Re: Here's what I think the plan is...

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IMO, they will address the future LOT need early in next year's draft. It's not so urgent it has to be done this year.

Blythe is good depth on the OL. The rest of the depth is untested but that doesn't mean they have no equivalent depth in terms of talent.

This year, I think they will focus on the D. That's my assessment of what their plan will be.

Untested in games doesn't mean the staff has no idea what they're like as players---what they're capable of. And chances are, as with most teams in the NFL, it's negligible.

And what if Whitworth misses games this year? That means the best they can hope for is to move Saffold to LOT and then they have a hole at guard.

PLUS since Saffold, Brown, and Hav are all FAs after 2018, and Whitworth is 37 at that point, plus Sullivan is older too (after 2018 he will as old as Wells was when people said Wells was too old), then, they face replacing up to 5 guys.

They can't wait till next year. You can't replace 3-5 linemen in one year.

And the hardest to find is a left OT. And the worst thing you can do with a position like that is wait until you need one to get one. Then you're picking for immediate need.

So if a guy is there at pick 23 this year, you have to consider picking him. And in fact the Rams have virtually pretty much said that. [www.therams.com]

We can play the what if game with several positions.

What if Goff misses considerable time? Or Gurley?

In either of those scenarios, the Rams will likely be in big trouble.

So for me, that's not compelling enough to say that finding a LOT this year will be their highest priority. I still see them viewing defense as the most urgent need.

I had already seen that article and I don't interpret that to be them saying that their even remotely considering picking OL at 23.

Whit was signed to a 3 year contract. If they take care of the future LOT need next year, they're not waiting until they need one since it's still a year early.

As stated earlier, Blythe is good depth that performed well in the snaps he got. But beyond that, Snead has stated many times, that interior O'linemen can be found deep into the draft. My guess is, they draft some this year but wait on LOT.

Except you don't let an OL erode. It's not "what if."

The problem with an OL eroding is that everything else could be fine and the fact that the OL ISN'T doesn't allow you to play.

And this is not "what if the qb gets hurt." This is real and immediate. The LOT is 36 going on 37 and in fact has already shown signs of declining, they have no center beyond Sullivan, and the other 3 starters are FAs after the season. None of that is hypothetical. It's real and has a due date.

On top of it the primary needs on defense---CB, NT, probably OLB/edge---can be handled with lower picks, and in fact the Rams are good at that, especially with DBs. LOTs are precious commodities, which is why 75% of the original designated starting LOTs in the league last year were 1st and 2nd rounders. There;s no other position in the league where that's true (75%), not even qb. There are reasons for that.

I would be very surprised to see them just trust to luck on this. In fact it would be poor management if they did.






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Several things I don't agree with...

Failing to draft a LOT this year in the 1st round doesn't equate to the OL eroding.

This is "what if the QB gets hurt" IMO. I know the LOT is old but QBs as a position are already at a much higher risk of injury. The chances Goff is hurt are just as high, and likely higher, than an old LOT.

Now, signs of declining is a valid argument in which I agree somewhat. However, despite his decline, he played at an elite level. I deem the future need important but not so urgent that it must be done now.

They have Blythe at center who I feel played well in the snaps he got. I know they have 3 upcoming free agents but I already addressed that by stating that they would likely acquire OL later in the draft.

I disagree that CB's, NT's, and rush OLB's can be handled with lower picks. In fact, with the exception of LOT's, O'linemen can even more be handled with lower picks according to Snead.

I disagree that it would be poor management if they don't draft a LOT this year.

I think we just see this one different my friend.

I didn't say not drafting an LOT in 2018 meant they were eroding. I didn't attach "eroding" to any one specific action. But they do face across the board OL issues after the 2018 season.

IMO Blythe is a back-up. I don;t see him as a starter. He can fill in but he's too physically limited.

I don't think AW played at an elite level---book on him is that he can't recover like he used to, which is why he allowed more sacks this year than he has in years. Overall he was good but the arrow is starting to tilt more downward.

CBs are regularly handled with lower picks by the Rams. Remember their "hits" at CB so far include Tru, Gaines, Hill, and Peterson...and the highest pick among those guys is a 3rd rounder. Heck only 2 were even drafted. Not to jinx them but on drafting for the secondary they have the Midas touch.

I said that ignoring the OL would be poor management. "On this" meant "On the OL issue,:" not on LOT specifically. But having said that, I think a first round LOT is a good idea. He learns from Whitworth, provides high quality depth at several positions, fills in for whoever leaves after 2018, and sooner or later inherits LOT. I like that whole plan myself. It's not urgent early in 2018, assuming AW doesn;t get hurt, but it is a significant issue and IMO they gain all sorts of advantages by taking one this year (not saying they will).

And I disagree that we see it differently. I think we're just going to have to agree to agree.

Yuck yuck.

I interpreted you to be saying that you were attaching failure to draft an LOT early to the OL eroding and poor management because it seems to me that your main thrust in this thread was arguing for them drafting a LOT at 23. I guess I misread you....

By and large I agree with you. I already stated earlier that they would likely draft OL later in the draft which means that they wouldn't be ignoring the OL.

I just don't see that being the highest priority at 23. That one issue is probably the only place where there is any disagreement in regards to the OL.

I think you're right concerning CB's that Snead is good at finding them. However, even with all of that midas touch magic, the only CBs he has found with #1 cover corner ability have been 2nd and 3rd round picks in JJ and TruJ respectively. Gaines was a great find but is still an anomaly. You can't count on that.

I suspect they will need and will be looking for a potential #1 or #2 CB. Given that, it will require an early round draft pick much like LOT does.

And if we're looking for an edge defender with pro bowl potential, we'll need an early round draft pick for that too. Those rarely come late in the draft.

Good NT's are often available deep into the draft but above average starting CB's and rush OLB's need to be drafted early. That's why I don't see the defense being adequately addressed with lower picks.

I will always come back to the same thing.

They don't need a top corner in 2018 as much as they need to make sure they have a viable left OT for years and years.

That's the bottomline for me.

And btw they had 3 corners taken after the 3rd round who showed enough to start---Gaines, Hill, and Peterson. It wasn;t just Gaines. Two of the top corners in the league are UDFAs (Bouye and Harris). Robey-Coleman was originally a UDFA. And so on. There are twice as many corners in college football as there are left OTs. So there's always more in a draft.

And I'm not even saying they will do it. At this point I don't even know if a guy who represents value at 23 will be there.