A Rock And A Hard Place

[blackbart]

I have never bought into the label BPA because no one knows who that is going to be at any given point.

The team is not full of holes but there is still plenty of room for improvement in several areas. Give me the guy highest on the board without reaching for someone to fill a need. We still have a long way to go and no idea what FA will bring.

 

[RamFan503]

Some would say that I believe in "reaching" for talent because my philosophy has always been that you build your board with guys that you believe in and then you try to draft as many as possible. Their value in the eyes of the media and other teams be damned. You just get as many as you can and you take them where you can. Sometimes, if they're severely undervalued, you might be able to trade down and I'm not against that.

This is what I think the successful teams do. It was also my argument of why we picked McDonald and a few others where we did. I wonder how many players graded in the first round are not even on some team's boards or if they are, they'd really have to "fall" before being considered.

Granted it doesn't always work out. But you have to go after your players regardless of what the pundits say or how other teams value the players. The exception being when you believe a team values your player and might grab him before you do. Of course I think that still falls in with what you are saying above.

 

[RamFan503]

I have never bought into the label BPA because no one knows who that is going to be at any given point.

The team is not full of holes but there is still plenty of room for improvement in several areas. Give me the guy highest on the board without reaching for someone to fill a need. We still have a long way to go and no idea what FA will bring.

I think BPA only applies to who Les and Fish think are BPAs.

 

[bwdenverram]

I have a different view than most of you guys about BPA but it's too early for me to say one way or the other. I need to see what happens in FA first. I also need to see what the strengths and weaknesses in the draft are. Then I'll construct a strategy to fit the facts on the ground. I already know what we need.

If it's anything along the lines of if BPA is a RB then that's probably not the best idea I'm with you.

Most times I do believe in BPA but when you have specific holes I think you need to be somewhat smart about it.

I hope this draft shores up the OL more than anything. Mariota isn't going to be available so I would hate to reach for any other QB.

 

[bwdenverram]

I think BPA only applies to who Les and Fish think are BPAs.

Good point

 

[RamFan503]

Good point

Even a blind mouse finds a nut every now and then. Or something like that.

 

[Alan]

bwdenverram with his views:
If it's anything along the lines of if BPA is a RB then that's probably not the best idea I'm with you.

Most times I do believe in BPA but when you have specific holes I think you need to be somewhat smart about it.

I hope this draft shores up the OL more than anything. Mariota isn't going to be available so I would hate to reach for any other QB.

Without going into the long winded description that I usually make I'll just say that it resembles jrry's quite a bit.

I agree with pretty much everything you said in your post so you should probably be worried.

 

[Ramathon]

I have never bought into the label BPA because no one knows who that is going to be at any given point.

The team is not full of holes but there is still plenty of room for improvement in several areas. Give me the guy highest on the board without reaching for someone to fill a need. We still have a long way to go and no idea what FA will bring.

You may not know who the best player is going to be at the NFL level. Every draft pick is a 'suspect' until they prove it at the NFL level. But good talent evaluators can, with some degree of accuracy, determine who was the best player at the college level and of that group try to get a bead on who they believe has the qualities that increase the probability of success at the NFL level. That's the group from whom they should be selecting. It's not pure science by any means, and definitely takes a little luck.

But to just ignore the 'BPA' concept because your crystal ball can't definitively project who will eventually be the 'best player' is a mistake, IMO. I don't think there's a bigger mistake a team can make than taking a player that fits a 'need' when there's a player that even that team have rated higher but is at a position of lesser need.

For example, I don't think it would be hard to argue the Rams' area of least need is DL. But if their pick rolls around in the draft and there's another Aaron Donald quality level player on the DL, and the best OL rated on their board would be rated similarly to where Joe Barksdale was taken, they absolutely have take the DL....IMO, of course. Granted that is exaggerating a point a bit to make one. And it's not intended to rag on JB at all. But you simply can't have too many 'great' players at any position.

Now, if a pick rolls around and the Rams have an OL and DL available to them and Snisher's grade puts them at relatively equal levels, then yes, need should trump the higher rating. But that's the only time 'need' should win out.

 

[Irish]

If it's anything along the lines of if BPA is a RB then that's probably not the best idea I'm with you.

Most times I do believe in BPA but when you have specific holes I think you need to be somewhat smart about it.

I hope this draft shores up the OL more than anything. Mariota isn't going to be available so I would hate to reach for any other QB.

