Reviewing Rams' Recent Drafts --Latsch

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RamBill

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Reviewing Rams' recent drafts
By Nate Latsch

http://stl.scout.com/story/1535693-reviewing-rams-recent-drafts?s=124

We are closing in on the start of the 2015 Draft later this month in Chicago, which will be the fourth draft of the Jeff Fisher and Les Snead era of the St. Louis Rams. Here’s a quick look at how their first three draft classes have fared…
The Rams have drafted 28 players over the last three years.

Of those 28, 22 of those players still on the roster this offseason (78.6 percent) and nine of them (32 percent) would be considered full-time starters on offense or defense going into next season, which will be Fisher’s fourth as the coach of the Rams.

Here’s a breakdown by position of the players drafted with the number of projected starters in 2015 in parentheses:

QB - One
RB – Four (One)
WR – Four (One)
TE - None
OL - Five (One)
DL – Three (Two)
LB - Two (One)
CB - Five (Two)
S – Three (One)
Special teams – One (One)

2014

R1 Pick 2 LT Greg Robinson
R1 Pick 13 DT Aaron Donald
R2 Pick 41 CB Lamarcus Joyner
R3 Pick 75 RB Tre Mason
R4 Pick 110 S Maurice Alexander
R6 Pick 188 CB E.J. Gaines
R6 Pick 214 QB Garrett Gilbert
R7 Pick 226 OL Mitchell Van Dyk
R7 Pick 241 S Christian Bryant
R7 Pick 249 DE Michael Sam
R7 Pick 250 C Demetrius Rhaney

Notes: Eight of the 11 players are still with the Rams. … Four of them — Robinson, Donald, Mason and Gaines — emerged as full-time starters as rookies and could be key players for St. Louis going forward. … Robinson played both left guard and left tackle as a rookie but the team feels like he is their left tackle of the future. … Donald emerged as a difference maker early on and was the defensive rookie of the year. … The Rams traded up to pick Joyner, but he was limited to 10 games because of injuries or being inactive on game day. He was playing better late in the season. … Mason emerged as the team’s starter and racked up 913 total yards and five touchdowns in 12 games. … Alexander played in nine games and contributed some on special teams. … Gaines started all 15 games he played in and may have been the steal of the draft. … Gilbert, Van Dyk and Sam were all released. Gilbert was eventually signed by the New England Patriots, but none of those three played in a regular-season game in 2014. … Bryant was released but later signed to the Rams’ practice squad. … Rhaney was injured in training camp and spent the entire season on injured reserve. Fisher has said that the team likes him for the future.

2013

R1 Pick 8 WR Tavon Austin
R1 Pick 30 OLB Alec Ogletree
R3 Pick 71 S T.J. McDonald
R3 Pick 92 WR Stedman Bailey
R4 Pick 113 C-G Barrett Jones
R5 Pick 149 CB Brandon McGee
R5 Pick 150 RB Zac Stacy

Notes: All seven players are still with the Rams. … Ogletree and McDonald are starters and impact players. … Austin, who the Rams traded up to select, has 71 receptions and 660 receiving yards in his first two seasons, but also 375 yards rushing. He’s shown flashes of being a playmaker, but remains an enigma based on lack of touches and/or fit in offensive scheme. … Bailey has 661 receiving yards over two seasons. … Jones has played in just 11 games in two years, but could see an increased role in 2015. … McGee played in 15 games as a rookie reserve, but just two games in 2014 because of injuries. … Stacy was a revelation as a rookie when he ran for nearly 1,000 yards, but he could not hold on to the starting job in 2014 and was an afterthought by the end of the season.

2012

R1 Pick 14 DT Michael Brockers
R2 Pick 33 WR Brian Quick
R2 Pick 39 CB Janoris Jenkins
R2 Pick 50 RB Isaiah Pead
R3 Pick 65 CB Trumaine Johnson
R4 Pick 66 WR Chris Givens
R5 Pick 150 OL Rokevious Watkins
R6 Pick 171 K Greg Zuerlein
R7 Pick 209 LB Aaron Brown
R7 Pick 252 RB Daryl Richardson

Notes: Seven of the 10 are still with the Rams. … Brockers, Quick, Jenkins, Johnson and Zuerlein have emerged as starters and contributors, though it’s fair to say none of them have emerged as difference-making players. The Rams will have some difficult decisions to make with these players as their contracts expire. … Pead has 75 rushing yards and no touchdowns in 25 career games. … Givens showed promise as a rookie but hasn’t done much since. … Watkins has played in five career games — one with the Rams as a rookie and then four with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013. … Richardson, released by the Rams last offseason, has far surpassed Pead’s production with 690 yards rushing in 24 career games.
 

Merlin

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Each draft got better under Snead and Fish, and you can see the impact of the organization running their system of evaluation more efficiently in the way the quality of the picks improved year to year.

2012 was an average draft with solid players added to the roster. Not so much impact guys however. Many of them simply aren't talented enough to sustain that level of production but it was a short turnaround draft for Snead and his team in terms of preparedness.

2013 raised the bar with 5 players added who possess enough talent to be sustained starters. Jury is still out on Jones but the top 4 would start for most teams and Stacy would start for many teams he just got beat out by a more talented back. Also the top 4 still have upside that might show very well this year. TJM might be one of the best SSs in the league this season. AO continues to get better and hopefully he's in for a big season. The two mountaineers also could both arrive this season and they are what the grade for that draft turns on IMO.

The 2014 draft took a big leap forward in impact players. Donald looks like a perennial pro bowler. GRob got better and better as the season went on. Snead grabbed 2 CBs who are starters at the least in this league, one of whom will stay at the slot but still. Mason is above average or better and is being picked for a breakout season by non-Rams faithful. Rhaney is a question mark but one that the Rams reportedly like very much. Still early but I think the 2014 draft was absolutely superb.

One more draft like 2014 and this team is in business. I really like the job that the Rams' front office has done in the draft.
 

Rams43

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Another possible (probable) explanation of the S/F drafts improving in '13-14 is that Snead replaced the former scouts of Devaney for those years with his own people with very few exceptions.

Snead was forced to use Devaney's scout's evals in draft prep for the '12 draft because of the timing of the changeover.

I recall that, at the time, it raised some eyebrows, including mine, but the results clearly indicate that he knew exactly what he was doing.
 

SteveBrown

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I think Michael Brockers is a tad underrated....
Thank you! I agree. When the run d is playing well, (70% of the time, they do) it is because of Brockers. So what, he is not a great pass rusher. OUr linebackers, JL and Ogletree are not so great against the run. Brockers is the key!

Brockers dominates in Seattle and in San Fran games....though he does get lazy at times, Iupati can't block him 1 on 1. ANd Iupati is the #2 run blocker, per 'stats', in the NFL. So, I am ok with that fat, slow boy being signed by Arizona. It also means Cooper, there #7 pick in the 1st round is probably a failure.
 

CGI_Ram

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Those are good drafts.

The roster is getting stronger.
 

Stel

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While I (and most of us) have complained about some of the moves and picks, having 22 of 28 draft picks still on the roster isn't bad. In part it shows you how bad the roster was when the new administration arrived; in part it shows you that they have a plan and know what they are doing.