The Los Angeles Rams made 14 selections during the 2023 NFL draft, putting them just one away from tying the NFL record of 15 selections in the common-draft era. The Rams have also added 24 undrafted rookies, meaning that plenty of first-year players will get opportunities to contribute in the upcoming season.
At the same time, the players who were on the roster before the draft will now have more competition. Following a season in 2022 where the Rams finished with a 5-12 record, nothing is set in stone for this team during the 2023 season.
With an influx of rookies now joining the franchise, here are five players that could lose playing time to rookies in 2023.
RB Cam Akers
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When the 2023 NFL draft was entering the later rounds and was winding down, it seemed as if Sean McVay was going to surprisingly pass on taking a running back. But in the sixth round, the Rams traded up to pick No. 215 to select Zach Evans out of Ole Miss.
After transferring from TCU to Ole Miss in 2022, Evans proceeded to rush for 936 yards and nine touchdowns on 144 attempts, while also catching 12 passes for 119 yards and another touchdown. Evans would finish his collegiate career with 7.3 yards per touch, flashing his big-play ability out of the backfield.
Akers finished the 2022 season strong with 345 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 63 attempts in the final three games. However, Akers has averaged a career 4.2 yards per attempt, potentially carving a path for Evans to get an opportunity to see an expanded role as a rookie at some point.
WR Ben Skowronek
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Since the Rams took Skowronek in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL draft, they’ve utilized him in a variety of ways. Just a season ago, the Rams deployed him out of the backfield as a fullback and he saw more use in the passing game.
After catching just 11 passes as a rookie in 2021, Skowronek hauled in 39 receptions for 376 yards in 2022. His blocking ability is valuable for the Rams, but the selection of Puka Nacua in the fifth round of this year’s draft could diminish his role in the offence.
Nacua isn’t a supreme athlete at the wide receiver position, however, his ability to create with the ball in his hands makes him a threat to see the field immediately under McVay. While Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson are likely locked into prominent roles in the passing game, Nacua could certainly climb the depth chart rather quickly with his versatility.
TE Tyler Higbee
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Higbee is entering the final year of his current contract, so it remains to be seen what his future looks like on the Rams. There’s a chance the Rams elect to release the veteran tight end this offseason as the Rams would create $6.75 million in cap savings while incurring a $2.375 dead-cap penalty if he were released post-June 1st.
The Rams also acquired Hunter Long in the Jalen Ramsey trade, although his role is uncertain as he has caught just one pass in his career. Tight ends typically take several years to develop in the NFL, but Davis Allen could see the field sooner rather than later after being taken in the fifth round.
Allen is a big-bodied tight end that flashed upside as a pass catcher at Clemson, and most importantly, he’s a formidable run blocker. If the Rams are truly taking a youthful approach to their roster in 2023, Allen could get a decent number of snaps at the tight end position.
DL Jonah Williams
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At the moment, Williams is listed as a starter for the Rams on the defensive front. Williams started six games for the Rams in 2022, recording 23 tackles, four quarterback hits, and half a sack.
Aside from Aaron Donald, there probably isn’t a position on the defensive line that is set in stone right now. During the 2023 NFL draft, the Rams added Kobie Turner in the third round and Desjuan Johnson with the final pick in the entire draft.
Turner and Johnson were among PFF’s highest-graded interior defenders in this year’s draft, and they could provide more upside than Williams. If the Rams are looking to get more production from the interior of their defensive line, we could see Turner and/or Johnson take snaps away from Williams in 2023.
CB Robert Rochell
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The cornerback position is another area of the current roster that has a lot of uncertainty surrounding it. Besides trading Ramsey, the Rams have yet to sign a veteran this offseason or bring back Troy Hill, who remains in free agency after the team reunited with him via trade before the 2022 season.
With Ramsey and Hill no longer in the mix, Cobie Durant, Derion Kendrick, and Rochell are the current starters at the cornerback position. Even though he’ll likely play most of his snaps out of the slot, Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson could steal snaps from Rochell this season.
The Rams took Hodges-Tomlinson in the sixth round out of TCU and he tallied 22 pass breakups, five interceptions, and three forced fumbles in his last two years of college. Considering that the Rams have an inexperienced group in the secondary, McVay could elect to deploy the playmaking cornerbacks more, which could decrease Rochell’s snaps in 2023.
Story originally appeared on Rams Wire