Memento Mock Draft 3.0.

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Memento

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So, another day, another mock draft. Thoughts and the like would be deeply appreciated:

#16 - Jarvis Jones / OLB / Georgia.

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You may be shocked at this choice. You're probably wondering why in the world I decided to pick Jarvis Jones instead of Johnson, Warmack, or Cooper. My answer? Johnson and Warmack will likely not be there, and I am not a fan of Cooper. Aside from that, if Jones falls to us at 16, it would be amazing value; he was considered a top three pick before his medical issues knocked him down. Remember: he has the same medical issues that Chris Samuels and Rob Gronkowski have. Samuels played over ten years in the league as an All-Pro caliber offensive tackle without any real issues, and Gronkowski is one of the best tight ends to play in recent memory. You take talent where-ever you can find it.

Jones is a physical specimen at 6'2", 240 lbs. He can do everything you ask him to do on the football field, and he has a non-stop motor that allows him to continue making plays as a game wears on. He struggles a bit when people run at him, but overall, he isn't bad. It's just not as well-polished as his other attributes. As a pass-rusher, he's utterly dominant; I have never seen him have a bad game as a pass-rusher. He has gone up against extremely talented linemen and has made them look like fools. He has a wide variety of pass-rushing moves that he can and will use to gain an advantage. I would say his pass-rushing is more advanced than Von Miller's was when he came out, and that will help him out in the pros.

#22 - Justin Hunter / WR / Tennessee.

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Yes, I realize that this is the exact same pick as jrry's mock. Can you blame me? Hunter is one of the most talented wide receivers in this entire draft. He was a dominant receiver when recovering from an ACL injury in 2011, and now that he's fully healthy, look for him to wreak havoc on a football field.

Hunter is another physical specimen: 6'4", 195 lbs with the frame to bulk up more without losing speed. Speaking of speed, he has that in spades; he's just as fast in pads as he was at the Combine. He is a true deep threat at Tennessee, but he has the ability to run all of the routes. His hands are solid, his leaping ability is unmatched, and he is a very positive influence in the locker room - which was needed at Tennessee after multiple players got kicked off the team. He reminds me of a much lesser Randy Moss, but without the attitude and apathy issues.

#46 - Larry Warford / RG / Kentucky.

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A guard before an offensive tackle may sound a bit odd, but I didn't see any decent offensive tackles that would be there when we pick at this juncture. Besides, we need a right guard just as much as an offensive tackle, seeing as Harvey Dahl has likely played his last season in St. Louis.

Warford is simply one of the most dominant guards I have ever watched on tape. I love this kid as a player, and after
you see him in action, you will as well. He is an absolute monster in the run game with an amazing amount of mobility for a man of his size (6'2", 333 lbs). He can pull, get to the second level, and bulldoze anyone in his way. Not even defensive tackles like John Jenkins (Georgia), Daniel McCullers (Tennessee), Sharrif Floyd (Florida), and Sheldon Richardson (Missouri) could make any sort of impact against him. His pass-protection impressed me even more. Richardson had no impact on Kentucky in any facet of the game when he was matched up against Warford. To compare, he had a sack against Alabama when matched up against Warmack. For such a big guard to be that nimble and be able to stop any sort of penetration is almost unheard of. If we take Warford, we will not regret it.

#78 - Bacarri Rambo / FS / Georgia.

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Another similar pick to jrry's mock, but again, it's a pick that I think is necessary. We need that ball-hawking free safety more than anything else on our defense. Even if he gets burned a few times while gambling, we need to produce turnovers, and this guy can do just that.

Rambo...it's the name of a man who was born to be a Ram. On a serious note, Rambo was quite impressive at the Senior Bowl, and the Rams were interested in him. He makes a few mistakes when gambling, and his run defense needs a lot of work, but nobody can deny that he can produce turnovers better than almost anyone else in this class. More importantly, the times he gets beat is not because of any lack of athleticism on his part or because he's poor in coverage; it's because he will gamble in the hopes of getting a turnover and lose. It's something that Darren Sharper, Earl Thomas, and even Ed Reed have struggled with in their careers, but it can be coached, and the player can learn when and when not to gamble with experience.

#110 - Marcus Lattimore / RB / South Carolina.

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Well, it's official: Steven Jackson has played his last game as a Ram. Even Richardson and Pead isn't going to be enough to replace him entirely. We'll need another power back (as I don't entirely trust Ganaway), so why not take the back who has the most similar rushing style?

Lattimore is an utter steal at this point. He was projected to be a mid-first round pick, even with his prior injury. One injury later, and people start losing their minds. Lattimore is a back who can do just about everything on a football field. Run with power? He can do that. Run away from defenders? He can do that too. Catch and block? Why wouldn't he? He reminds me so much of Steven Jackson, except he's more mature than Jackson was at that age.

