LA Rams training camp: Stock up, stock down

Merlin · Aug 9, 2021

BonifayRam said:
Stock Up

BonifayRam said:
TE Kendall Blanton
Though Blanton has gotten some positive reports out of camp, I am mostly adding him here because we’ve heard so little about 2020 fourth round pick Brycen Hopkins. Blanton seems to have a chance to rise from being TE4 or TE5 to possibly being TE3 or better.

Today's reporting is truly a sad state of affairs.

So Ram · Aug 9, 2021

BonifayRam said:
LA Rams training camp: Stock up, stock down
By Kenneth Arthur @KennethArthuRS Aug 9, 2021, 1:53pm CDT

LA Rams training camp: Stock up, stock down

The LA Rams play their first preseason game on Saturday against the LA Chargers. We know from Sean McVay that we won’t see Matthew Stafford or Darrell Henderson at any point in a preseason game,...

www.turfshowtimes.com

View attachment 47101
The LA Rams play their first preseason game on Saturday against the LA Chargers. We know from Sean McVay that we won’t see Matthew Stafford or Darrell Henderson at any point in a preseason game, but these are fantastic opportunities for others to prove themselves as worthy of a starting role or a spot on the 53-man roster.

It can be difficult to assess where players and coaches are at after less than a dozen training camp practices and yet, it’s human nature to want to “know” what’s going on and what developments have happened already. Especially with a Rams team that is great at holding information close to the vest.

Here are 11 players on LA’s 90-man roster who’ve maybe had the needle shift a little bit during the last two weeks: 7 stock up, 4 stock down.

Stock Up
WR DeSean Jackson
The Rams are super pleased with what they’ve seen in camp from the 34-year-old wideout, and Jackson is expected to be a considerable deep threat for Matthew Stafford this season.
TE Kendall Blanton
Though Blanton has gotten some positive reports out of camp, I am mostly adding him here because we’ve heard so little about 2020 fourth round pick Brycen Hopkins. Blanton seems to have a chance to rise from being TE4 or TE5 to possibly being TE3 or better.
CB Donte Deayon
If the 2020 Hard Knocks star doesn’t make the Rams roster out of camp, he could probably sneak through to the practice squad again and would have a real opportunity to be activated during the regular season. Based on what little we’ve seen in practices so far, Deayon might be able to leapfrog David Long, Jr. on the depth chart and finally hold onto a spot on the 53.
DB Kareem Orr
LA’s roster is too talented to allow for many “deep cuts” to make headlines. If you want to see young players, day three picks, and UDFAs star in training camp, might I suggest the Detroit Lions or New York Jets? They have a TON of exciting rookies and lesser known names. Orr is one of the few Rams who seems to have made a name for himself in training camp and he might be able to snag a place on the 53 if he continues it in the preseason.
LB Justin Hollins
I think we’ve all been hoping for a linebacker to step up and prove himself as “necessary” to the defense for at least 90% of the snaps in 2021. Other than the obvious suspect, Leonard Floyd, I’m not sure we’ve seen that yet. But Hollins, a player who wasn’t on the roster last training camp, could be the best bet to start alongside Floyd.
DT Greg Gaines
I’m not sure if many other Rams writers are saying this or not, but I simply believe in Gaines and think he’s having a good camp. LA has A’Shawn Robinson and Sebastian Joseph-Day ahead of him, plus two drafted rookies competing against, but I think he’s proven he can be a regular in the rotation.
OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Another linebacker who might be able to take that step forward, Okoronkwo has been mentioned for his progress in camp this year, the final one of his rookie contract.

Stock Down
QB John Wolford
An unfortunately-timed appendectomy (when are they ever appropriately timed?) will cost Wolford a little bit of practice time and preseason action, and that’s not great for a guy who didn’t get any preseason action in 2020. It is good news for Brycen Hopkins and Devlin Hodges, who are getting more chances now to prove themselves in camp.
TE Brycen Hopkins
This was supposed to be the year he replaced Gerald Everett, but we’ve heard hardly anything about Hopkins through two weeks.

