Angry Ram said:
DR RAM said:
Angry Ram said:
The only thing I worry if they prefer the Kalil route, is if Blackmon goes somewhere and is an instant stud, while Sam has who to throw to?
Amendola- Great slot, possesion guy.
Salas- YAC guy.
DX- Deep guy, but not reliable b/c of his injury.
Kendricks- I like his potential but you can't rely on a TE as a #1 WR.
W/ Pettis being suspended, I don't think he'll be back unless he has a stud TC. Same with the other guys (Gibson, Clayton, etc.)
I really, really hope the Rams can sign Marques Colston or find another star WR, b/c then I'd have no problem w/ Kalil.
The way things are shaping up in the draft, the Rams won't stay put unless they fall in love with Kalil. That's my read right now, even as good as I think Blackmon is. Blackmon could still be available in a tradedown scenario. Kalil will be gone by pick 3, a few teams may try to trade up for him.
Yeah trade down is an option too, but I don't think they should unless Cleveland gives both 1st round picks. B/c Jax would no doubt take Blackmon. You know what would be cool tho? If Cleveland does give both 1st rounders, and the Rams use their 2nd rounder to trade back up into the 1st round...3 1st round picks!!
bluecoconuts said:
The biggest thing with Kalil is the drop off for me... I think we can find gems with the WR's late if we scout well, as well as it being a pretty deep FA class.
But if Lloyd leaves that makes it harder.... I'm still thinking that Kalil should be the pick unless we trade down personally... If we can trade down and still be in position to grab Blackmon that's good.
Either way, Kalil, Blackmon are two picks I wont be upset we have. In the two spot, I'm saying Kalil though.
Well why couldn't they fnd a LT gem? As great as Joe Thomas and Jake Long are, their teams don't so hot. OTs don't score TDs...
No offense, but there's quite a few first round/first round calibre offensive tackles on the playoff teams alone on both the left and right sides.
Without Ryan Clady, Tim Tebow doesn't get time to throw to Thomas and Decker. Without Bryan Bulaga, Rodgers gets no time to throw to his many targets. Plus the Packers drafted Derek Sherrod with the last pick in the first round last year.
Say what you want about Michael Oher, but he's done a good job at protecting Flacco's blindside. Bryant McKinnie, their right tackle, was a first round pick of the Vikings. He protected Daunte Culpepper's blindside when he was good.
The Falcons have a struggling Sam Baker (also a first round draft pick) at left tackle. Because of his struggles, Matty Ice has no time to throw to White, Jones, or Gonzalez.
The Houston Texans selected Duane Brown in the first round of 2009. He's protected the blindside of their quarterbacks.
The Detroit Lions selected their right tackle, Gosder Cherilus, in the first round with the intention of moving him to the left side. He hasn't done that, but he's been starting on the right side since the first day.
The Bengals selected a top 30 prospect in Andrew Whitworth in 2006, who fell because of his age (he was 24 at the time of the 2006 draft).
The 49ers have
three offensive linemen selected in the first round: Staley, Iupati, and Davis.
The Patriots drafted Nate Solder with their only first round pick this year. Why? To protect Brady. He hasn't seen the field, but they intend for him to be the left tackle of the future.
Orlando Pace was the primary reason why Kurt Warner rarely ever had pressure from his blindside.
Even Rodger Saffold was a legitimate first round prospect; Polian admitted that he made a huge mistake selecting Jerry Hughes over Saffold.
First round left tackles don't go in the later rounds. They almost always become guards and right tackles. The Jermon Bushrods of the world are very rare, and the Saints had years to develop him behind Jammal Brown (another first round left tackle).
Meanwhile, I can rattle of the names of
many wideouts drafted after the first round that have made contributions to their teams (the first guys on the list being Mike Wallace and Greg Jennings). Out of all of the Saints wideouts, only Robert Meacham was selected in the first round. When you get to the Packers, none of their wideouts were selected in the first round. Same with the Patriots, Ravens, and Steelers.
I'm not saying that I wouldn't cheer for the Justin Blackmon pick if we traded down - I definitely think that Blackmon is a very talented wide receiver just below the level of the Johnsons, Fitzgerald, Green, and Jones. I'm just saying that I like Kalil a lot more at the number two spot. I'm also saying that left tackles are a lot more important to a team's success than people think.
