The LA Rams head coach Sean McVay believes Steve Avila will become a natural centre.
With Coleman Shelton voiding his contract with the Rams, McVay has to innovate and moving the left guard into the centre position makes the most sense.
“That was really never part of the plan until you realize, ‘Wow, Coleman Shelton voided his contract,'” McVay said via the team’s official website. “We always wanted to get Coleman back. And then by nature of just kind of investing and spending some time evaluating the guard market, you re-sign Kevin (Dotson) ahead of the two-day negotiating period, and then you realize, okay, wow, I had always just assumed he (Jonah Jackson) was gonna go back to Detroit. And then you realize, wow, we might actually have the opportunity to acquire him as well.
“Hey, Kevin’s at right guard, Jonah played left guard, and oh, by the way, this stud rookie left guard that you had, he was an excellent centre at TCU.”
Avila, a left guard is a second-round pick with plenty to prove and he is set to shine at centre.
“He’s got an amazing athleticism for a big player,” McVay said. “He’s got great contact balance, you can see his ability to take second-level angles of departure, fit second-level blocks, play in space. That was one of the things that I went back and evaluated. I think he’s got the natural ability to play on the left or the right side of the line, be another lefty centre for us.”
The Rams have signed former Lions guard Jonah Jackson and re-signed Kevin Dotson, meaning an opportunity for Avila in the middle of the scrimmage.