#142 - Chris Faulk / OT / LSU.

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So now you take an offensive tackle, Memento? What the hell is wrong with you? Well, you're right. In all honesty, I would take Lane Johnson over Jarvis Jones at this point. I just don't think he'll be there. But it's not like this guy is a terrible consolation prize.

Faulk is another big mauler in the run game who has surprisingly quick feet for a man his size (6'6", 330 lbs). He has the ability to play left tackle in a pinch, but his best position will be right tackle. He's quick enough to handle pass-rushers coming from the right side, but left tackle may be too much to trust him with. But I get the feeling that when he recovers from his injury, he'll be a very solid option for us. He'll certainly be better than Richardson or Hunter, that's for sure.

#174 - Cooper Taylor / SS / Richmond.

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We double-dip at safety, but this time, I'm going with a sleeper pick. A deep sleeper pick.

Taylor is not your typical strong safety. He's more like a Kam Chancellor-type: a huge safety who can lay the wood and come up with huge stops in the running game. Hell, Taylor's size is more like that of a linebacker's than a safety's at 6'5", 235 lbs (and yes, folks, that's even bigger than Chancellor is). So why am I putting him at strong safety? Because he's shown that he can handle even the faster tight ends that come up. He is very fluid and natural in coverage; it's rare to see him get beat. He was easily Richmond's best player on defense, and he constantly made splash plays in every aspect of the game (four interceptions, three forced fumbles, five tackles for a loss, and nine pass deflections to go along with seventy-seven tackles). He's raw and unpolished, a developmental player for certain. But if you put him behind Stewart and Daniels and let him learn more about the NFL, I am of the opinion that he'll pan out to be a great player.

#206 - T.J. Moe / WR / Missouri.

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Homer pick! ...Or maybe not.

Moe is a slot receiver and a returner at the next level. Fortunately, he's shown an afinity for all of those things, and he reminds me a bit of Amendola, especially on punts. He won't get touchdowns very often, but he will always get you solid yards and good field position. He's a smart player (used to be a quarterback in high school) with hands of pure glue; I don't think I've ever seen him drop a pass or get alligator arms. He also has very deceptive speed; his forty time may have been poor, but he is much, much faster in pads. He doesn't have to replace Amendola. Quite frankly, I'd rather see Amendola resigned before drafting Moe. But we do need a slot receiver who can provide the same things, and we need someone who can take punts and kicks aside from Amendola and Givens.
 

DR RAM

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Extremely solid draft. You already know how I feel about most of these guys, so I will comment on the one's you don't.

Jarvis Jones, although not on a lot of Ram's fans radars, could be a serious option here. His stock appears to have fallen from a sure top 5 pick. His pro day, if he participates, will be huge. Every team will be there, because there are a lot of highly touted draftable players. Jones and Damontre Moore have a lot to gain and lose. I look at Jones like a Von Miller type player, but he's a little bigger, and probably a little slower, but he's a player that could play in any system, because he's just a good football player. He would be a Sam backer and situational pass rusher on our team. Congrats on beating me to this memento, he was in strong consideration for my top pick in my next mock.

Justin Hunter, as you know I like him a lot, but I just don't know if I like him at #22. A trade down to get him would be great. Hunter, could be the best receiver in this class, it's just hard to tell, a lot of guys are close, but I loved the explosion that he showed at the combine. I might substitute this pick for Tavon Austin, if we let Amendola go. In any case, I don't think this is a reach, because I think he's better than most receivers out there, I'd just be concerned with overall value.

Larry Warford is a no brainer here. He could start and be effective from day one. Rambo, my namesake, is a solid pick and great value in round 3, and I think a couple other very talented safeties might be hanging around here too.

Markus Lattimore without the gruesome injury would probably be the highest rated running back in this class, because he has all the tools of a great running back: speed, vision, production, toughness, and size.

You already know how I feel about Faulk, without the injury he would be in consideration for a 1st round tackle, IMO.

Cooper Taylor is a very intriguing prospect. He played well and opened a lot of scouts eyes at the East West Shrine game with his ability to diagnose and make plays. It was said that he was helping several other players get into position during the game and practices. He does have some medical red flags, including a prior heart condition that required surgery in his past. He will make a roster, but it will be interesting to see if he ends up a linebacker. His dads name is Jim Bob Taylor who had a very quick cup of coffee in the NFL as a QB. Gotta love Jim Bob!

T.J. Moe ran the worst time of any receiver at the combine, but ran the second best 3 cone time at 6.53, just 1/100 of a second slower than the top 3 cone ran. This is an indication that Moe would be a perfect fit for the slot. Moe also shows good hands and balance. I haven't seen the kid play a lot, so I will defer to you Mizzoons.

