Draft an OT with our top pick

[oldramfan]

I don't understand everyone wanting a WR or LB. Here are my observations why:

We have 2nd and 3rd year WRs this year and it is universally acknowledged that it takes 3 years for a WR to come into his own in the NFL. I know there are exceptions but I am talking about the rule.

Our LT is coming off ACL surgery and might not be available to start the season. Even with Saffold starting at OLT, we have no OGs with experience.

Our starting QB is injury prone and coming off an ACL injury also. If I am the coaching staff and I know this is a make or break year for my QB, I am definitely making protection of my most important asset a very high priority. I also believe that SB will have some nervousness about his knee and I want him to be as comfortable and confident about his OL as I can.

If Clowney is being told he is the #1 pick then I understand him not wanting to do workouts for other teams otherwise I feel that he should be doing them. I don't like the mental makeup of a guy that decides he doesn't want to do things just because. He is the only guy that I would draft before an OT.

Drafting a LB that will only be on the field 30% of the time makes no sense to me. He will not be replacing Ogletree and our SLB doesn't play nearly as much so why waste the pick? I think the Rams are just trying to drum up interest in Mack so someone will trade up for him. Especially if Clowney goes #1 overall.

I am still in favor of trading down because I think we could get either Robinson, Matthews or Lewan within the first 8 picks or so. I personally would draft Robinson as I think his run blocking is superior and would make a big impact immediately. However, I would be happy with either Matthews or Lewan also.

Drafting Watkins would be nice but it wouldn't help much if SB is on his back. Mack is a very nice player but his level of competition wasn't high and I question if he has a learning curve ahead of him.

Make your argument for or against.

 

[RamFan503]

Welcome to the site Oldram.

I have been beating the O-line drum all off season. I have recently switched to Watkins but only for non-football related reasons. One way or another we need to address the lack of true talent on our O-line. I can't disagree at all there. Personally, I REALLY want either Matthews or Robinson and the more I see, the more I want Matthews. We have a real opportunity to beef up this line with real talent and many on here believe that can be done with later picks. Maybe so. I just want some elite talent on that line to make it so our QB can make his progressions without running for his life and receivers actually have time to get open. With the way we handle FA - I honestly have to believe we are going O-line fairly heavy in the draft and I suspect our first pick will actually be Matthews.

Good news? I think we are going to pick up a few very good players in this draft - period.

Again - welcome aboard.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I want Matthews, Watkins, or Mack. So I can guarantee they will get either Clowney or Robinson, since they rarely draft the guy I choose.

 

[RamFan503]

I want Matthews, Watkins, or Mack. So I can guarantee they will get either Clowney or Robinson, since they rarely draft the guy I choose.

You and I clearly need to get together and come up with a do not draft list for some reverse psychology.

 

[Alan]

oldramfan pretending he's not a Watkins fan:
I don't understand everyone wanting a WR or LB.

Welcome to the ROD Old! :lifting: :seizure: :rockon: :cheers:
I can't remember if I welcomed you already so I'm not taking a chance i didn't. It's good to have you as a member of our community. You don't look that old in your picture.

I'm getting in on that reverse psychology. I've decided that I DO NOT want Matthews or Robinson. I want Macky MacPherson or Watkins. Maybe Clowney in a pinch.

That should do it.

Most of us are all argued out concerning this subject. I think the board is about 60% in favor of Matthews or Robinson, 30% in favor of Clowney and about 10% for Watkins. Plus another 50% for Watkins generated by a single beloved poster named RFIP. I'm pretty sure that adds up to around 100%.

 

[DR RAM]

Robinson, then Matthews. Short answer, but I like many other OL'mem in this draft.

 

[jjab360]

I'm not arguing for or against any positions in this draft, but moreso for or against certain players. The most talented players in this draft, imo, are Clowney, Mack, and Robinson in that order and that's the order in which I'd draft them.

 

[MerlinJones]

I really wish that the most talented player could always be counted on to be the most productive player as well.

It would make things so much easier.

Also, welcome aboard Old.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I really wish that the most talented player could always be counted on to be the most productive player as well.

It would make things so much easier.

Also, welcome aboard Old.

There in lies the trouble with the draft.

 

[Zaphod]

First, the make or break year is on fans and media, not decision makers. And if the decision makers choose to improve the defense it's really on them that the offense isn't yet what it could be.

Anyway, this is William's defense now, not Fisher's, but even so they tried and failed last year to go with a more versatile SLB in Witherspoon. They ended up bringing Dunbar back. I do think it's obvious that they want to go a different direction, but they do need the talent to do it.

