punter Ethan Evans, but he didn’t have the season that Bryce Baringer of the Patriots had. Evans averaged only 38.4 net yards per punt, which was the second-worst among qualified punters.

The PFWA also announced its Rookie of the Year awards, which came with some bad news for two Rams hopefuls. Nacua was edged out by C.J. Stroud, who won Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year. Fellow Texans standout Will Anderson Jr. was voted the Defensive Rookie of the Year by the PFWA, too, beating out Turner.

These aren’t the official awards recognized by the NFL like the Associated Press’ awards, but it’s an indication that Nacua and Turner could be snubbed when the AP reveals its selections next month.

Only one Rams rookie made ESPN’s top 10 from 2023 season

The Rams had several standout rookies this season, but only one of them cracked ESPN’s top 10

The Los Angeles Rams don’t win 10 games and reach the playoffs this season if not for their rookie class. They entered the year needing to come away with at least one or two impactful rookies, and they landed four starters, as well as a punter.

Puka Nacua was one of the best receivers in the NFL and set several rookie records, including the most receiving yards and catches in a player’s first season. Kobie Turner and Byron Young ranked first and second among rookies in sacks, finishing with nine and eight, respectively. Steve Avila not only started all 17 games at left guard, but he didn’t miss a single snap.

ESPN ranked the top 10 rookies from the 2023 season, but only one Rams player made the list: Nacua. He was ranked second by ESPN, only behind C.J. Stroud – the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Nacua broke a 63-year record for receiving yards by a rookie, as he finished the regular season with 1,486 yards on his 105 receptions. That’s quite the value for a fifth-round pick who had struggled with injuries at times during his college career.

Nacua makes contested catches, and his routes are crisp. He is already one of the league’s best at the position, breaking tackles once he has the ball — 43% of his receiving yards came after first contact, a remarkable number given his high volume of work.

Turner and Young were both left off ESPN’s poll, finishing in the “just missed” category alongside Texans wideout Tank Dell. De’Von Achane, who only played 11 games, finished in the final spot at No. 10, just barely ahead of Turner and Young. Bijan Robinson and Jordan Addison tied for eighth, so they were ahead of Turner and Young, too.

Even with just one rookie on ESPN’s top-10 list, the Rams had one of the best draft classes of any team last year, if not the very best. They have several building blocks for the 2024 season, and that’s without even mentioning Nick Hampton, Davis Allen and Tre Tomlinson, who could all have bigger roles next season.

No-brainer: Two Rams make PFF’s 2023 All-Rookie Team

Unsurprisingly, two Rams made PFF’s All-Rookie Team for 2023, but should there have been a third?

There’s a very strong case that no team got more out of its rookie class this year than the Los Angeles Rams, especially when you consider none of their picks were in the first round. Steve Avila, Byron Young, Kobie Turner and Puka Nacua have all had a positive impact, as has punter Ethan Evans.

Their two best rookies, Turner and Nacua, are both strong candidates for Rookie of the Year awards – Turner on defense and Nacua on the offensive side. That’s why it’s hardly surprising that both players made Pro Football Focus’ All-Rookie Team for 2023.

Nacua was the top selection at wide receiver, alongside Rashee Rice and Tank Dell.

Nacua established himself as the biggest steal in the 2023 class, breaking the rookie reception and receiving yardage records. Nakua’s 1,486 receiving yards are fourth-most in the NFL while his 85.1 PFF receiving grade is tied for 12th.

Nacua is one of six receivers who posted a 99.9 deep receiving grade this season, and he led that group with five contested catches on such targets.

At defensive tackle, Turner got the nod next to Jalen Carter, who’s the favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year. Turner led the Rams with nine sacks this season and had just one fewer pressure than Carter, who led all rookie defensive tackles with 49.

Turner quietly almost matched Carter’s production as Aaron Donald’s sidekick in Los Angeles. His 83.8 overall PFF grade ties him for ninth-best among qualified defensive tackles, and he finished the regular season with 48 pressures, one less than Carter.

Tuner isn’t just a pass-rusher, though. He’s one of just three qualified defensive rookies who posted 70-plus grades in the pass rush and run defense.

Avila is a third Rams player who had a strong case to make PFF’s All-Rookie Team. Peter Skoronski was selected at left guard but he barely had a higher PFF grade than Avila (61.6 vs. 61.1).

Avila played every offensive snap for the Rams this season, 1,147 in total, and he allowed only two sacks compared to Skoronski’s five. His pass-blocking grade was also much better, 67.2 vs. 63.5, and they were even in the penalty department (two each).

Even getting two rookies highlighted by PFF is a big accomplishment for the Rams, whose rookie class is going to shape the future of this team.

Steve Avila was the only Rams player to play every snap this season

Steve Avila came right in as a rookie and played every snap for the Rams this season

Steve Avila looked like a home run pick from the second the Rams selected him 36th overall in the draft last year. He was heralded as a big, physical lineman who can play guard or center and excel at either position, so it’s hardly surprising that the Rams leaned on him right away as their starting left guard.

Not only did he earn that job over others, but he kept it all season. Through 17 regular-season games, Avila didn’t miss a single snap. He played all 1,148 snaps on offense this year, the only Rams player to not miss a single snap on offense or defense.

Coleman Shelton was second with 1,114 snaps played, while Ahkello Witherspoon led the defense with 1,060 snaps (93.5%). It’s rare for a rookie to play as well as Avila did all season, but for him to not miss a snap as a starting offensive lineman is impressive.