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

Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Brockers: Considering the rather impressive performance that he had put together over his first two years in the league, Brockers was one of the Rams’ biggest disappointments in 2014. Part of that was due to the fact that his role as a pass rusher was reduced with the acquisition of first-round pick and pass rushing specialist Aaron Donald. The 6-foot-5, 326-pound Brockers was pushed into more of a true nose tackle position, though his production was underwhelming even considering the change in roles.

Over 640 snaps—roughly 160 less than he had in 2013—Brockers had a decent 32 tackles. His pass rushing numbers really fell off, though, as he had just two sacks, five quarterback hurries, and three QB hits, all of which were career lows. Writing that regression off due to the change in roles isn’t acceptable considering that Kendall Langford put up better numbers as the number two DT in 2012 and 2013.

While Brockers did a solid job of stopping the run and plugging gaps on the interior, it was unfortunate to see him take a step back after he looked to be improving on an upward track for the past two years. He’ll need to bounce back next season as he enters the final year of his rookie contract and prepares to become a free agent in 2016.

GRADE: C

Next: Robert Quinn