CB David Long
Long seemed to be the target of nearly every completion against the LA defense when facing off against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday. Though he did have a couple of nice pass breakups, Long needs to prove capable of handling 6+ targets per game, knowing he’ll be playing alongside Jalen Ramsey and Darious Williams in coverage. Or will he?

LB Terrell Lewis
What’s been the deal with Lewis? It could just be that the knee concerns will never go away and the Rams will “load manage” his snaps all season. I guess that could be considered normal for some players but Lewis might just be falling out of favor in a sea of talented linebackers who are eager for an opportunity. You don’t want to lose availability in this league.

Stupid article.

Bryce Hopkins at QB ? Or is that because Wolford doesn’t trust him?
Btw - Wolford didn’t play in the preseason in 2020.He has before which was one of the reasons Mcvay brought him back & he was The Rams starting QB in the Playoffs.

Obo up & Lewis down. Excuse me,but wasn’t Lewis starting with the 1’s ?
Have not thought all that much of OBO. Lewis is signed in 2022 & 2023.OBO is a Free Agent.Lewis has played in almost as many games already in 1 season than Obo’s 3 ? We’ll probably after 2021 he might ?

David Long ? Again excuse me? Mcvay was playing DC with his buddy Raheem Morris.I think he liked the quality Reps DL got at CB.Better to get beat by an up & coming WR than later by a J a p .

DJ1 is as Kupp say, one of the deep ball route WR’s that’s played the game.Being a Honetown Ram brings out his youth & he might feel like a veteran rookie.

Brian Allen’s stock up-
Shelton Coleman’s stock down.
Just shows how a couple weeks can change things.

Look at Stafford thumb & then Wolford going down all this last week. Just think what Fans would be saying about the Football Gods.Missing Cam Akers is bad enough. So his stock is really down still this preseason.

oldnotdead · Aug 9, 2021

Yawn, more noise from someone who doesn't bother to research this team. Waste of time IMO. Hopkins is going to replace Mundt. Reports are he's the new blocking TE. He's faster than Mundt and a better receiver than Mundt. Blanton has worked hard but he's still slow for his position. He's strictly a short range, contested ball type of receiver. They have faster options for that in Benny Sko and Harris.

T. Lewis is probably going to make the roster, but as a backup and situational rotational player who will be on a play count per game. The spot, under those circumstances, is behind Floyd as his rotational sub. Early down DE looks to be Jonah Williams with Hollins playing OLB. For pass rush it will be Hollins at DE.

How can Wolford's stock be down? What a hack. Wolford is recovering from surgery and will be fine by the start of the season and he will be #2QB.

Orr is a very limited DB that's why he's been cut from all the other teams. He's strictly a zone DB in a zone scheme that doesn't require him to man cover in that zone (as Staley plays his). The guy runs a 4.87 which is painfully slow in the NFL. He's camp fodder IMO.

This is why Jourdan is so refreshing. She knows what she's reporting on and what she is seeing. She's as good of a team reporter as I've encountered. These other guys aren't good enough to carry her clip board.

shovelpass · Aug 9, 2021

oldnotdead said:
Early down DE looks to be Jonah Williams with Hollins playing OLB.

Where are you getting this information? I have yet to see anyone mention Jonah Williams getting 1st team reps.

You'd think a udfa going from the practice squad to starting the next year would be written/talked about often.

LA_Rams_#29 · Aug 9, 2021

oldnotdead said:
Yawn, more noise from someone who doesn't bother to research this team. Waste of time IMO. Hopkins is going to replace Mundt. Reports are he's the new blocking TE. He's faster than Mundt and a better receiver than Mundt. Blanton has worked hard but he's still slow for his position. He's strictly a short range, contested ball type of receiver. They have faster options for that in Benny Sko and Harris.

