SMACK TALK

Report: Rams considered trading into 1st round

Report: Rams considered trading into 1st round for 5 different offensive players

Skyler Carlin
June 2, 2023 9:19 am PT

With their first selection in the 2023 NFL draft, the Los Angeles Rams selected guard Steve Avila out of TCU with the 36th overall pick. Before announcing Avila’s name, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue mentioned that the Rams discussed possibly trading into the first round for five offensive players on their draft board.

Here is the excerpt on what the Rams were discussing during the draft before taking Avila in the second round:

Similar to 2021, skill-position players tempted some on staff during the draft — the Rams discussed trading up into the first round for five different players, all on offense. A series of first-round maneuvers from other teams excluded the Rams, who ultimately stayed at No. 36. Avila was the Rams’ top prospect when they reset their board after the first round in preparation for Day 2.

It remains to be seen who the Rams were targeting in a potential trade-up scenario to the first round. Considering that they were looking at offensive players, wide receiver and offensive line are the likely positions the Rams were pondering.

Late in the first round, there was a run of four wide receivers taken from picks 20 to 23, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Quentin Johnson, Zay Flowers, and Jordan Addison all going in succession. The Rams also could have been targeting guys like Dalton Kincaid and Anton Harrison, who were both available at pick No. 25.

In the end, the Rams decided to prioritize the interior of the offensive line by selecting Avila, who was at the top of the team’s draft board to begin the second round. Even though multiple areas of the defense needed to be addressed during this year’s draft, and we don’t know who the Rams ultimately wanted in the first round, they knew they’d bolster their offense with their first selection the entire time.
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Kyren Williams getting an extended look

Kyren Williams getting an extended look, sharing reps with Cam Akers in OTAs

Cameron DaSilva
June 1, 2023 10:00 am PT

Cam Akers figures to once again be the Rams’ starting running back in 2023 after a strong finish to last season, but he’ll face some competition from Kyren Williams and rookie Zach Evans. Williams is a particularly interesting player for the Rams as he enters Year 2 with Los Angeles, getting passed over for veteran Malcolm Brown at several times late last season.

Williams finished the year with 35 carries for 139 yards but his absence from the game plan in Weeks 15-18 was surprising – especially considering the Rams had nothing to play for at that point.

Heading into 2023, Williams could have a bigger role as the No. 2 back. According to Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times, Williams is getting an extended look and sharing reps with Cam Akers during OTAs.

Running back Kyren Williams is getting an extended look: Williams is sharing reps with starter Cam Akers, who finished last season by rushing for more than 100 yards in three consecutive games.

The Rams are probably just trying to keep Akers fresh by rotating their backs in practice this early in the offseason, but Williams getting first-team reps is something to monitor. If he impresses coaches, he could carve out a role as the true third-down back Los Angeles thought he’d be in the offense.
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Rams RB Cam Akers is slated for the best season of his young career

www.turfshowtimes.com

Rams RB Cam Akers is slated for the best season of his young career

Rams RB Cam Akers is slated for the best season of his young career
Back in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Rams used their first selection of the festivities (2nd round, 52nd overall) on a running back out of Florida State by the name of Cam Akers. Akers, who was a 5-star recruit and one of the most sought after prospects coming out of high school, has a very solid career in college despite having one of the worst offensive line units in all of the FBS division.

Akers’ rookie season started off on the slower side, as the RB didn’t really get going until the back half of the season. However, once Akers did catch his stride around the week 13 mark, it looked as if the Rams hit the jackpot with their selection. That season, the offense was very up and down, struggling to find their true identity. Despite the struggles, the squad made the postseason, and in those two postseason games Cam Akers was the focal point of the offensive attack.

In Akers’ first two career postseason appearances, he rushed for 221 total yards and had 2 rushing touchdowns on top of those, averaging 23 carries in those two games. Following the season-ending loss to the Packers, the trajectory of Akers’ career looked as if he was headed straight towards becoming one of the top backs in the entire NFL.

Then, disaster struck, as Akers tore his achilles in the off-season, seemingly ending any chances of seeing him play in the 2021-2022 season. However, despite the horrible injury, Akers battled his way back, allowing himself to return and contribute to the teams Super Bowl winning run. It was clear Akers did not have the same burst as we saw in his rookie year, but the overall resolve Akers showed to battle his way back said a lot about the mental make-up of the guy.

Fast-forward to last season, Akers had a full off-season/training camp of health, and fans were excited to see him back at full strength heading into the year. Folks assumed, well at least I assumed, that Cam Akers would be the bell-cow RB that he has shown he’s capable of being, playing a majority of the snaps in a game and wearing down defenses. Well, once the year kicked off, that was far from the case.

Through the first nine appearances in the Rams first 11 games for Akers in the 2022 season (was inactive for two games), he averaged just 31.7% of the offensive snaps at RB, shockingly low for a guy who many thought would be the starter. There was a rift in the locker room between Akers and head coach Sean McVay, which eventually led to Akers requesting a trade midseason. It seemed as though there was nowhere to go and, with the team struggling mightily, it seemed Akers’ time in L.A. was coming to a sour end.

Then, once the team reportedly turned down multiple offers (which you can believe if you want to), a switch seemed to flip for the...

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