There weren’t a lot of strong individual performances from the Rams in 2022. The offense gained the fewest yards in the NFL, and while the defense was certainly the better unit, it wasn’t one of the best in football – outside of stopping the run.
Three players did stand out in an otherwise forgettable season, though. It’s not hard to guess the names of them, either.
Aaron Donald, Bobby Wagner and Jalen Ramsey.
Those were the only three Rams to make Pro Football Focus’ list of the top 101 players of 2022, and each cracked the top 50. Here’s where PFF ranked them on its recent list of the game’s best from last season.
30. Bobby Wagner
Wagner didn’t make the Pro Bowl and he wasn’t voted a first-team All-Pro, but he deserved recognition beyond being a second-team All-Pro. PFF ranked him as one of the 30 best players in the NFL last season, which he certainly was. He finished as the highest-graded linebacker in football, recording 140 tackles, two interceptions and a career-high six sacks.
Here’s what PFF wrote about Wagner’s season.
On opening night, Wagner looked like he may be well into his decline in his Rams debut. But for the rest of the season, he bounced back to show that he’s still an elite linebacker, tallying 50 defensive stops and missing just four of his 137 tackle attempts on the season.
37. Jalen Ramsey
Ramsey wasn’t perfect in coverage by any means last season, but he was undoubtedly one of the best run defenders in the league – regardless of position. He made a career-high 88 tackles to go along with four interceptions, making an impact all over the field for Los Angeles.
PFF mentioned his run defense as a reason for his high ranking in the top 101.
Ramsey was good as a cover corner from his inside alignment for the Rams, but he was otherworldly against the run, where his 91.8 PFF grade was the best in the league. Ramsey spent a lot of time lined up in the box or in the slot, putting him closer to the action than he used to be as a boundary corner.
48. Aaron Donald
Donald probably would’ve finished higher on the list had it not been for an ankle injury that caused him to miss six games. He still had five sacks, 10 tackles for a loss and made the Pro Bowl, but Donald played even better than his numbers indicate – especially with very little pass rush help around him.
This year, Donald suffered the first significant injury of his NFL career, but in a little more than 600 snaps, he was still one of the league’s most destructive players. Donald posted 40 pressures and 33 defensive stops in a fraction of the snaps that it took other dominant players.
