My final mock draft of the offseason, unless a trade happens in the next 6 days. And I seriously doubt that happens. I'll do this one just like last years final mock with my choice, then 2 options or alternative picks and what I would like to see happen.
Just so you understand where this is coming from a few notes:
1. The Rams love Seniors and the EW Shrine and Senior Bowl game kids.This comes into my decision making.
2. The Rams are 4 deep at WR right now, so it would surprise me if the Rams drafted a WR at any point before day 3.
3. If the Rams draft a RB before the 5th round, Gurley is not good or will never be good. i don't think its the case.
4. I am lost at CB. I have no idea who or what they are looking for or like.
5. The Rams draft needs:
a. IDL - they just do not have the bodies yet to start the season.
b. IOL - Blythe, Noteboom and Allen starting is OK, but I would love a bluechipper to come in and compete.
c. Edge - I still think after the Matthews and Fowler short term signings that a developmental edge or 2 is needed.
d. CB - they have nothing behind their top 3 and nothing as far as long term CBs on the outside.
e. S - not much behind the 2 starters
f. TE - its feast or famine time for Everett.
g. - OT - Whitworth is almost done, depth is needed.
h. - RB - if Gurley...
Round 1 (31) Jerry Tillery - IDL - Notre Dame - 6'-6" 295 lbs. - Great size and strength to handle the run and get after the QB. When he puts everything together, he is tough to stop. I thought he ran too hot and cold to be a first round pick.
From 4/11:
As of today, I think Jerry Tillery is the pick. (I am not a fan at all, for the record. Not a fan of guys getting sent home from bowl games after violating team rules, kicking injured opponents in the head while they lay on the ground or step on opposing players arms when they are on the ground)I still cannot shake this feeling. IDL was mentioned as very deep by Snead himself. I am not a fan, but I trust the process. he fits as a 1 gap penetrating DT that has great length for a DE in a 1 gap 34. I think what is going thru the Rams collective heads is this: We get him in a DL room with Brockers and AD, the light goes on or he gets his ass kicked. I will say this about Tillery. He has seemed to me that he pulled his head out his jr. year and decided he needed to grow some more and returned for his senior year. He is an ascending talent and he fits next to AD as a gap filler stopping the run on his way to the QB. before injury, was a Senior Bowl invite.
2 other names to know:
Erik McCoy- IOL - Texas A&M - he is the #1 or #2 rated OC in the draft, fits perfectly in an outside zone run offense like LA and unlike Bradbury, could play OG.
Dexter Lawrence - IDL - Clemson - a freaky athletic IDL, I think he works as a 1 gap DT, but is most suited as a 2 gap run stuffer for a traditional 34. Everyone wants a run stuffer, but AD really needs a pass rushing teammate.
what I want to see happen - a trade down into the 2nd and gaining a 3rd or 4th, most likely a 4th or a swapping of thirds and a later round pick. Then go get
Chase Winovich. Visions of Kevin Greene dance thru my head. He's not the pass rusher the early round 1 edge guys are, but he is one of the top all around edges. Short of that, please get
Nasir Adderley or
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson for the backend.
Round 3a (94) Jachai Polite - Edge - Florida - 6'-3" 258 lbs. - A well oiled, explosive pass rusher with a high motor. needs to play around 245 to 250. I have changed how I grade and have taken red flags out, but his showing at the combine and pro day cannot be overlooked. If he pulls his head out, he will be a day 3 steal, or he's out of the league in a year or 2.
Make no mistake, he is off draft boards. He was off draft boards before the combine. I think the Rams have the locker room and HC to get him to be all he can be. If not the 3rd round isn't a total waste for a guy I had on grade alone as the 29th best player in the draft. On the field, he has a none stop motor and is a true QB hunter.
2 other names to know:
Khalen Saunders - IDL - Western Illinois - you guys know I love my FCS MVC kids and he is a stud. An athletic 1 gapper that is super athletic and can get after you in the run or pass. He has to absolutely make sense if the Rams go away from IDL in the first round. SB and high character, Rams interviewed.