T. Lewis is probably going to make the roster, but as a backup and situational rotational player who will be on a play count per game. The spot, under those circumstances, is behind Floyd as his rotational sub. Early down DE looks to be Jonah Williams with Hollins playing OLB. For pass rush it will be Hollins at DE.

How can Wolford's stock be down? What a hack. Wolford is recovering from surgery and will be fine by the start of the season and he will be #2QB.

Orr is a very limited DB that's why he's been cut from all the other teams. He's strictly a zone DB in a zone scheme that doesn't require him to man cover in that zone (as Staley plays his). The guy runs a 4.87 which is painfully slow in the NFL. He's camp fodder IMO.

This is why Jourdan is so refreshing. She knows what she's reporting on and what she is seeing. She's as good of a team reporter as I've encountered. These other guys aren't good enough to carry her clip board.

I haven't seen those reports on Hopkins. Not saying they aren't there, but I was honestly starting to worry about him because all the reports that I've seen lean towards him not improving...

so far I'm seeing more positive reports about Blanton challenging up the depth chart. He's not a speedster, but he was pretty versatile at Missouri..even lining up as an H-Back at times.....if he can continue to improve ...with his size, he's be the perfect blocking TE for us.

Elmgrovegnome · Aug 9, 2021

oldnotdead said:
Yawn, more noise from someone who doesn't bother to research this team. Waste of time IMO. Hopkins is going to replace Mundt. Reports are he's the new blocking TE. He's faster than Mundt and a better receiver than Mundt. Blanton has worked hard but he's still slow for his position. He's strictly a short range, contested ball type of receiver. They have faster options for that in Benny Sko and Harris.

T. Lewis is probably going to make the roster, but as a backup and situational rotational player who will be on a play count per game. The spot, under those circumstances, is behind Floyd as his rotational sub. Early down DE looks to be Jonah Williams with Hollins playing OLB. For pass rush it will be Hollins at DE.

How can Wolford's stock be down? What a hack. Wolford is recovering from surgery and will be fine by the start of the season and he will be #2QB.

Orr is a very limited DB that's why he's been cut from all the other teams. He's strictly a zone DB in a zone scheme that doesn't require him to man cover in that zone (as Staley plays his). The guy runs a 4.87 which is painfully slow in the NFL. He's camp fodder IMO.

This is why Jourdan is so refreshing. She knows what she's reporting on and what she is seeing. She's as good of a team reporter as I've encountered. These other guys aren't good enough to carry her clip board.

I think you are off on your take on Orr. Snead and the geek squad crunch numbers like no other team. If they picked up Orr from Tennessee then I’m sure that he was somewhere on their list of draftable players and they believe he could play in the NFL. Maybe he just needs coached up. Reports from camp seem to be very good on Orr. It seems that he can not only dunk a basketball but jump right through the hoop.

bubbaramfan · Aug 9, 2021

WTF? T Lewis has been a full go in every day of TC, gets a day off and everyone is on his ass. I've been to every practice and Lewis has done everything he''s been asked and practiced his ass off. Give the guy a break, at least wait until he hits the IR.

Memento · Aug 10, 2021

BonifayRam said:
LA Rams training camp: Stock up, stock down
By Kenneth Arthur @KennethArthuRS Aug 9, 2021, 1:53pm CDT

LA Rams training camp: Stock up, stock down

The LA Rams play their first preseason game on Saturday against the LA Chargers. We know from Sean McVay that we won’t see Matthew Stafford or Darrell Henderson at any point in a preseason game,...

www.turfshowtimes.com

View attachment 47101
The LA Rams play their first preseason game on Saturday against the LA Chargers. We know from Sean McVay that we won’t see Matthew Stafford or Darrell Henderson at any point in a preseason game, but these are fantastic opportunities for others to prove themselves as worthy of a starting role or a spot on the 53-man roster.

