St. Louis Rams Closing Evaluations: What Grades Do the Running Backs Receive?

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Tre Mason: If there was one Ram who improved their stock during the season more than anyone else, it had to be rookie running back Tre Mason. In somewhat of a disappointment, the third-rounder was a healthy inactive for the Rams’ first four games while the team dressed four other running backs, including undrafted rookie Trey Watts. At the time, his deactivation was attributed to his struggles with pass protection and his inability to contribute on special teams.

When Mason finally arrived on the scene in Week 5, however, he quickly made his presence known. He had five rushes for 40 yards, including a 24-yard gain, plus a 12-yard catch. By the next week, Mason had become the clear leader of the Rams’ rushing attack, completely taking incumbent starter Zac Stacy out of the equation. After third-down back Benny Cunningham picked up two starts in the Rams’ sixth and seventh games, Mason officially took over the role when the Rams played the 49ers in San Francisco, and he went on to start every game for the rest of the season.

Mason had the first 100-yard rushing performance of his career on November 16 against the Denver Broncos, running for 113 yards on 29 carries, and he had a second 100-yard day on November 30 against the Oakland Raiders, running for 117 yards and two touchdowns on just 14 attempts. For the season, the 21-year-old ended up with 765 yards on 179 attempts (4.3 yards per carry) and four touchdowns. He also contributed 148 yards and a touchdown on 16 receptions.

It will probably be difficult for Rams fans to have very high expectations for Mason heading into 2015, considering that Stacy, a 2013 rookie, ran for 973 yards last season and ended up being reduced to a bench role. The man he replaced, 2012 seventh-rounder Daryl Richardson, was also impressive as a rookie but found himself unable to make an active roster this season. With those two cases in mind, Mason won’t have history in his favor as he looks to contribute to Jeff Fisher’s offense next season. As a rookie, though, Mason showed some skills that signify he could have a future as a starter in the league, and he was pretty impressive once he got on track.

GRADE: B+

Next: Zac Stacy