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RockRam
I'm watching games, and I see growth.
I am an advocate of taking an LT high, but I will say that Jackson has steadily gotten better.
And, Shelton is doing a far better job than he is given credit for.
You can always go for better. But is that the best thing to do?
Avila's a keeper, as is Dotson for sure. Hav's goes without saying. Is Shelton the weak link? No way. Forget PFF; just watch the games. LT? No, he's probably only middle of pack, but does he have the potential to keep getting better with time (most Olinemen do)? To a point, yes, but, Jackson is sure no liability.
So, I'm wondering just how much of a priority Oline needs to be? Maybe we look to LT a bit later in the draft. Same with Center. Both with an eye to development rather than as immediate starters. If the growth continues the remainder of the year, priorities may change.
No matter; the Rams MUST keep Dotson. Young. Nasty. Powerful. And clearly a top flight OG. I think they can because Avila is going to be cheap another 3 years. Hav's is signed. But..... LT might require us giving Jackson a 2nd round RFA salary to keep him around.
Yes, the line is beginning to gell. For a bunch of guys who had never played before, three months in the trenches has paid off like we knew it would.
But let's not get carried away. Jackson was good against AZ, as was everyone, and decent against Seattle. He got blown up against the Steelers and GB of all teams, and is just too inconsistent. He must be upgraded this off-season, and not in the fifth round.
Adding Dotson was a godsend. Remember the line before he was plugged in? It was ugly. I would think and hope that resigning him would be a priority.
This line has had its ups and downs, and we have a QB that's already been knocked out once to tell us there can be a lot of improvement to be made. These next two games will be a little more representative than the last two. I just think it's premature to say it's all good now because we beat up on the Cardinals. I'm a little incredulous to your statement that we might not need to prioritize the Oline in the draft. We all have our opinions, and mine is that we still need to finish what we started.
