Talk about word salad. Here's a trade that the author admits neither side would actually do, and also admits that because of the Rams' FA moves makes it is even more unlikely, but is brought up because it is "interesting"? Interesting to no one but the author. I mean.... just how far is a sports writer willing to go to gin up something to write? This falls just short of alchemy.by RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
You want to know how incredible the Rams draft was last year? Now that all the 2023 draft selections have spent their first year in the NFL, The Athletic did a re-draft to see what teams should have selected who in the 1st round. And guess what: Without their own 1st round pick, the Rams landed 3 of their rookies in the 1st round re-draft, with one, Nakua, a top 10 pick., and a side note acby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
It baffles me why such a simple point gets so twisted. Of those few you mentioned, how many more...4 times more...didn't make it. You basically have a 1 in 4 chance of even getting a good quality NFL QB by choosing one in round 1 let alone a Superbowl QB. And BTW, Trent Dilfer???!! This is over the past 13 years according to the author. That's a pretty respectable sample size. There aby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
That seems to be this article's point. If you want to increase your odds of getting a good player, do NOT select a QB or WR in round 1. Pick something else. Instead trade back and get more picks. Most draft board will list players by value, and very often QBs are rated as high as other players of other positions, yet they are taken higher. Assuming the valuations are in the ball park, logic sby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
I think one of the big reasons (my assumption) for the issue of QBs is that teams will spend huge draft capital to move up to get a QB as opposed to moving down and collecting more picks. Also, the pick of a QB is so consequential in that the amount of personal attention and coaching they must receive, and that offenses and to some extent systems are built around QBs. So, when a QB fails, itby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
This is an excerpt from an article in today's The Athletic. And it is quite stunning. In 2005, a research paper on overconfidence in the NFL revealed analysis on decision-making during the draft. Key themes: Evaluating prospects is difficult. Our stats back it up: Across the past 13 years, first-round WRs were either a bust or a reach 63 percent of the time. The hit rate for top-10 QBs waby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
I read some stuff about Avila coming out. PFF says that he doesn't move as well as most teams want their centers to move. However, not only did he prove amazingly mobile for a man his size, the Rams have decided to be VERY big on the Oline and to run the ball differently than they have in the past few years. This move represents the new philosophy, but indeed he might not have been the exby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
I'd say it's 90% Penix is not only a 1st rounder, but is picked prior to #19. Bill Polian spoke to this and I'll sum it up. Fans, sportswriters, and draft guides always talk about players and position in the draft as an issue of "value". GM's who do the picking absolutely do not. GM's go by what they need and who fits their system. Value lies in getting the right player to fillby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
First, the Rams are going all in to try to get back to the Superbowl in '24 or '25 while they still have Stafford. Second, when you are in win now mode, you don't use your highest pick for a position you don't need now, when you have positions that you do need to fill now if you can reasonably expect to go deep into the playoffs. Third, the guys they do pencil in are outside the top tier of plby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
In fact, PFF thinks Williams was a superior CB performer last year, and other than age think he was a really good signing. Bleacher Report does OK, but I'll take Les Snead and PFF any day over Bleacher Report.by RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
I have no idea if the young man had any DUIs before. Or if he was a disciplinary problem. But, to play at 370 or so tells me something not good. There is no way his coaches wanted him playing at that weight. He's not 6'10". I just have this sense that the Rams didn't have him on their board in the first place. Not so much because he had some serious red flags, beyond the fact that theby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
19 Latu Perfect fit at Edge. Instant starter. 52 Fiske Excellent DT that can get some pass rush and plays the run pretty well. A rotational player from day 1. 83 Gray Good ILB compliment for Jones. Day 1 starter at LB2. 98 Travis Good enough QB at this point for Rams to take a small risk due to real potential to be a starting NFL QB after a coupby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
I think it wouldn't hurt the Rams to use their comp pick 3rd rounder on a QB. And the guy I'd really like to see them pick up is Jordan Travis. The guy really is a good football player that has so much upside. He'd be able to sit a year and learn, and then after JG be our back up for another year. Of the several QBs to be taken later, I think he has more chance of eventually becoming a starting Qby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
Don't know if anyone has already posted this, but it was news to me. JG's contract 1 year $3.2 million. Virtually all of it guaranteed. Folks for a guy his age (32), with his accomplishments and playoff experience, and no off field issues, good QB room and locker room presence, this is a serious bargain. I realize he needs a good team around him to succeed, but he has a very good team,by RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