Marquise Blair - S - Utah - Really any safety that might slip. Hooker, Savage, Thompson, Johnson. Rams have looked long and hard at early to mid round safeties this year. Blair is a thumper and fits that SS profile the Rmas like.
What I want to see happen - I would love to see a seam stretching TE like
Dax Raymond here. Or in my dream world, watch
Mack Wilson slip from the 2nd round to the Rams. Man, he'd be a fit.
Round 3b (99) Nate Davis - IOL - UNC Charlotte - 6'-3" 316 lbs. - Interesting blend of power and flexibility. G/T prospect that has to move inside due to lack of length. I think he works in power man or zone blocking schemes.
Rams had him in for a private visit. He is scheme and position flexible which seems to be a plus for the Rams. And they are not scared of smaller school kids like Noteboom. He had a heck of nice week at the Senior Bowl. He replaces Noteboom in a year when he moves outside.
2 other names to know:
Connor McGovern - IOL - Penn St. - He is a OC that could work in a zone scheme. The last of the 4 top OCs IMO. No idea if the Rams like him.
Joejuan Williams - CB - Vandy - Really at this point, any CB that fits the Rams man scheme.
Jamel Dean, Mike Jackson, Lonnie Johnson all make a ton of sense.
What I want to see happen - Just finish filling either the OL or DL by the 3rd round. If an edge rusher like
Christian Miller drops, would be a nice little pick IMO.
Dru Samia at IOL would be a HR.
Round 4 (133) - Will Harris - S - Boston College - 6'-1" 207 lbs. - A size/speed (4.4) SS with an aggressive nature against the run and tons of range against the pass. The TE eraser. (fun note, against Iowa, helped hold Fant and Hockenson to 3 catches for 17 yards...)
I said in mock 2.0 that I thought Will Harris was possibly a 4th rounder. He is solidly a 4th round SS that fits with JJ3 and forms a heck of a backend. He is a truly under-rated S that JJ has intimate knowledge of at his time at BC.
2 other names to know:
At this point it gets so messy and BPA goes out the window and its all about fits and needs. That said,
Cam Smith is a name I would hang onto. He is an instinctual ILBer that was a senior and tested as well as Kiser IMO.
Jahlani Tavai - ILB - Hawaii - This is early for Tavai, but pay attn to this ILB on day three. He needs a year though. But thats the Rams MO.
What I want to see happen: Cam Smith - I have no idea if or when Cam Smith gets drafted, but I like him as a Luke Keechly lite ILBer that is at home in the coliseum.
Round 5 (169) - Sione Takitaki - ILB - BYU - 6'-2" 245 lbs. - An OLB that plays sideline to sideline with a thumpers mentality. Perfect size and range for an ILB in a 34. not afraid to fill a gap and enough range top be efficient in coverage. He's just outside my 250, but the Rams have met him twice, so heres the round to get your ILB depth.
2 other names to know: At this point is almost a total crap shoot, I'd say:
Sheldrick Redwine - S - Miami - 6'-0" 196 lbs. - Nice combination of speed and physicality. A CB turned S, still feeling his way in his new position, team will need to coach him up.
Dontavius Russell - IDL - Auburn - 6'-3" 319 lbs. - High effort, high motor run plugger with a bit of gap penetration. A 1 or 2 gap NT. A poor man's Dexter Lawrence seems to fit.
What I want to see happen - At this point Alyo has lost his mind and I am at a loss for words. That being said:
David Sills V - WR - West Virginia - 6'-3" 211 lbs. - QB turned WR, so he understands coverage. He's a sneaky vertical threat. Mechanically sound route runner with good, not great, hands. Size to work in the redzone, otherwise a possession receiver. - reminds me of a redzone Kupp, anyone need that?
Bobby Evans - OT - Oklahoma - 6'-4" 312 lbs. -A smooth moving, athletic OT with decent power and a good anchor. Run blocking is ahead of his pass blocking. ZBS fit. - if there was a latter round OT that fit the Rams to a T, its Evans.