If they were to draft Mack who is actually very good in pass coverage and going after the QB, we simply wouldn't play nickel as much. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that he would be a lot stronger against the run as well. Quinn, Mack and Long would be a nightmare for offensive lines, and yes he'd be complimenting Long's side as a pass rusher.

I really think that in this defense we won't be doing very much off coverage with our corners either. Not saying that we won't draft a jamming corner at 13 though. That's a need as is a good FS.

But that doesn't mean that I'm opposed to drafting Matthews, this is just an explanation of my personal favorite pick at the second spot as it would complete our front seven, and it would be a likely upgrade to our MLB spot in the future. We need pass protection and if Matthews can improve your pass protection on the left side after week whatever you do it and move Long to left guard. You just put the best players out there like we did last year with Saffold. Robinson I'm not as much a fan of only because if we draft that early on a tackle I really want someone that is more of a sure thing to play LT well, not a great guard that is likely to play RT some day as a replacement to Barksdale.

 

[MerlinJones]

There in lies the trouble with the draft.

The draft, and life in general.

 

[Memphis Ram]

Drafting a LB that will only be on the field 30% of the time makes no sense to me. He will not be replacing Ogletree and our SLB doesn't play nearly as much so why waste the pick? I think the Rams are just trying to drum up interest in Mack so someone will trade up for him. Especially if Clowney goes #1 overall.

Should be obvious that if the Rams spend such a high pick on Mack, he's going to see the field far more than what you have listed. Think Von Miller in Denver. SLB/Situational pass rusher.

 

[jjab360]

Should be obvious that if the Rams spend such a high pick on Mack, he's going to see the field far more than what you have listed. Think Von Miller in Denver. SLB/Situational pass rusher.

Exactly.

 

[Dodgersrf]

I'm been on the online Wagon for 5 years now, but, how often does a freak like Clowney come along?

 

[Alan]

Dodgersrf asking us to take a stroll down memory lane:
I'm been on the online Wagon for 5 years now, but, how often does a freak like Clowney come along?

Every time we're drafting #2?

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...t-hype-machine-remember-that-glenn-dorsey-guy
The Great NFL Draft Hype Machine: Remember That Glenn Dorsey Guy?
Every now and then, if I’m bored at work or need to kill time, I’ll break out an old draft magazine or two and start reminiscing.

You would be amazed how much reading these old previews can help put everything into context about scouting college football players.

Reading things such as “Alex Smith has the mental makeup of Brett Favre” helps you realize you’re not the only person that makes a mistake every now and then.

We all make mistakes, especially when it’s dealing with this crazy thing we like to call the NFL Draft.

Fans, self-appointed experts, scouts, and the front offices of an NFL franchise all get it completely wrong every now and then. It just so happens that the teams are the ones that get to make those mistakes in dazzling, money-squandering fashion.

No matter how many millions of dollars they spend on scouting, or how much they crosscheck every player with a fine-toothed comb, sometimes teams are just guilty of getting caught up in the hype.

It’s understandable considering the NFL Draft is one of the biggest pure hype machines in all of sports these days.

After witnessing a good three months of overanalyzing and overindulging a lot of these prospects, their judgments may become a little clouded.

As you flip through the pages of these previews, it brings back to mind all of the prospects who were rated as elite and were referred to as “future All-Pros.”

Why did we feel so compelled to dub Vernon Gholston the next Shawne Merriman or Reggie Bush the next Marshall Faulk?

Why was every draft expert who rags on Al Davis these days calling JaMarcus Russell one of the most polarizing quarterback prospects of the decade?

It seems everyone was guilty of getting caught up in the hype. Maybe, sometimes we as a draft society get caught up in flashy style instead of solid substance. It happens every year.

We should keep this in mind as we witness the sports world coming with an all-out blitz in terms of building up Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy.

Sometimes, we seem to forget that these are simply 21- and 22-year old-kids who are developing and growing as not only football players but people as well.

The pressures we are saddling these two youngsters with is almost getting to be unreal at this point.

Let’s just take 2008 top five defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey of LSU as a recent example.

It only takes watching a highlight of Dorsey, where ESPN analyst Todd McShay gleefully gushes over the big man with lavish praise after lavish praise, to realize that we were up to the same shenanigans just two years ago.

That’s unfairly singling out McShay though, because Dorsey was universally recognized throughout the draft community as an elite prospect who had All-Pro written all over him.

