Getty Ernest Jones (No. 50) and Micah Kiser of the Los Angeles Rams pursue D.J. Turner of the Las Vegas Raiders during Saturday's preseason game.
Twenty-three defenders saw the field for the Los Angeles Rams defense on Saturday night versus the Las Vegas Raiders.
Four ended up earning the highest Pro Football Focus grades – all of whom scored past 80 by the national analytical website.
Who were the quartet who graded out past a 79 score? Here’s a look:
Seventh Round Rookie Earns Highest Point Total
Chris Garrett takes claim of the Rams’ highest rated performer by PFF, scoring an 89.7 grade.
Highest Graded #Rams from yesterday’s preseason matchup:
Offense – RG Bobby Evans (78.3)
Defense – LOLB Chris Garrett (89.7)
How did the seventh round outside linebacker out of Concordia-St. Paul of the NCAA Division II realm get there? By delivering this kind of evening: Four tackles, two solo, 1.5 sacks, a tackle for a loss and two pass breakups including one that became an interception.
But there was one drive where Garrett flipped a switch and became a nightmare matchup for the Silver and Black.
Rams rookie OLB Chris Garrett on that last drive alone:
• 6-yard TFL
• Split a sack with with DL Jonah Williams
• Pass breakup at line of scrimmage
• Sack-fumble on third down to force the Raiders to punt
My goodness.
Among those plays? This sack where Garrett lines up wide and uses his speed to force the sack and strip.
.@Garrettchris52 bringin’ the 💪💪💪
Per PFF, Garrett was on the field for 30 defensive snaps, more than the 25 he received against the Chargers on August 14 in the preseason opener. Garrett’s pressure grade also jumped from 58.4 versus the Chargers to 89.9.
One instant fan of Garrett’s play? NFL Network’s Peter Schrager, who called Garrett an amalgamation of three elite NFL pass rushers into one.
My gosh.
Chris Garrett, the Rams 7th round rookie out of Concordia–St. Paul, looks like Khalil Mack, Chase Young, and Julius Peppers combined into one player tonight.
Former Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year Leads DL Unit
Garrett collaborated with Jonah Williams on one of his sacks. But that wasn’t the only key notation involving the latter defender.
The 26-year-old from Weber State was the highest graded trench defender at 89.2. The 6-foot-5, 275-pounder also earned a higher pressure rating than Garrett at 90.2 by PFF.
Williams even took lesser snaps in this contest instead of the Chargers game (32 snaps that contest). He was on the field for 24 plays but produced 0.5 sacks, two QB hits and two tackles.
Rams Safety Delivers Another Stellar Night
While J.R. Reed’s 86.8 rating is lower than the 90.3 he got against the Chargers, Reed was still the highest graded member of the L.A. secondary.
Here’s one reason why:
.@Jr_Reed1 with the pick!!
Reed got the first of two interceptions for the Rams defense. Outside of the takeaway, Reed was targeted on two passes – surrendering just one reception for three yards.
Rookie Inside Linebacker Delivers Another Stellar Evening
Ernest Jones had a lessened role this time around: Taking in 18 plays compared to the 38 he had last week.
The third rounder from South Carolina, however, still scored at 81.2 by PFF, making him the fourth Ram to surpass an 80 grade.
And the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Jones still led the Rams in tackles despite playing under 20 snaps: Tallying six tackles including two solo stops.
Other Key Defenders Versus L.V.
Fans of defensive play would certainly love what they saw out of the Rams against the Raiders.
Eric Banks was one who took advantage of his playing opportunities: Getting two tackles through 22 plays and this sack.
Brontae Harris won this solo battle against Keelan Doss by tipping the pass to himself.
INTERCEPTION!!
@Brontae_2 coming up big!
Harris was targeted three times on 19 coverage plays, allowing two catches for 23 yards but was the other Ram with the takeaway. Other key defenders include:
Trio of LB’s: The three-way trifecta of Travin Howard, Christian Rozeboom and Micah Kiser all scored between 72.2 to 79.2. Rozeboom had a crucial third down pass breakup to force a Raiders field goal.
JuJu Hughes: The safety Hughes was once again on the field for 38 plays. Like the Chargers’ game, Hughes became a stout tackler, even denying former Ram Derek Carrier the end zone on a solo stop inside the 5-yard line. Hughes also jumped on a route to force the incompletion during one early third down. Hughes was targeted five times on 23 coverage plays per PFF, allowing three catches for 33 yards but broke up two passes.
Bobby Brown III and John Daka: Both produced a tackle for a loss. And the fourth round rookie Brown from Texas A&M helped change the momentum on this run disruption with the Raiders operating out of the I-formation.
.@bobbyiii5 making a statement ‼️
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