There was plenty of speculation regarding what the Los Angeles Rams planned to do with their late start to the 2018 NFL Draft. They made it clear that the future of the offensive line needed to be addressed with the selection of offensive tackle Joseph Noteboom and center Brian Allen.
Both players come in with the benefit of developing behind two Pro Bowl-caliber starters ahead of them. Noteboom could not be more excited about learning from left tackle Andrew Whitworth, via therams.com:
“Yes, for sure. I know a lot about (T Andrew) Whitworth, watched a lot of him. I’m excited. I’m going to take in everything he’s telling me. That’s a perfect guy to learn from, a Pro Bowler like you said, a veteran.”
Meanwhile, Allen is already familiar with center John Sullivan’s work during his time with the Minnesota Vikings.
“I’m open to whatever they expect of me but at the same time being a guy from the midwest and seeing John Sullivan play for the Vikings all these years, he’s someone who I’ve always looked up to. So, to be able to be in a room with him and be able to learn from a guy who’s shown that he can play at the level he has for as long as he has is something pretty incredible for me. Just to have that opportunity to be in there and be able to learn from him, I definitely will be picking his brain as long as I don’t annoy him too much.”
It is a unique opportunity, to say the least. It is not often that teams make their first two picks in any draft knowing that those players will not be relied upon immediately. Instead, they will be asked to learn as much as they possibly can from the two veterans before taking over some day in the near future.
Whitworth has long been one of the best left tackles in the league ever since his days with the Cincinnati Bengals. He seems to have gotten even better with age after coming over to Los Angeles last season. Meanwhile, Sullivan has done a spectacular job filling in as the anchor of the Rams’ offensive line. However, it is no secret that their playing days are numbered.That said, having players like these around will pay huge dividends for both Noteboom and Allen later on down the line.