It can be difficult to assess where players and coaches are at after less than a dozen training camp practices and yet, it’s human nature to want to “know” what’s going on and what developments have happened already. Especially with a Rams team that is great at holding information close to the vest.

Here are 11 players on LA’s 90-man roster who’ve maybe had the needle shift a little bit during the last two weeks: 7 stock up, 4 stock down.

Stock Up
WR DeSean Jackson
The Rams are super pleased with what they’ve seen in camp from the 34-year-old wideout, and Jackson is expected to be a considerable deep threat for Matthew Stafford this season.
TE Kendall Blanton
Though Blanton has gotten some positive reports out of camp, I am mostly adding him here because we’ve heard so little about 2020 fourth round pick Brycen Hopkins. Blanton seems to have a chance to rise from being TE4 or TE5 to possibly being TE3 or better.
CB Donte Deayon
If the 2020 Hard Knocks star doesn’t make the Rams roster out of camp, he could probably sneak through to the practice squad again and would have a real opportunity to be activated during the regular season. Based on what little we’ve seen in practices so far, Deayon might be able to leapfrog David Long, Jr. on the depth chart and finally hold onto a spot on the 53.
DB Kareem Orr
LA’s roster is too talented to allow for many “deep cuts” to make headlines. If you want to see young players, day three picks, and UDFAs star in training camp, might I suggest the Detroit Lions or New York Jets? They have a TON of exciting rookies and lesser known names. Orr is one of the few Rams who seems to have made a name for himself in training camp and he might be able to snag a place on the 53 if he continues it in the preseason.
LB Justin Hollins
I think we’ve all been hoping for a linebacker to step up and prove himself as “necessary” to the defense for at least 90% of the snaps in 2021. Other than the obvious suspect, Leonard Floyd, I’m not sure we’ve seen that yet. But Hollins, a player who wasn’t on the roster last training camp, could be the best bet to start alongside Floyd.
DT Greg Gaines
I’m not sure if many other Rams writers are saying this or not, but I simply believe in Gaines and think he’s having a good camp. LA has A’Shawn Robinson and Sebastian Joseph-Day ahead of him, plus two drafted rookies competing against, but I think he’s proven he can be a regular in the rotation.
OLB Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Another linebacker who might be able to take that step forward, Okoronkwo has been mentioned for his progress in camp this year, the final one of his rookie contract.

Stock Down
QB John Wolford
An unfortunately-timed appendectomy (when are they ever appropriately timed?) will cost Wolford a little bit of practice time aBrnd preseason action, and that’s not great for a guy who didn’t get any preseason action in 2020. It is good news for Brycen Hopkins and Devlin Hodges, who are getting more chances now to prove themselves in camp.
TE Brycen Hopkins
This was supposed to be the year he replaced Gerald Everett, but we’ve heard hardly anything about Hopkins through two weeks.

CB David Long
Long seemed to be the target of nearly every completion against the LA defense when facing off against the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday. Though he did have a couple of nice pass breakups, Long needs to prove capable of handling 6+ targets per game, knowing he’ll be playing alongside Jalen Ramsey and Darious Williams in coverage. Or will he?

LB Terrell Lewis
What’s been the deal with Lewis? It could just be that the knee concerns will never go away and the Rams will “load manage” his snaps all season. I guess that could be considered normal for some players but Lewis might just be falling out of favor in a sea of talented linebackers who are eager for an opportunity. You don’t want to lose availability in this league.

Brycen Hopkins plays quarterback? No wonder he's invisible; after all, how is one supposed to usurp Matthew Stafford as a starting quarterback?

Merlin · Aug 10, 2021

One note re: TE is that if Blanton and Hopkins are JAGs they probably won't keep either over the better quality at wideout. And McVay would in that situation probably roll with 3 TEs because a ton of 11 personnel would be the plan.

Also I still see Skow as a move TE type anyway.

LA Rams training camp: Stock up, stock down