With The First Pick
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Franchise Building Blocks: Los Angeles Rams

By Jon Dove

Dec 24, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) walks off the field after throwing an interception in the closing seconds of the Rams
Dec 24, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) walks off the field after throwing an interception in the closing seconds of the Rams /
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The Los Angeles Rams are in a complete state of flux with a new head coach on the way, a new city and questions all over the roster.

While this season has been a complete disaster for the Los Angeles Rams, there are some players on the roster that provide some hope. Jared Goff is still one of those players despite his struggles as a rookie.

Goff is one of the players that should greatly benefit from the upcoming coaching change. The Rams know they need to bring in an offensive minded coach who can help develop the former No. 1 overall pick.

Part of that development will include continuing to rely on Todd Gurley. It’s easy to be down on him after this season, but the true is opposing defenses weren’t fooled by the Rams offensive approach. Gurley is still an elite talent capable of leading the NFL in rushing.

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In order to get the most out of Gurley, the Rams need to open up the passing game and right now that means finding a way to use Tavon Austin. There’s no doubting Austin’s talent but his lack of size has created a problem for the previous Los Angeles play callers.

Again, this is a situation where the pending coaching change could help unlock Austin’s potential and the overall explosiveness of the passing attack.

The Rams have a lot of franchise building blocks on the defensive side of the ball. Aaron Donald is a dominant player who is among the best overall players in the league. He lines up along side the equally talented Robert Quinn to wreak havoc in the backfield.

Michael Brockers should be counted as a building block as someone capable of stuffing the run. He won’t have the same type of eye-popping numbers as Donald, but his toughness in the trenches allows Donald to play to his strengths.

Alec Ogletree and Mark Barron are the leaders in the linebacker corps. Both these players fly to the football and make plays from sideline to sideline. They will be counted on to continue their high level of play as the team finishes the rebuild.

Trumaine Johnson is talented enough to be a cornerstone player but his contract situation is tricky. He was unable to match his strong performance in 2015 this past year and it could cause the Rams to go in a different direction.

Los Angeles loses the chance to add another building blocker early in the 2017 NFL Draft thanks to their trade to move up and land Goff.

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