Over the past few years, the Los Angeles Rams have been one of the youngest rosters in the NFL. Heading into last season, only the Green Bay Packers had a younger roster. For the Rams to take a step forward and make a run at the Super Bowl, they’ll need those young players to step up and have a breakout season. Here are five candidates for the Rams in 2025.
1. RB Blake Corum
It would not be surprising to see Blake Corum get significantly more action in the offense in 2025. Corum got 58 carries last season which was more than Darrell Henderson and Kyren Williams as rookies. Throughout the Sean McVay era, the Rams have typically brought rookies along slowly and developed them in their first year. For this reason, Jarquez Hunter may not see a lot of time in year one. Corum saw more time late in the season. From Week 11 to Week 16, the Rams running back had five or more touches in four out of the six games.
In games that Corum had five or more touches, he had 39 carries for 164 yards. That’s 4.2 yards per carry which was actually slightly better than Kyren Williams’ 4.1 yards per carry on the season. He also had -0.01 rushing EPA per attempt to Williams’ -0.09. Another offseason in the offense and getting more comfortable in pass protection should help get Corum on the field more often in 2025.
2. S Kam Kinchens
Kinchens was one of the more exciting rookies in the 2024 Rams draft class. His ball skills, including 11 interceptions over his last two years at Miami made him an intriguing player. With that said, he had a very up-and-down rookie season. He had the two interceptions and pick-six against the Seattle Seahawks. Kinchens also had the game-clinching interception against the New England Patriots. At the same time, his tackling in the open field left a lot to be desired. Kinchens consistently took bad angles, leading to big plays in the run game.
However, from Weeks 13-18 Kinchens was the sixth-best safety via PFF which included an 80.3 grade against the run. That was the eighth-best mark among safeties. His 7.1 percent missed tackle percentage during those weeks ranked 15th. If Kinchens can carry that level of play into year two and build some consistency, it’s very possible that he has a big year and becomes a staple in the Rams secondary.
3. iOL Steve Avila
There is a lot of context needed for Steve Avila’s sophomore slump. Avila was part of the early-season musical chairs that had him start the offseason at center before moving back to left guard. He also had surgery on his MCL after injuring his knee in September. However, among 59 qualifying guards, Avila ranked 54th in pass protection via PFF. That was a big step down from Avila’s rookie season when he was just outside the top-20.
It’s key for the Rams success in 2025 that the offensive line plays at a top level and Avila is a big part of that. He’ll head into the offseason healthy and should be taking all snaps at left guard. Those two factors should allow Avila to get back to his rookie season form and hopefully also see improvement.
4. LB Omar Speights
An argument could be made that Speights already broke out as a rookie. However, he didn’t make his first start until Week 8 and didn’t start in back-to-back weeks until Weeks 10 and 11. Speights could become more of a household name in 2025 and not just seen as an undrafted free agent meant as a band-aid at the position. From Weeks 10-18, Speights ranked 10th against the run among qualifying linebackers and also had the 10th-lowest missed tackle percentage.
Speights was thrown into a situation last year in which he was expected to step into the middle of a growing defense and hold his own. He did just that and more. The Rams invested in the position this offseason, bringing in a veteran player like Nate Landman and drafting Chris Paul Jr. Heading into year two, Speights needs to become a leader of the middle of the defense and improve in coverage. He should be in for a big year and the Rams may have uncovered another undrafted gem at linebacker.
5. WR Tutu Atwell
Unlike others on this list, Atwell enters his fifth year. If a breakout were coming, many thought it would’ve happened by now—but 2025 might finally be his opportunity. At the same time, this is his first year with an opportunity and the Rams opted to bring him back. When Atwell has gotten opportunities, he’s taken advantage of them. While he may only be the third wide receiver in the offense, the Rams have typically played in 11 personnel at the highest rate in the NFL. Even if they incorporate more 12 personnel, the Rams won’t be going away from three-wide-receiver condensed looks. That has been a staple of the Sean McVay offense.
This will be a big year for Atwell as the Rams invested in him for a fifth-year with $10 million fully guaranteed. Atwell has played 50 percent or more of the team’s offensive snaps in 14 games over the last two years. In those games, Atwell has 52 catches for 669 yards. Last year, he ranked 12th in success rate per route and 17th in yards per route run. In other words, he’s been very efficient in his limited opportunities. While he might not hit 1,000 yards, it’s possible that he eclipses 700 and gets close to Van Jefferson’s 802 yards in 2021.