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LMU93
LT- Whitworth, Murphy
LG- Saffold, Brown
C- Sullivan, Rhaney
RG- Havenstein, Jackson, Wichmann, Donnal, Arkin
RT- Robinson, Williams
That is quite a log jam at guard.... Someone has to go. I'm highlighting the ones I think are going to stick for sure. Others TBD. Could the Rams add an OT in this draft?... A Will Holden from Vanderbilt?
I'm not a fan of Donnal but I know he can also play some tackle and versatility always helps an OL stick around. Brown and Wichmann are going to need to be able to play center at least in emergency capacity.
Maybe it's just me, 93, but Hav at RG is something I'll have to see before I'll believe it.
Only because of my respect for Kromer am I not laughing at it out loud. But Kromer has done some impressive things with OL player position shuffling and development, so I'll refrain.
I see GRob sticking for '17. Just don't see another team making a tempting offer. Besides, I think they want to see if Kromer can work his magic on GRob. Even if it's only 30-40% likely, that's huge. Waaaaay better than a measly 6th or 7th round pick.
Here's my predraft "best 5" for opening day starters.
Whitworth. Duh.
Brown. His college best position, and he would benefit by playing between 2 top vets.
Sullivan. Might be pushed by a quality draftee by midseason, though. Would be a nice problem to have.
Saffold. This is the position at which he played at Pro Bowl level a couple of years ago.
Havenstein. This is his best position. If finally healthy, I think he beats out all comers.
GRob and Donnal look like certain backups. Backups that can provide quality snaps, if called upon. And both with the ability to play multiple positions.
The remaining 3 keepers? TBD, of course. But I like the possibilities under Kromer's direction. I see a drafted C, Jackson, and one other that has to step up and really impress Kromer filling out the 10.
The good news is that it's not gonna be easy to make this roster as an OL player this year. Tougher than it's been in years, actually.
In fact, I will go so far as to say that only Whit is an absolute lock to be an OL starter come opening day. There, I said it.
When was the last time anyone could say that about our OL as early as April?