Wagoner mailbag, 5/28…part 1

Rob Havenstein is well positioned to break out in 2016

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/29509/rob-havenstein-well-positioned-to-break-out-in-2016

The NFL draft is over. Free agency is over. We are now in the clear, with nothing really big planned until, you know, football actually begins. For the Los Angeles Rams, it’s a chance to come up for air after one of the most eventful offseasons in league history.

Still, the team faces plenty of questions as it trudges toward the summer and waits for training camp to start. That’s what we’re here for in the weekly Twitter mailbag. As always, you can find me on Twitter @nwagoner or shoot me questions at any time using #Ramsmail.

Let’s get to your questions:

Phil Pires ‎@philpires
@nwagoner Which of the young OL players do you think has the best chance at having a breakout year?

@nwagoner: Well, the Rams are hoping that the answer to this question is “all of them,” or at least the ones who are projected to start. That would include left tackle Greg Robinson, right tackle Rob Havenstein and left guard Jamon Brown. We discussed the importance of Robinson’s development at length last week, and there’s no doubting that he’s the player the team most needs to take a step forward. But when I think of the word “breakout,” I think of a guy who potentially becomes a Pro Bowl player or better. While I could see Robinson improving, I’m not sure he’s headed for that level. Brown has big-time potential as well, but he also has some growing to do, especially coming off an injury. Which leaves Havenstein, the young lineman on the roster who performed the best in 2016. There were plenty of questions about Havenstein going into last season, but he really settled in nicely as the season went on. He wasn’t dominant but he was solid in all areas, and though he got beat occasionally by the pass rush, he proved resourceful enough to recover and keep from allowing sacks. He’s also sound in the run game, and I would expect that to continue, especially with Todd Gurley entering his first full season healthy. Havenstein probably will never wow anyone like some of the elite athletes who populate the tackle position around the league, but he’s a smart, solid player who should be able to establish himself as one of the better and more consistent right tackles in the league so long as his health cooperates.

Mark Warren ‎@MarkWarren_39
@nwagoner @nwagoner who do you think will produce more sacks this season? Aaron Donald or Robert Quinn?

@nwagoner: Tough question. In almost any other circumstance, you’d automatically go with Robert Quinn because he’s the edge rusher out of the two and edge rushers are more prone to rack up big sack totals. But as you know, Aaron Donald is not your ordinary inside pass-rusher. His talent is so immense that he has the ability to push for record-setting sack totals even from the inside. While teams will continue to scheme ways to slow Donald down, it’s much harder to stop an interior pass-rusher because he’s that much closer to the quarterback when the ball is snapped. So your best chance to stop him is to get the ball out quick. That said, I think Quinn’s injury a year ago allowed teams to realize just how disruptive Donald is, and thus Donald will become the primary focus of opposing blocking schemes. Before last year, I think a good argument could be made that Quinn was that focal point. Now, Quinn is returning from back surgery and has something to prove. If he proves healthy, he should get more one-on-one opportunities than he’s had previously because of Donald’s presence. That, combined with Quinn’s desire to re-establish himself as one of the league’s best pass-rushers, should allow him to get back into double digits. The Rams hope this is a close battle in 2016, and I think it will be, but I’ll give the slight edge to a returning Quinn.