First I want to give a big thank you to everyone with the kind words and support. Too many to thank individually, but you know who you are.
I also want to apologize for just being off on what the Rams where looking for as far as my Rams Stacked Board. I've done well in the past, but I blew it this year. Call it a learning experience, or maybe I just avoid the Stacked Board going forward. I don't know. BearlyThere asked me in another post why I thought I was off on what I thought the Rams would do and what they actually did. I'll address that at the bottom of the post in my overall review.
This is not a draft grade post. Those are pointless.
57. Tutu Atwell - WR - Louisville - 5'-9" 165 lbs. - Extremely fast. Dangerous with the ball. Serious HR threat from the Slot. Hands are OK. Small catch radius. Slot WR
He was my 117th overall prospect, and my 16th overall WR. 73rd on my Rams Stacked Board
I had him listed at 5'-9" 165 lbs. He is actually 5'-7 3/4" 155 lbs at his Pro Day and later at his Indy Combine Med checkup, he weighed in at 149 lbs. Think about that. He is sub 150. I have a tough time with that weight, combined with his small frame. He is never going to be 180 lbs.. Im not sure he can get to 170. Which is fine, but he is a slot only. If he is on the outside, it will have to be against off man or zone coverage. I see him in motion alot or off the line in a bunch, like McVay likes to do in that 3 wr bunch set. Or in the slot. What I don't like is the fact that they had Atwell or Eskridge pegged at 57 seemingly with no regard for who was on the board. They hinted that if Atwell was there in the 2nd, he could very well be the pick...
Strengths:
Twitched up athlete
Ultra Fast - and he plays up to it
Angle breaker - or ankles, but he can destroy any angle you take at him with his speed and quick movement skills
He can house it from anywhere on the field
New to the position, so plenty of upside
Weaknesses:
Raw route runner
Saw a limited route tree at Louisville from what I saw
any physicality can disrupt his route
Small catch radius
Limited ST returner - I think I saw less than 10 punt returns
Not a bad pass catcher, but not exactly a natural pass catcher
103. Ernest Jones - LB - South Carolina - 6'-2" 230 lbs. - Good tackler, with decent range. A bit stiff. Looks stronger than he is. 43 WILL, maybe 34 ILB
He was my 172nd overall prospect. My 17th ranked LB and 98th on my Rams Stacked Board
Interesting pick. I had a bunch of LBers in front of him, this feels like a Kiser type pick, where I think they use him on the first 2 downs, then bring in more CBs or Safeties on 3rd down. His run defense is ahead of his pass defense and this will be a common theme going forward with the front 7 picks this year. He can survive dropping into zone coverage, which of the Rams do some cover 2, he'll be fine in. That D is Morris' specialty. I thought this was another reach though, but that is my personal opinion and obviously the Rams didn't think so.
Strengths:
Team Captain, team leader
Solid tackler
Solid against the run
Can handle dropping into zone coverage
Hot motor
Can get sideline to sideline
good in a pursuit roll
Negatives:
Not a physical Lber (not much pop)
avoids blockers, stack and shed is non-existant
at times hesitates, or even gets fooled on where he should be (questionable instincts?)
not a great athlete
117. Bobby Brown III - IDL - Texas A&M - 6'-4" 315 lbs. - Powerhouse run defender with strong hands and good leverage. NT
He was my 175th Overall prospect. My 14th ranked IDL. Not on my Rams Stacked Board
I was surprised by this pick. Not because I don't like him, but I did not think they were looking at a 1 Tech, I didn't include any 1 techs in my Rams Vertically Stacked Board. Other than that I like this pick, it may have been a tad high for my liking, but its not like I would call it a massive reach. Again, he is far more advanced in his run defense, shows flashes of a pass rush. Lots of upside in this kid, and I think learning and working next to AD will do him wonders.
