Trio of Rams in Top 15 of PFF's Top 50 NFL Players 'Right Now'
The NFL offseason is in full force and the Los Angeles Rams are preparing to defend their championship beginning with training camp at UC Irvine.
Once again, the Rams will be expected to contend not just for the NFC West title, but for a second consecutive Super Bowl Championship.
Pro Football Focus offers many talking points through the offseason in the form of rankings and lists, and they're nothing if not thorough regarding said rankings.
Their latest list offers us the best 50 players in the NFL entering the 2022 season. The criteria? No single number or grade dictates this list, but the grading along with PFF's wins above replacement (WAR) metric has been used as a foundation while weighting toward the most recent season.
A trio of Rams players is represented in the top 15, and the names should not surprise you.
1. DI AARON DONALD, LOS ANGELES RAMS
Donald is the best player in football and is increasing his all-time legacy with each passing season. It’s difficult to quantify his standing alongside such greats as “Mean” Joe Greene, Alan Page, Reggie White and Lawrence Taylor without PFF data and grading for those legends of the game. Nonetheless, at the very least, the gap between the best to ever do it and Donald is negligible at this point. Donald once again led all defenders in PFF grade last season (93.5) and took over the Super Bowl on the final drive to secure a championship for the Rams.
13. WR COOPER KUPP, LOS ANGELES RAMS
Kupp stepped up last season as a truly dominant force across the board for the Rams. Once seen as a slot receiver only, Kupp dominated in all areas, including on the outside against press coverage. He was the only receiver in the league who gained more than 3.0 yards per route run (3.12) and caught over 50% of his contested targets.
14. CB JALEN RAMSEY, LOS ANGELES RAMS
Ramsey continued to excel in 2021 despite playing in a new role, producing his best overall PFF grade since his career year in 2017 for Jacksonville. Ramsey lined up in the slot or in the box on more than double the snaps he did a year ago, and it meant he racked up 25 defensive stops, 12 pass breakups and four interceptions in the regular season.
The Rams will open the 2022 season against the Buffalo Bills at So-Fi Stadium on Thursday Night Football on Sept. 8.
Follow Timm Hamm on Twitter at @IndyCarTim
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