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

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Rodney McLeod: It’s safe to say that Rodney McLeod will never have the playmaking ability of an in-his-prime Charles Woodson or Ed Reed, but he’s developed into a legitimate starting-quality safety during the past two seasons.

McLeod, a former undrafted free agent, had 72 total tackles, ranking him fourth among Rams defenders, and he also came up with two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and two recoveries. Perhaps most importantly, he was much more effective in coverage in his second year as a starter (going from a -3.1 to a 3.8 coverage rating from Pro Football Focus). While McLeod’s undersized 5-foot-10, 195-pound frame is always going to put him at a bit of a disadvantage, he’s shown that he has what it takes to succeed from scrimmage in the NFL, and as a result safety can be crossed of the Rams’ list of draft priorities, which it’s seemingly been on for the past decade.

GRADE: A

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