If I'm a QB poor team, it could make sense to build a good Oline, WR corp and RB corp before getting that QB. Especially before drafting a young QB. What I have observed is that bad teams select a QB, and then he has a poor Oline and few weapons. So, he struggles mightily as darn near any QB would on that team. A team with a good oline and some good weapons can do well with just an average Nby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
I've heard more than a few former NFL Execs say that they could easily see 6 QBs go in round 1. Of course, even so, how early? I think that several guys above the Rams (including the Giants) will be intent on QB help. And while we might think that taking a QB higher in round 1 than we might think is a bad play for QB needy team, the thing is, it is ONLY 1 pick. The real issue comes when youby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
No player in the NFL at his position can play effectively all game long at 370. He probably needs to be in the 340 range at most. And the reason he's 370 is that he likes to party and eat instead of working out and eating healthy.by RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
While we should not discount Reeder, at the same time I think the Rams will give 3rd priority to ILB, after Edge and DT. So, I expect somewhere in the top 100 the Rams are hoping that a guy they like is still there at ILB. They simply must have insurance in case of injury to Jones, or in case they lose him to FA after this year. In other words, Reeder would likely be among the first ILB cuts aby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
By now, I'm just done with Mock Drafts. The first pick or two might get it right, but anyone is flat out lucky to get anymore than 5 or 6 first round picks right. They might get the 20 or so players TAKEN in the 1st round (in no particular order) right, but that's way different than a Mock Draft that pretends to match a player to a team. To add in trades? It only makes it sillier. Andby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
The Rams are NOT going to use a 1st round pick on a WR unless they think Kupp is done. While I give it about a 5% chance of them taking a QB, it could happen and Nix might make the most sense. Penix just cannot be seriously considered as anything but 3rd round or later. He has had so many serious injuries that it cannot be ignored. The odds he survives in the NFL are greatly decreased. Medby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
One of the things that I think will have a big determination for the Rams draft strategy is if they need to add to the number of roster players as much as they did last year through the draft. They seem to be pretty pleased with most of those guys. Just because they didn't immediately bloom doesn't mean they won't. Fans tend to give up quickly on rookies, but the Rams are pretty patient. Sby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
I can't see the Rams agreeing to such a deal. Much too low of a return. The Trade Value Chart which is still gospel in the NFL says exactly what you say: pick 88 in return. That said, I just don't think the Rams are going to be after increasing the number of picks they have. With 11 picks, I can actually see them reducing that number to 9 or 10 with packaging some picks to move up to get someby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
Assuming a healthy Kupp, there is no way a rookie WR is going to make the group of Kupp, Nacua and Robinson better. He won't beat out Kupp or Nucua, and it would be one heck of a task to learn the routes and offense fast enough to unseat Robinson who was really performing well last year. There's only so many balls to go around, and the Rams didn't invest heavily in IOL to be pass heavy. The oby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
Trading down 5 spots only would net the Rams a late 3rd round pick. Trading all the way down to the final pick of round 1 would only net a late 2nd round pick. Sometimes a team will trade the pick and add a late draft pick to get equal chart value, even when trading down. So, really, the Rams aren't going to get any more than a mid to late top 100 pick by trading down. Would they find that eby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
Not sure why the derision of Allen. The poor guy dealt with serious injuries that he worked very hard to overcome. But, it reached the point that from a cost standpoint, and a value versus availability standpoint, he became a bad bet and so the Rams did what they had to do. That said, he was a good NFL Center.by RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
Just because the media and the pundits have more or less decided the top guys at each position, and the order of their talent level on a Big Board, doesn't mean the Rams see it that way. We don't know anything about these guys' medicals, some character traits or incidents or even criminal history that the Rams security team knows about, and how the Rams have evaluated each player's desire, foby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
It's not unusual for a drafted Center to begin by playing Guard as part of a development plan. The reason is that there is so much to learning the line calls. Some teams have the QB make the line calls. But, the Rams have been letting Allen and Shelton do it. So, Avila will be expected to do that. I suspect that last year the Rams had Avila at Guard with Center in mind eventually. Butby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
As I walk down the list of teams, thinking about their rosters, and what various publications say about it, it seems to me that the Rams are in an excellent position in that they do not have immediate need of QB, Oline, WR, or CB. But, nearly every team in front of us does need one these positions. If this proves to be true, then it is going to push top level Edge and DT down to us at 19, andby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com
Snead does not, and never has, drafted on BPA. He drafts for need. He's said it over and over again. He will the take the BPA within a pod of players based on team need at a specific position or two. Of course, how I see the greatest need, or any of us see the greatest need, versus how Snead/McVay see it may be different. Like when they drafted Tutu. Here was the best Center in the draby RockRam - RamsFootballFans.com