Strengths:
All day strong
Almost immoveable in the run game
Flashes a pass rush
Weaknesses:
Will take plays off (as a 2 down IDL, he better not in the NFL)
Does not have a variety of pass rush moves or counters
Ok athlete, nothing more
130. Robert Rochell - CB - Central Arkansas - 6'-0" 193 lbs.Not in my top 200 prospects. Not on my Rams Stacked Board
This one caught me a tad off guard. I have repeatedly said I watch any prospects I rank. And I did see 1 game of Rochell. This fall against NDSU in the one game NDSU played. It was the game where Lance threw his only INT of his college career. No Rochell didn't get it. He did have a couple of pass breakups and a handful of tackles. I liked him. Then when he got to the Senior Bowl, I was excited to see him step up a level. And he got big boyed. Alot. He got by on his athleticism alone in the FCS. THat didn't work against FBS WRs in the Senior Bowl and it won't work in the NFL. So he remained outside my 200, and due to his poor showing at the SB, I left him off he stacked board, thinking the Rams came away unimpressed. Wrong...
Strengths:
Super Athletic
Fluid, easy mover
Ball hawk
willing tackler
great size and speed for the position
Weakness:
Footwork (technique) is a mess
Tackling is sloppy
step up in competition will require a redshirt
141. Jacob Harris - WR - UCF - 6'-5" 211 lbs.Not ranked on any of my lists.
Wow, this one really seemed like a reach to me. He is really raw. There is a steep learning curve ahead, and he may never reach what his athletic profile says he could be. And a 2nd WR picked with other holes? Or is he a TE? He is either TE 3 or 4, or WR 6. Seems like he gets a redshirt for sure. I understand he is a monster special teamer, thats where he can earn playing time early.
Strengths:
Size/speed/athletic trifeca
Can play inside/outside and from various TE spots
50/50 ball winner
new to football, so plenty of upside
Good blocker
Weaknesses:
Hands are OK
Route running needs work
Raw in all aspects
174. Earnest Brown IV - Edge - Northwestern - 6'-5" 270 lbs.Not ranked on any of my lists
Obviously this one caught me off guard. He's a 43 DE. He has played inside on third downs. His best pass rush move is an inside swim move. He is good against the run (yep the 3rd prospect I've mentioned that about) and is more of a try hard against the pass. I thought this was a major reach.
Stengths:
Sets a great edge against the run.
Rarely gets pushed off his spot
Great motor
Has positional flexibility
Has a decently explosive first step
Strong
Weaknesses:
Not a great athlete
Stiff
lacks range
Not a variety of pass rush moves
233. Jake Funk - RB - Maryland - 5'-10" 205 lbsNot ranked on any of my lists
This one is another special team pick. Which I am totally fine with in the 7th round. The Rams ST unit was a mess. He is RB 3 or 4 with ST value. This is a nice pick. He is a 1 cut and go back with good speed.
Strengths:
Tough runner, fights for yards
patient runner with good vision
good long speed
has a bit of wiggle
Weaknesses:
not the most dynamic athlete
Not much of a pass catcher
tore left ACL in back to back seasons
249. Ben Skowronek - WR- ND - 6'-3" 211 lbs.Not Ranked on any of my lists
So WR 7? Its the 7th round, he looks to be PS bound. And that is fine, if the Rams have a WR injury, yes Jackson, I'm looking your way, or Cooper, you too, then he can be brought up. I like his size, probably more ST help. I would have went another direction, but I'm not them.
Stengths:
can go up and get it
excellent blocker
great size for the position
fantastic hands
Weaknesses:
not an athlete
separation may be tough at the NFL level
RAC is nonexistent
252. Chris Garrett - Edge - Concordia St Paul - 6'-4" 250 lbs. -
Never saw him play. So I won't BS any of you with made up crap. I see zero chance he makes the team. 36 sacks, 15 forced fumbles and 9 passes batted down. So he can fill a stat sheet.
From watching his highlight package:
Strengths:
Angular build
Fairly athletic
Explosive off the snap
can bend the edge and flatten to the QB
Hot motor
plays with excellent awareness, his stats reinforce that
Weaknesses:
Could use strength
Won't be an edge setter
level of competition
So why was I not on the same page as the Rams this year? I think multiple things.
