Rams 2022 draft class review: Quentin Lake set to replace Taylor Rapp

Heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams were looking to add the finishing touches to a loaded roster. After a 10-6 season and losing in the divisional round to the Green Bay Packers, Sean McVay and Les Snead made the decision to trade Jared Goff and two first round picks for Matthew Stafford. After the blockbuster trade, the Rams felt like they needed to return to a more explosive offense, while loading up the defense. With nine draft picks, Los Angeles added the following:

G, Logan Bruss, Wisconsin

DB, Cobie Durant, South Carolina State

RB, Kyren Williams, Notre Dame

S, Quentin Lake, UCLA

DB, Derion Kendrick, Georgia

EDGE, Daniel Hardy, Montana State

S, Russ Yeast, Kansas State

OT, AJ Arcuri, Michigan State

*2020 Draft Class Review*

*2021 Draft Class Review*

All eight of the Rams 2022 draft picks are on the team. However, Arcuri was the only one on the practice squad last year.

Injuries and slow development crippled the Rams 2022 draft class. In fact, every player except Arcuri missed time last year because of an injury. Logan Bruss tore his ACL and MCL in the preseason. After finding the field in Week 2, Cobie Durant was sidelined because of a hamstring strain. Kyren Williams suffered a broken foot in training camp and missed the first half of the regular season. Quentin Lake was on the PUP list for almost the entire year. Derion Kendrick suffered a concussion. Daniel Hardy required a surgical procedure for a high ankle sprain. And Russ Yeast suffered a pulmonary injury at Seattle.

Who will be the biggest contributor in 2023?

Logan Bruss. Right now, Bruss is penciled in to replace David Edwards as a starting guard along the offensive line. While he will not be scoring touchdowns, his dirty work in the trenches could make or break the Rams ability to move the football this year. If the team can receive at least 800 snaps out of Bruss, it will be a win.

Who is most likely to break out?

Quentin Lake. Lake has been praised for his football intelligence. He does have family bloodlines after all. In limited playing time, he appeared to fit. With Nick Scott and Taylor Rapp out of the picture, the three safeties appear to be Jordan Fuller, Quentin Lake, and Russ Yeast. Lake should be the best option as a true deep safety in the Rams shell coverage.

Who is most likely to be released in preseason?

AJ Arcuri. As a seventh-round pick, Arcuri will naturally face an uphill climb to consistently making the team’s roster. He was not active for many games in 2022 and the Rams even pulled linemen off the street (Nsekhe, Aboushi, and Skura) over the likes of him.