Rams Rank 3rd in NFL In ESPN's Under-25 Farm System Rankings

In the world of professional sports, most leagues have a player development system in place. The MLB, NHL, and NBA all have varying degrees of a 'Minor League' system. The NFL has no such system.

Players are required to develop their talent in-house. With the 30 out of 32 NFL teams already in offseason mode, ESPN ranked every roster... but they only considered players under 25 years old (in$ider). With an abundance of draft picks in recent years, it comes as no surprise that the Rams ranked very high in these standings.

With Andrew Luck in tow, the Colts top the standings. They're followed by the Patriots. Hard to argue with those two topping the list, but the Rams were the top NFC team listed at #3:

3. St. Louis Rams

Robert Quinn, DE (24): Quinn started the 2014 season slow after being the league's best pass-rusher in 2013. But he soon got back to his disruptive ways. Quinn is ridiculously athletic and knows how to torment every offensive tackle he faces.

Aaron Donald, DT (23): Already an outstanding NFL player as a rookie, Donald can be unblockable at times because of his super-quick get-off and leverage. His best role right now is as an interior pass-rusher, but he also hustles and tackles very well in the run game.

Greg Robinson, OL (22): People with his sheer mass and power are not supposed to be able to move and run the way he does. But he is still learning, especially in pass protection. St. Louis wanted to keep him at guard during his rookie season, but after Jake Long went down, Robinson had to move to left tackle, which should be his long-term home.

Tre Mason, RB (21): Mason is the youngest player on the Rams' roster and clearly their most talented running back. He wasn't involved in the passing game a whole lot at Auburn, but he progressed nicely as a receiver and especially in protection as a rookie.

Michael Brockers, DT (24): Another first-round pick on the Rams' defensive line, Brockers is a big, powerful man with obvious ability. But he isn't yet very refined as a pass-rusher and needs to learn how to string moves together before he can be a true difference-maker.

Others of note: Austin Davis, Brian Quick, Mark Barron, Chris Givens, Benjamin Cunningham, Stedman Bailey, Lamarcus Joyner, T.J. McDonald, Tavon Austin, Zac Stacy, Alec Ogletree, E.J. Gaines

For what it's worth, none of our NFC West rivals finished above 12. The Seahawks checked in at 12 and the 49ers and Cardinals went back-to-back at 17 and 18, respectively.

Hopefully having a good 'farm system' translates to the playoffs in St. Louis...soon.