The Los Angeles Rams are in a competitive rebuild after successfully selling out for the Super Bowl LVI crown in front of the home crowd at SoFi Stadium. They were plagued by injuries and departures in free agency last year, but the Rams are rebuilding the right way through the draft with young talent. After breaking down the Rams' game-by-game predictions, let's take a look at some upcoming position battles where we could see rookies push veterans for playing time.

There's a pair of third-round rookies in defensive lineman Kobie Turner and edge rusher Byron Young that would've made the list if they weren't already projected starters on the Rams' depth chart. Turner, 24, and Young, 25, are promising but unproven, so they fit right in with much of the inexperienced starters on the Rams' roster, especially on defense.

WR Ben Skowronek

Before the Rams drafted him in the seventh round two years ago, some speculated that Ben Skowronek could switch to tight end due to his size, blocking skills, quick release, and underwhelming YAC ability. But that's not even a consideration with the consistent production from starting tight end Tyler Higbee (246 receptions for 2,435 yards and 16 scores) over the last four seasons.

Skowronek stepped up last year with the slew of injuries among the receivers on the Rams' roster, but in eight of the 14 games he appeared in, Skowronek was limited to a yards per catch rate of 8.0 or less.

The Notre Dame product was sidelined with a foot injury at the Rams' mandatory minicamp last week. He's clearly fallen behind Van Jefferson on the Rams' depth chart and he's in jeopardy of fifth-round rookie Puka Nakua.

“It's been really impressive, how quickly he has gotten up to speed,” coach Sean McVay said of Puka Nacua, per The Athletic.

Nacua has shined so far throughout team practices and will be a name to watch in training camp. His YAC skills and ability to win on contested catches were among the best from the 2023 rookie WR class.

Look for Nacua to battle Skowronek and recent free agent addition Demarcus Robinson for snaps behind star WR Cooper Kupp and Van Jefferson, who is working to rekindle his chemistry with quarterback Matthew Stafford after they only played two games together last year, as they were dealing with injuries.

CB Robert Rochell

Robert Rochell drew pre-draft comparisons to Marcus Peters and James Bradberry thanks to his frame, length, explosiveness and ball skills, as well as the aggressive, calculated risks he takes to try to make a play on the ball.

But the former fourth-round pick has been buried on the Rams' depth chart in large part because the talent and depth of the secondary has been one of the key strengths on the Rams' roster in recent years.

Nevertheless, Rochell has a chance to prove himself after David Long Jr. signed with the Raiders and Jalen Ramsey took his talents to South Beach in a trade with the Dolphins in the spring. Troy Hill also remains a free agent.

Rochell still has the coveted physical and athletic traits to have a breakout third season, but it remains to be seen if he's actually improved his technique and footwork since he entered the league.

Enter former TCU cornerback Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, who is the nephew of Chargers legend and Pro Football Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson. While he'll face occasional size mismatches at the next level, Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson has consistently overcome that obstacle with his aggressiveness and explosiveness. The potential sixth-round steal excels in run support and allowed an eye-popping 34.6 percent completion rate when targeted last year, per PFF.

Hodges-Tomlinson missed some time with a recent hamstring injury, but he's fully expected to be ready for training camp. It remains to be seen exactly how the corner position will shake out, but Cobie Durant should be penciled in as the starter in the nickel role as there was no slot corner that allowed a lower passer rating in coverage last year. There's been plenty of positive buzz about second-year corner Derion Kendrick, but Hodges-Tomlinson could push all three corners as a rookie.

QB Brett Rypien

The Rams signed Brett Rypien to a one-year, $1.08 million deal last month. The 2019 UDFA out of Boise State went 1-1 as a starter in Denver last year and struggled to sustain drives in relief of an injured Russell Wilson.

Rypien has an initial leg-up in the backup QB battle against Stetson Bennett, but it's likely a short leash. In three seasons, Rypien has completed 80 of 130 passes for 778 yards with four touchdowns to eight interceptions.

Stetson Bennett boasts average arm strength and accuracy, but he throws with excellent anticipation, works through his progressions well, and plays well out of structure with plus mobility. The fourth-round pick is also a fiery competitor that's used to delivering under the spotlight after leading Georgia to back-to-back national championships. Stetson Bennett's already earned the praise of coach Sean McVay from his showings at OTA's and minicamp.

“When the ball is in Stetson's hands, the game makes sense to him,” coach McVay said, via The Athletic. “He's got a good feel for being able to get through progressions quickly, he can feel space on the back end … he feels open areas, he can get through things quickly. And you love the athleticism. There's still a lot of work to be done, but I like his demeanor.”