Great mock, memento. You took a few risks, probably too many for most GM's, but if this panned out, there is incredible value and upside in your draft.
 

-X-

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Mem throwing a wrench into the works with Jarvis Jones......

Hmmm.

Definitely a need pick, but it's also coupled with huge value. That certainly wouldn't upset me if they went in that direction, because that dude is totally disruptive and his pass rushing skills are premium. I wanted to watch some more clips of him before I commented, and I can say that he times the snap perfectly. D'Marco Farr-ish, if you will. Elite straight line speed, and very nice change of direction skills. Medical concerns are what they are, so I'll just leave that up to the medical staff and not worry/comment about that. I like how he stays with the play until he hears the whistle. He's got a Leonard Little quality about him with how he crashes down and pursues.

Hunter is nice, but if Austin is still there (doubtful), I'd go in that direction.

I don't know a lot about Warford, so I won't comment.
I can definitely get on board with Rambo. If only because of the name. :yeh:

Lattimore had a pretty bad injury, but then again so did m'boy (Da U!) McGahee. He's got all the intangibles, that's for sure.

Faulk's injury let him slip, so that would be good value there. Medical staff's evaluation pending.

Don't know much about Taylor, so...... yeah.

T.J. Moe, eh? Intriguing guy. Not a burner, but he's got quicks and nice change-of-direction. Good value there.

I'll let others comment more in-depth, but I have no issues with what you've done there.
 

iced

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Don't like the Jones pick for a few reasons:

(1) I think someone will take him before us
(2) A non MLB going in top 16? pass
(3) There's better talent on the board, imo, there. Especially if warmack is there
 

-X-

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iced said:
Don't like the Jones pick for a few reasons:

(1) I think someone will take him before us
(2) A non MLB going in top 16? pass
(3) There's better talent on the board, imo, there. Especially if warmack is there
We have 5 guards right now. I don't know that Fisher is gonna want another. Not saying Warmack isn't a great prospect, but I am saying that we have a surplus that Boudreau can work with, and that might be the determining factor as to why they would pass on such a pick. Not say that's right or wrong. Just sayin'.
 

Memento

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  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6
iced said:
Don't like the Jones pick for a few reasons:

(1) I think someone will take him before us
(2) A non MLB going in top 16? pass
(3) There's better talent on the board, imo, there. Especially if warmack is there

1. A definite possibility, but you have to remember that Gronkowski - a first round talent - slipped to the second round because of the same issues that Jones has. It's very much a possibility that he slips to us, given his medical concerns. Depending on how he does at his Pro Day, he may be there when we pick at twenty-two. His draft stock is completely unknown at this point.

2. What about Von Miller going second overall to a 4-3 team? I don't think that Jarvis Jones - who is a much more polished and well-rounded player than Miller - is that bad of a pick at sixteen, especially in this horribly-weak draft class.

3. You're definitely right in that there could be better talent on the board at that stage. Lane Johnson would be my choice over Jones, and I want him badly in this draft. Like I said, though, I don't think he or Warmack will be there, and I don't think that you can get better talent or value than Jarvis Jones at that point if they aren't. Who else would you take? Cooper? Vaccaro? Austin? Ogletree? Allen? Fluker? Watson? It's either way too high for them or Jones is simply the better prospect.
 

Angry Ram

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Jarvis Jones is an awesome player. IDK how bad his spine is (that just sounds ugly) but man, if he's fully healthy...look out.
 

bluecoconuts

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I thought that Jones projected more as a 3-4 OLB, but I'm probably thinking of someone else.
 

-X-

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bluecoconuts said:
I thought that Jones projected more as a 3-4 OLB, but I'm probably thinking of someone else.
He's ideally suited for both, really. Definitely not a Bobby Carpenter kinda guy either.
 

bwdenverram

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I actually think it's a pretty solid draft bro. Like X and a couple others, I think I go Austin if available. But that said, I really love Hunter as well. So wouldn't be upset either way. A lot of risk/reward in here but if it pays off...man it would pay off big time.

Good job man.
 

CGI_Ram

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Nice work Memento.

Some good players there, I think.

I'm intrigued by Hunter, I admit.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk 2
 

brokeu91

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bluecoconuts said:
I thought that Jones projected more as a 3-4 OLB, but I'm probably thinking of someone else.
I heard that too, but then Mike Mayock went on record saying that he doesn't think he fits a 3-4 as well as a 4-3.

I think that would be an awesome draft. I honestly don't believe Warford, Rambo, or Faulk will be there at the picks we will be at, but if we have that draft, I will be very, very happy.