Round 6 (203) - John Cominski - 6'-5" 286 lbs. - A QB turned DL. He is smart, with an explosive get off and could work inside and out for the Rams. Rams had him in for a private meeting. makes a ton of sense at the end of the draft.
2 other names to remember:
Austin Bryant - Edge - Clemson - at almost 6'-4" and 270, he fits as hand down, hands up edge rusher that can set an edge in the run game and cleans up ADs leftovers against the pass. Not sure he lasts this long, but I'd love to see him in a Rams uni.
Iman Marshall - CB - USC - 6'-1" 207 lbs. - I love his frame and his physical demeanor, but he was too up and down and gives away too many easy catches underneath.
What I want to see happen - Honestly, a RB or a TE or a WR that dropped if you don't grab a kid like Cominski or Bryant.
Round 7 - Malik Reed - Edge - Nevada - 6'-1" 237 lbs. - Athletic and loose limbed, high motor and high character, might suffer from tweener-itis. Is he a 34 edge or a 43 lber? I like him as a 34 edge as a situational pass rusher. Rams have met him twice. Take him in the 6th or 7th as far as I'm concerned.
2 other names to remember:
Seventh round and what? 6 or 7 trades later? Time to fit schemes:
Bryce Love - RB - Stanford - If there is a HR hitter in the draft that fits an outside zone run scheme, its Love. Injuries have made him an afterthought. Get this kid under contract and profit.
Tim Harris - CB - Virginia - 6'-2" 205 lbs. - Big and instinctual, likes to get his hands dirty and mix it up a bit. lacks long speed and can get beat over the top. injury history.
What I want to see happen: I'm not going to lie, I want to see Bruce Anderson RB or Robbie Grimsley S drafted by the Rams out of NDSU. The Rams were at NDSUs pro day so maybe Anderson is in play later in the draft. Just a gut feeling.
So I added 2 DL, 2 Edge rushers, 1 ILB and a S for the defense, 1 IOL for the offense. I think there are going to be a ton of UDFA WRs and RBs available that just slid due this being such a good defense draft. Last year 20 RBs were drafted, I have 21 in my top 250...so there should be some talent left over. 33 WRs taken last year, I have 35 in my top 250. A kid like Emmanuel Butler could very easily go undrafted. Last year 14 TEs were drafted, I have 17 in my top 250. Offensive talent will be available after the draft.
What i didn't add was a CB, and I know there are a few of you out there are gonna tear me up for it. I have no doubt the Rams come away with a CB, maybe as early as round 1, but after I didn't put Greedy in at 31, I just never ended up with a BPA that fit the Rams defense in any of the other rounds. But this is why mocks are tough, because you know for a fact that the Rams will trade around to target guys ans will probably end up with more picks then they started and will have a CB.
Je is going to be disappointed with no TE. Sorry brother, but unless a guy like Sternberger, Knox or Warring fall to the end of the 3rd round, its not happening. Go get a guy like CJ Conrad after the draft. Maybe Donald Parham from Stetson, had a heck of a nice Senior Bowl and is 6'-8" with a 36" vert and an 84" wingspan...
Random thoughts
There are going to be a ton of RB and WR UDFAs worth getting after.
Bradbury doesn't last beyond the Vikings. They have a new zone blocking OC, so he fits moving Elflien outside to G.
Lawrence is going to drop further then anyone thinks. Im guessing mid 2nd.
I don't think Jeffery Simmons last until the 2nd round. Gut feeling
Savage is the 2nd Safety taken. Every year a S rises and surprises everyone. This year its Savage.
If Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders don't take Josh Jacobs, there will be no Rbs taken round 1.
The biggest slider of the draft is Mack Wilson - I heard he bombed the interview process and with his lacking of ILB instincts, slides on day 2.
Montez Sweat has been removed from at least 4 boards due to heart issue. Watch him closely on Thursday.
Don't waste your time looking back, you're not going that way. - Ragnar Lothbrok
