ESPN's Mike Sando answers a question from the mailbag today about the next wave of players to emerge in the NFC West. For the Rams he names OL John Greco and WR Keenan Burton as having the potential to become houshold names. Could there be others on the Rams who take the step toward stardom?
First, back to something Sando says about Greco:
Does John Greco become a productive starting offensive lineman for the Rams? Not if the team drafts a starting left tackle, as expected.
That's an interesting point. There are a couple routes to the starting o-line for Greco. The first is beating out an incumbent in camp. On the surface Incogntio at RG would be the most likely option, but this experiement with Barron at LT could put Greco in competition for the RT spot, something I'd like to see. Of course, if the Rams draft an OT that pretty much eliminates the possibility of Greco battling it out at RT. The second route to a starting role for Greco is injury. He'd be the first candidate replace an injured starter at G, and could even get in there if the Rams needed a C and moved Incognito to the middle. The team is also fairly thin at OT, even if they do draft one, so Greco should get some reps at the tackle position through camp.
Burton could very well emerge. Right now he's the Rams #2 WR, and will most likely be the #3 WR by the time the season starts.
Who else on the roster could emerge?
Chris Long was solid as a rookie start last season, and if the Rams get the middle of the D-line fixed he could be poised for a real breakthrough.
Who else could have a breakout season for the Rams?