Who Were the Highest Graded L.A. Rams? Plenty of Surprises

Former undrafted free agent J.R. Reed ended his Saturday as one of six Los Angeles Rams defensive players who saw the football field on 38 snap counts.

But he also ended his first preseason action of 2021 with this title: The highest graded Ram according to analytical website Pro Football Focus.

The 25-year-old Reed, who is a second-year free safety from Georgia, was rewarded with a 90.3 player grade by PFF, making him the only Ram who scored 90 or higher.

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What Did Reed Do?

Reed opened the night starting at free safety alongside JuJu Hughes. Like Reed, Hughes also was on the field for 38 plays.

However, per PFF, Reed posted the following numbers:

• 25 coverage snaps (one of three Ram DB’s with that number).
• Five solo tackles, which was second best on the Rams.
• Was targeted three times on passes, surrendering two catches for nine yards and giving him a 66.7% coverage grade.
• Longest reception allowed his side stretched five yards.

Reed also finished with the second-highest tackle grade with 83.3. He trailed his teammate Hughes who graded out at 85.1 in tackles.

However, Reed was rated higher by PFF as a run stuffer (72.3).

Justin Lawler was the second-highest rated defender overall by PFF. Lawler, who saw his first action as a Ram following three foot breaks and multiple surgeries, finished his night with three solo tackles, two QB hits and two QB hurries.

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Who Scored the Highest on Offense?

So, according to PFF, not all was bad for the Rams offensive line. Despite the unit surrendering a sack and having difficulty opening up running lanes against a Joey Bosa-less Bolts’ defensive line.

Surprisingly, the highest graded player according to PFF was from the offensive line.

That tile belongs to Jordan Meredith, a rookie guard who went undrafted during the 2021 NFL Draft out of Western Kentucky.

But per PFF, the 6-foot-3, 300-pound Meredith graded the highest with a rating of 78.5.

Also included in his PFF grade: Meredith grading out at 85.1 in pass blocking and 72.7 in run blocking, making him the top lineman overall in both categories.

Meredith, whose last football start came on December 26 against Georgia State, didn’t even start at right guard against the Chargers. Bobby Evans took the early role there and finished with 30 snaps.

Meredith was on the field for 26 offensive plays, 17 of which required him to chop his feet and pass block.

But one electric play that came out of quarterback Bryce Perkins wouldn’t have been made possible by Meredith. And it was on the hurdle play. Meredith (No. 61 on the field) doesn’t ignore his defender and spends eight seconds of his time blocking, which is more than enough to give Perkins a running path…accompanied with a hurdle.

Oh, the second-highest rated Ram? Another offensive lineman.

Right tackle Tremayne Anchrum followed Meredith with a 70.3 overall grade. The former Clemson Tiger Anchrum tied for the lead in total snaps at 56 per PFF. His pass protection graded highest at 69.8.

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PFF Grades From the WR Spot

Outside of the line, second-year wide receiver J.J. Koski was on the field the most among the skill position guys – lining up on 48 plays including 33 passing attempts and 18 plays where he worked out of the slot receiver position. The ex-Cal Poly Mustang, who went undrafted in 2020 and signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent, graded out at 67.7.

But Jeremiah Haydel was given the higher point total among skill guys at 68.3.

Meanwhile, rookies Tutu Atwell and Jacob Harris were given a grade of 63. 8 and 60.5, respectively. Trishton Jackson scored higher at 64.3.

Finally, as expected at QB, Perkins was PFF’s top rated signal-caller for the Rams with a 65.8 total over Devlin Hodges’ 47.2 number.

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