But see, if that BPA RB is the next Demarco Murray or Leveon Bell or Jamaal Charles, you would be foolish to not take that guy and take a Michael Brockers type instead. No doubt Brockers is very good at what he does and works great in the scheme, but he will never have the impact that these players do on their teams. Tre Mason is a fine player, but you can never have enough game breaking talent on your team.

Premier running backs, quarterbacks, and wide receivers do more with less. Guys like AP, Aaron Rodgers, and AJ Green make guys the Andy Daltons of the world look like standout players.

 

[Alan]

Irish wanting flash:
No doubt Brockers is very good at what he does and works great in the scheme, but he will never have the impact that these players do on their teams.

I don't agree with that statement. You may not see any flash when he's on the field but watch how our defense looks if he gets injured. If the blocking is good, missing Murray for a game will probably not even be noticed all that much.

Altered role has Brockers playing nose tackle/PD

 

[Alan]

RamFan503 touting his enhanced alternate senses:
Even a blind mouse finds a nut every now and then.

 

[psxpaul]

I'm in the minority that voted for QB, so I guess I'll try to state my case.

Quarterback is the most difficult position to fill. They're the highest paid players, and touch the ball on every offensive play. Good ones almost never hit free agency, and when they do there's always a bidding war. Teams rarely trade away good QBs, and when they do they get huge draft picks in return (see the Cutler trade). They also rarely play very well as rookies.

If the Rams don't get a good QB in the offseason, the playoffs will again be out of the question. Many on this board claim that the Rams would be 10-4 or better if Bradford were healthy. But Bradford has only been healthy for 2 of the last 6 years. And with Seattle, SF, and Arizona all having great run defenses, poor QB play hurts even more.

Right now there doesn't appear to be a QB worth the 12th pick in the draft, but last year Manziel and Bridgewater looked like top 5 picks. They went 22nd and 32nd respectively. Aaron Rodgers fell quite a bit on draft day, while Rivers and Roethlisberger went before predicted. To say that QB would be a reach at #12 in December is a bit premature.

And the same argument above can be made about OL. How can you predict in December that a Guard or Center would not be a reach for the Rams? Barrett Jones was a projected top 25 pick, in December 2012.

My current strategy would be to move either up or down to get a QB in the first 2 rounds. If Winston or Mariotta fell a bit, move up to grab him. Otherwise, move back for one of the 2nd tier guys, and pick up an extra 1st rounder for 2016. But at this point, have all of the guys even declared yet?

 

[Alan]

psxpaul nailing it:
I'm in the minority that voted for QB, so I guess I'll try to state my case. + his case.

Excellent decision psx. The minority opinions are often some of the best reads.

 

[bwdenverram]

Without going into the long winded description that I usually make I'll just say that it resembles jrry's quite a bit.

I agree with pretty much everything you said in your post so you should probably be worried.

Hey, every once in a while I'm not completely out of my mind

 

[bwdenverram]

Even a blind mouse finds a nut every now and then. Or something like that.

I think that's a squirrel my friend

 

[yrba1]

With the way the draft order is setting up (#1- TB, #2- TEN), the top two (Winston, Mariota) will likely be gone. I don't think any of the QBs beyond that are franchise material so it's going to be a real tough/interesting offseason for the Rams. However, seeing the Cards game made me realize that we're gonna need to be young and healthy on the interior line. Wells needs to go, and Joseph needs to stay on the bench at best.

 

[RamFan503]

I think that's a squirrel my friend

Now why in the HELL would a blind mouse find a squirrel? That's just stupid. :snicker:

 

[Ramhusker]

This is a very very weak QB class and I hate it but the Rams will draft one at some point. The OL has to be the priority but agree you can't reach for need. So BPA wins out again. We need a QB to develop at least and hope there is a Tom Brady type available in the 5th round.

 

[jrry32]

With the way the draft order is setting up (#1- TB, #2- TEN), the top two (Winston, Mariota) will likely be gone. I don't think any of the QBs beyond that are franchise material so it's going to be a real tough/interesting offseason for the Rams. However, seeing the Cards game made me realize that we're gonna need to be young and healthy on the interior line. Wells needs to go, and Joseph needs to stay on the bench at best.

I doubt that. Rumors are that the Titans are making a push for Cutler. Like I've said before, Whisenhunt is a veteran QB guy. I don't expect Tennessee to draft a QB. I think Tampa Bay will. I don't see Oakland, Jacksonville, or Washington going QB. Just my opinion. So I think the next threat after TB are the Jets.

 

[Alan]

From @jrry32 :
"Rumors are that the Titans are making a push for Cutler."
As I predicted in the other thread.