Without a doubt, the biggest question going into the 2015 season for the St. Louis Rams is how is the offensive line going to perform? There are no more veterans on the roster like Jake Long, Scott Wells, or Harvey Dahl.  The current most experienced offensive lineman the Rams have is Rodger Saffold, who is heading into his sixth season. He is the only lineman on the Rams roster with more than five years of NFL experience under his belt. After him, only center Tim Barnes has more experience as he's heading into his fifth year in the league, but Barnes has only four starts in his career, all of which came in 2013. If there’s one thing the Rams don’t have it’s veteran and experienced offensive linemen.

In the 2015 NFL Draft, the Rams selected four offensive linemen. Joe Havenstein (Wisconsin), Andrew Donnal (Iowa), Jamon Brown (Louisville), and Cody Wichmann (Fresno State). All have great potential but they are rookies and are yet to play a snap in an NFL game. At most, two of these players could be starters come opening day.

Here are this writers projected starting offensive line for the St. Louis Rams:

LT Greg Robinson

LG Rodger Saffold

C Tim Barnes

RG Barrett Jones

RT Rob Havenstein

The left tackle and left guard spots are  sure bets, and right tackle as well. Greg Robinson has a year of NFL experience now and should improve greatly from his rookie year when he was thrown into left tackle after Jake Long was injured.

Rodger Saffold placed at guard because for one, he plays better at the guard position and Greg Robinson will be able to handle the load at left tackle.

Here’s where it gets interesting. Tim Barnes starting at center, beating out second year player Demetrius Rhaney for the starting spot. Throughout Barnes’ collegiate career at the University of Missouri and his four years in the NFL, Barnes has played only one position, center. He’s the most experienced center on the squad and will be the opening day starting center for the Rams.

Barrett Jones will be the starter at right guard. Jones’ NFL career has been treacherous thus far, as the Rams selected him in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. It was thought to be a sure steal in the draft, as Jones was a two-time All-American at the University of Alabama and had several other accolades.  But throughout his first two seasons, Jones has only played in a grand total of 10 games, as he has been battling injuries.

Early in June, Jones told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch “I feel as good as I've felt in a long time, I'll tell you, it's tough going up against our D-line when you're not 100 percent. But I've been able to work out all through the offseason, able to add some muscle and lean up a little bit. I don't know the exact numbers — big guys, we get a little anxious about those body-fat tests — but I feel great, and I'm really looking forward to competing at training camp.”

Rams training camp begins in late July. Jones is very versatile, as he can play multiple positions. He is a very smart player putting him at guard alongside Barnes at center. There shouldn't be a problem transitioning because Jones  played some guard at Alabama.

Finally, the right tackle spot. This years second round pick Rob Havenstein has the inside track. The guy is huge, with a height of 6’7” and weighing in at 321 lbs. He was an All-American in his senior year at Wisconsin and started all 41 games from his sophomore year through his senior year. He didn’t start but also played in all 13 games during his freshman year. Here’s the best fact about him. In the 14 games Havenstein played in during 2014, he didn’t have any holding calls against him. Rob Havenstein is legitimate.

There are other players like rookie Jamon Brown, free agent signee Garrett Reynolds, and eventually rookie Andrew Donnal who will all get some quality playing time, but the five listed above will be the opening day starters on the offensive line for the St. Louis Rams. There will be some growing pains with the offensive line. They're going to give up some sacks, they're going to make mistakes but at the same time, they're going to get better and better as the season goes on. To start, the o-line is going to be hard to watch, but as the season goes on and the players develop, the Rams' offensive line could become great.

Tweet me your questions or comments: @JB_VAVEL

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About the author
Jeremy Bowen
Writer on the St. Louis Rams. Also occasionally talking about other sports going on in the St. Louis area.