And how did it all turn out?

Well to put it nicely, Dorsey has been severely underwhelming for a top five pick in his first two seasons.

So what could have gone so wrong? Could it have been that are expectations were just a little too high?

It could go to show that we have a tendency to overvalue the top 10 players in each draft.

Most have a hard time living up to the extravagant expectations bestowed upon them. They usually aren’t as elite compared to the rest of the pack as we like to make them out to be.

There will usually be a player at the same position coming off the board later in the draft who can either equal or surpass their production.

Not only that, but we also might overestimate the type of impact that a defensive tackle can have in the present day NFL.

The importance of defensive tackles is slowly being phased out in this era of 3-4 defenses, heavy passing, and specialty one- or two-down defensive lineman.

Combine the limited opportunity to make a noticeable impact with the difficulty it takes to play the position, and you have a recipe for a severe letdown.

The fact is that there is so much more coming at a defensive tackle in the NFL that isn’t coming at them in college. The blocking schemes in the NFL can be both frustrating and overwhelming to a young tackle.

No matter how great a defensive tackle may be, they can most always be contained and schemed for with an offense’s style of play and game plan.

And just actually how important is a great tackle to great defense anyways?

For example, even though Kris Jenkins went down midseason last year with an injury, the Jets were still able to finish as the best total defense in the league, and ranked eighth in rush defense. Plus, they were able to make a run to their first AFC Champinship game in years.

Jenkins is considered one of the top defensive tackles in the league, and yet his absence was felt marginally by his defense.

That isn’t to downgrade the importance of defensive tackles; it’s just to put it in perspective.

Depending on the defense, having a quality defensive tackle can be just as an important as an offense having a quality quarterback. A defensive tackle can be the centerpiece to a defense and can open things up for other players to be successful.

Still, as we’ve seen in recent drafts, finding a great defensive tackle can be a tough proposition. Having one top DT turn into a dominant force is a difficult. So for two to pan out and outperform mighty high expectations seems questionable.

The last time two defensive tackles went in the top three was 1992, and Steve Emtman was involved.

I don’t have to tell Colts fans how that one turned out.

Point being that Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh do look like great prospects, but we might have to temper our expectations when it comes to the type of impact they will make in the NFL.

A few magazine covers is one thing, but let's slow down on carving their headbusts for Canton.

We've created some large expectations for these two rookies to deal with. They have mighty big jerseys to fit into, both literally and figuratively, this coming season.

 

[iced]

Watkins or Matthews - but please dear god stay away from Robinson... I don't care about "Upside" when there's big question marks in his pass pro. Wasn't even the top tackle before the combine; guy impresses in shorts and all of a sudden he's being heralded as the Tackle in Gods image. Shakin' my head...

 

[RamFan503]

Robinson, then Matthews. Short answer, but I like many other OL'mem in this draft.

:effemine:

 

[NJRamsFan]

Welcome to the board. I do think you are taking a bit of an extremist view when you say things like "Drafting Watkins would be nice but it wouldnt be much help if SB is on his back." Its not as if we have to chose one position to address in this draft, even more so because we have 2 first round picks. Even if we draft Clowney or Watkins we can still get a top 15 player to address the o line, Lewan may very well still be on the board at 13.

I do get where youre coming from, and the O line does need to be addressed but its not as if we cant or wont do that if we dont pick a lineman at 2 overall

 

[iced]

Welcome to the board. I do think you are taking a bit of an extremist view when you say things like "Drafting Watkins would be nice but it wouldnt be much help if SB is on his back." Its not as if we have to chose one position to address in this draft, even more so because we have 2 first round picks. Even if we draft Clowney or Watkins we can still get a top 15 player to address the o line, Lewan may very well still be on the board at 13.

I do get where youre coming from, and the O line does need to be addressed but its not as if we cant or wont do that if we dont pick a lineman at 2 overall

And it's not as if Bradford has been pummeled either - one big reason why I laugh at this extremist view. It gives the perception that bradford isn't currently protected or is one of the most sacked Qb's - which is so far from the truth.

 

[shaunpinney]

I have always liked Robinson - I like the idea of Stacy running off his backside, but I also know that Fisher has history with the Mathews family, so I guess that out of the both he's the priority pick for the Rams...

I believe that Watkins could be a great WR and I love his YAC but I think with the Britt pickup, Austin, Bailey, Cook, Givens, Pettis & Quick adding Watkins would be a luxury at #2 - we went above and beyond to get Austin last year, I can't see us going WR with our first pick this year...