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LMU93
This offseason has gone about as differently as I thought it possibly could.....and that was before yesterday....
Just addressing this latest deal and its implications, I very well could have Rams' colored glasses on but this is my thinking about why this could very well work out.
Now the first caveat is they have to extend Cooks. Period. He can have 1,400 yards this year but if they gave the 23rd overall pick for one year it's a huge miss. My pure guess? Donald's deal is getting done which allows them at least a little negotiating leverage with Cooks with being able to franchise him in 2019 if needed while trying to extend him this summer.
"He's not worth the 23rd pick. He's not worth it!"
I've heard this from several Patriots' fans friends of mine here already. Well, he's not worth it to New England. Why? Not because he's not very good. He is. He was Brady's favorite target a year ago which says a lot and the 3rd best offensive player they had. And from front office to locker room he was very well regarded. But the fact is New England does not give out market-value deals hardly ever. And with Watkins, etc. deals lately they saw the writing on the wall. Plus as good as New England is (and still is without Cooks) they are an older team that is entering a big transition phase. They need help in a lot of places. I dare say they have a lot more holes and needs than the Rams do right now. WR is now a big one as 200 targets and 126 catches from Cooks and Amendola are gone. And Edelman is 32 coming off ACL surgery.
What is the value of the 23rd overall pick?
In the past three years Cooks has been 11th in the NFL in receptions, 7th in yards, and 6th in TDs. FootballOutsiders rated him the 21st, 16th and 13th best WR the past three seasons. It's pretty fair to say he's one of the top 20 WRs in the league. Assuming he is extended, if he plays at that level the next three years is that worth the 23rd pick? Yes, to me yes it is.... He fits McVay's offense like a glove, is a good locker room presence, and works very hard. And well, just my opinion but he's better than Watkins. Others may disagree but production is production (even acknowledging Cooks has played with Brees and Brady).
What do the Rams do now in the Draft?
What was their biggest hole/need? Well, according to Snead and McVay it was apparently WR... So that's done. The Rams now have top-shelf units at WR, DL, and DB with an ascending QB and one of the top 3 RBs in the league.
So what can they do in the Draft? Well, picks 87, 111, 135 and 136 in the 3rd and 4th rounds aren't sexy but they are not nothing. And with 8 total picks in the 3rd-6th rounds they still can move up from any one of those spots if they want a specific player.
But position-wise, it seems like the Rams obviously still mainly need OL depth, a NT, and ILBs. The 3rd and 4th rounds are good places to address those areas specifically. 6th round? See if you can find 1 or 2 new guys for Fassel.
Will they end the Draft still with a couple holes? Yeah, they sure will. What about OLB? Beyond Ebukam and Longacre what do they have? Maybe not much. Or maybe they use a pick there too. But to me if they exit the Draft having done nothing else but improving OL depth, maybe finding a future starter at center, and adding a quality 3rd ILB (Jewell? Kiser? Etc.) to add to the mix with Barron and Littleton then so be it.
Best,
Laram