1. Lack of knowledge about who the Rams visited with really made it hard to get a feel for what the Rams were thinking.
2. I neglected the Special Teams aspect quite a bit. And I'll be honest, when I watch games, I don't focus on ST units unless they are returners
3. I had no idea what Raheem Morris was looking for. A few of these guys (The Earnest Brown 34s in particular) are suited for a 43. We might see some 43 cover 2 this year
4. When I looked at what I thought the Rams needed, I saw a need for more pass rush, they went run stop heavy.
5. Medicals really messed with me. And it was hard to find anything on these guys. Cox slipped due to whatever injuries, same with Terrance Marshall, Moses I knew was slipping to day 3 but went undrafted. I'm assuming Hamilcar Rashed slid out of the draft for the same reason. No idea.
My overall thoughts on the Rams draft:
Atwell is a major risk, purely on size alone. 149 lbs. Thats small. I havent been 149 since 8th grade. LOL There are more ways than 4.28 speed to create explosives. Terrance Marshall is a vertical threat and can win over the top. Great size/speed combo. That pick I would have gotten. Smith-Marsette at the end of the 4th makes a ton of sense. Darden in the 4th even. So the Rams basically value the, what? 8th to 20th ranked WR over the 1st or 2nd ranked OC in Humphrey? I don't get it. On top of that, they went and added 2 more WRs. Or is it a TE and a WR or a TE and a FB/WR. I have no idea. But I thought this was McVay forcing this explosives idea on the draft. Instead of letting it come to them.
As far as the OL. This was an exceptionally deep OL class, and they didn't take advantage of it. I don't get it. Half the OL are FAs, some restricted. Havs could very well be a cap cut next year and Whit is older than Yoda. This was a great year to reload. And to there point that they wouldn't have gotten playing time? As opposed to all the playing time Harris and Skowronek and Brown IV and Garrett will get? Or Hopkins and Jefferson got last year? They redshirt everyone. Anchrum was a redshirt. I'm not buying it.
They did add ST talent. And it was needed. Badly. But was it at the cost of the core 22 depth? Maybe, but STs better be good next year or this was a complete boondoggle
They boosted their run defense with their front 7 picks. They could be tough to run on next year.
They did zero to boost their pass rush. I hope Lewis stays healthy.
They added some explosives in Atwell, I pray he doesn't get broken in half.
I like Rochell if he can get coached up. He gets a redshirt. Love Brown 3. Just didn't expect it.
What would I have done with hindsight being what it is:
57. Creed Humphrey - the consensus #1 or #2 OC, and no injury concerns like Dickerson and scheme versatile? How is he not the pick. Leave Corbett at OG and move forward. If you are hellbent on a WR in the 3nd Terrance Marshall, is a size speed kid the Rams have never had and my top WR available.
103. Jabril Cox - he is twice the athlete Jones is, can cover anybody in the middle and fits the NFLs new style of LB. Both struggle taking on blocks, but Both are 230 lbs, both are good in pursuit. Cox is just so much more dynamic against the pass.
117. Bobby Brown - Im good with this pick
130. Robert Rochell - again, maybe early, but if you can coach him, I'm good with this pick
141. Imhir Smith-Marsette - He is plenty fast, does all the gadget stuff Atwell can, is a better returner and has the size to survive inside, outside, wherever.
174. Quincy Roche or Stone Forsythe - an all around balanced edge or a developmental OT trumps a 2nd DL IMO. Roche at least adds some pass rush juice.
233. Jake Funk or Kylin Hill - Hill is the better RB, Funk probably better ST. Take your pick.
249. Malik Herring - he replaces Brown IV as an inside outside DL. More pass rush juice, and can play the run
252. Dylan Moses - med redshirt him and maybe a year from now you have a steal. If not, you are not out anything.
And if the Rams took a RB with 2 left ACL tears, then a guys like Cox, Moses and even Hamilcar Rashed Jr should have been on the table. Overall I think this draft hinges on if Atwell becomes something more than a gadget. I think they reached on some, but again, I said earlier last week that draft boards would be all over the place and it seems they were.
Anyhow, thanks for a great draft season everyone. Hope you all enjoyed the posts this year.
Don't waste your time looking back, you're not going that way. - Ragnar Lothbrok
