One average season doesn't define a player's career.
And that is the bet Pro Football Focus is making with cornerback Quentin Lake, who they tabbed as a player likely to break out in the 2024 season.
"Lake didn’t emerge on the Rams defense as a consistent contributor until about Week 6 of his second year in the league, where he began fulfilling the nickel corner duties for the defense," Jonathon Macri writes.
"Lake struggled throughout this first year as a starter but eventually started to play better and increase his playing time, ultimately leading to a strong 70.0 overall PFF grade, 77.2 PFF run-defense grade and 66.6 PFF coverage grade, including the playoffs. The 2022 sixth-round pick appeared to perform well enough to potentially hold down that starting job for 2024."
The Rams' secondary will be reshaped come the start of the 2024 season.
Throughout the 2023 season, Lake came on slowly. He went from seeing limited snaps to becoming a mainstay in the slot.
He has the tools to be a solid cornerback, but it isn't a guarantee. Still, it is an interesting thought that the secondary could improve internally as opposed to spending big to bring in marquee names.
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