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WHY PAXTON LYNCH IS THE PERFECT INGREDIENT FOR THE RAMS REBUILDING OFFENSE
Eric Galko
Eric Galko is the owner and director of scouting at Optimum Scouting and OptimumScouting.com, as well as a Sporting News contributor. Follow him on Twitter: @OptimumScouting
Big media and a number of NFL teams have fallen in love with the likes of Jared Goff and Carson Wentz. There is reason to believe both of them are quality quarterbacks, but the best quarterback in the class is Paxton Lynch. For whatever reason, he is not getting the same attention as the other two “top” quarterbacks in the class.
The Los Angeles Rams just settled in their new city and are in dire need of a full rebuild. Head coach Jeff Fisher was given an extension and a shining opportunity to turn the team around. The problem, for now, is that they lack a quarterback. The Nick Foles signing from a year ago turned out to be a disaster. Lynch, albeit the top passer in the class, may take a bit of a tumble through the first round because of the infatuation with other quarterbacks. For the Rams, this would be a godsend.
There is a bit of uncertainty as to who is running the offense in LA. Rob Boras was promoted to having a bigger role in the offense, but there is no clear cut “guy” running the offense. With that being said, Lynch’s projection as a Ram has to be more about how this staff could use Lynch based on what he did at Memphis, not necessarily based on what the Rams did last season.
Many are concerned with how well he will handle the transition from Memphis’s spread attack to a more nuanced pro game, but there is little reason to fret. After all, Marcus Mariota had a very good rookie season with the Tennessee Titans. Robert Griffin III had an outstanding rookie season a few years prior, as well. There are plenty of success stories for spread quarterbacks and there is a blueprint on how to make an offense work for them.
Of course, the Rams can not entirely replicate what Lynch did at Memphis, but there are a handful of concepts they can sprinkle in or adjust to make Lynch comfortable. At Memphis, Lynch threw a lot of quick screens, slants and go-routes. The Oakland Raiders ran a lot of these concepts during Derek Carr’s rookie year to help him adjust from a similar offense to Memphis’, and Carr has shown that he is progressing into a good pro quarterback. The offense may largely consist of these concepts for Lynch, too, but there is one major difference between he and Carr that will allow the Rams to open up the playbook earlier.
Carr was not necessarily scared of pressure, per say, but he was used to playing being a horrendous line at Fresno State. Memphis did not have an outstanding line, but they gave Lynch more freedom than Carr had and Lynch consistently showed that he was not phased by pressure. With Lynch’s poise to add on top of his acute mental ability (he only threw 4 interceptions his final year), the Rams would have more freedom to open up the playbook and let him “figure it out” because he has all the ability to do.
Lynch falls more into the archetype that likes to feel when a play is open and make the adjustment on the fly to complete the pass, but has no qualms working through the construct of the system. He can hit timing routes well over any area of the field just as well as he can break the pocket and make a play.
The key for Lynch is opening up the field. There are a lot of ways to do this. Lynch is an athlete and that helps open up two things: run concepts with the quarterback involved and rollouts.
The Rams have to use Lynch’s athleticism to their advantage and these are two prime examples of how to do so. The first of two plays is a read-option look. There is not much to decipher there on than that Lynch has the intelligence to know when to keep versus pull the ball and run himself, as well as his ability as a runner.
The second of the two plays, however, showcases a lot of Lynch’s talents. For one, he is very comfortable rolling either way and it is even more impressive that he rolled left on this play. The play breaks down a little bit, though. Lynch was looking for a front side throw, as he should have been, but saw that those options were covered. Without any hesitation or panic, Lynch resets his body to throw back the other way and rifles in a throw that his receiver ended up converting into a first down. The play is not only a testament to his ability to operate well on the move, but also a testament to his ability to adjust quickly and make a play.
Lynch needs to be allowed to attack down the field, too. He has a good arm that can find that sweet blend between velocity and arc, especially when throwing down the sideline. Though, Lynch’s ability as a deep passer stretches beyond simply his placement. He has a great understanding of when to attack and when to look for a different option. He is not passive, but he is also not reckless. There has been only a handful of passers in the past few draft classes that have the same grasp on calculated risks that Lynch does.
It’s hard to pin any quarterback as a definite fit for the Rams because of the uncertainty of the offense. Paxton Lynch does not have many glaring flaws, though, leaving the offense to be moldable. The concepts above are what fit him best, but he is largely without flaw. That is not to say he is an elite prospect, but considering he can do everything at least at a baseline level, it’s hard to imagine any offense hindering him. Lynch would give the Rams a lot of freedom with their offense- a perfect ingredient for rebuilding an offense.
