River's Day 7 of Free Agency Mock ...

[Riverumbbq]

We may have now reached a point where drafting a QB looks less likely, trading up would be too costly, none of them would start until the end of the season at best, … and then there is that whole salary raise to Foles that may require some justification. Our team has far too many gaps in depth to go all out in a trade high in the draft for risky future QB talent, unless, of course, one of them happens to just drop into our lap. The Rams will bite the bullet and start with Case Keenum, hope they can rehabilitate Foles, and pray that Mannion shows true development. The Rams lost 4 games last season by a grand total of 15 points, this with a near all-rookie OL and their top RB M.I.A. for 2 of those early losses. Add some weapons, this team can make it to the play-offs, especially with the development & added experience our OL has now gained.

Even with the loss of Chris Long & Laurinaitis as CAP casualties, our Rams may only have one real hole on the Defense at FS. Depth issues exist at OLB and MLB, and i've covered the DT position based on the potential loss of Brockers to free agency in the future. Josh Doctson & Hunter Henry will be expected to add the necessary firepower to our mediocre receiving corps, so it shouldn't be too much of a reach to believe our QB efforts this season will improve at least somewhat. jmo.

Trade :

Rams trade overall # 15 to Minnesota for their # 23 and # 54 picks. The Vikings take their WR of Choice, Laquan Treadwell.

Free Agency :

DT - Nick Fairley
C - Manuel Ramirez

Draft :

1) WR - Josh Doctson
2a) TE - Hunter Henry
2b) OLB/S - Su'a Cravens
2c) FS - Jalen Mills
3) DT - Adolphus Washington or Chris Jones
4) MLB - Scooby Wright
6) K - Ka'imi Fairbairn

 

[OldSchool]

Sorry but if a Rams GM did this and dint address the QB position and spent more picks on defense than offense I'd suggest they get lynched, then fired and finally put in the hall of shame of the worst GMs ever.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Change the Cravens pick to a Connor Cook type or another wr and I say it is acceptable. Taking Cravens and Wright is overkill at the LBer position IMO. Plus I am not a big Cravens fan. Even a CB would work at 2, or a DT. They could get a very good one at that spot.

But coming away without a QB? Under the circumstances that has to be a fail, doesn't it?

 

[Riverumbbq]

Sorry but if a Rams GM did this and dint address the QB position and spent more picks on defense than offense I'd suggest they get lynched, then fired and finally put in the hall of shame of the worst GMs ever.

You might want to wait until the end of the season to see how it works out. Yours may be the consensus thinking around here about the QB situation, but i'm yet to be convinced the team is prepared to spend most of this season's and part of next season's draft to move up, especially with all our depth issues elsewhere. If we blow our 1'st, our two 2'nds and possibly another high pick next year, who will be our new starting WR, TE, FS, etc. ? Who do we trust behind Ogletree at MLB or behind Barron at WLB ? Where is our FS depth ? What happens if Brockers leaves after the end of this season ? If our team hadn't suffered so many injuries these last few years, perhaps i'd be more willing to gamble, but depth can keep us alive, even when playing with a less than stellar starting QB. Personally, i'll be alright waiting another year for a QB fight. jmo.

 

[Fatbot]

Sorry but if a Rams GM did this and dint address the QB position and spent more picks on defense than offense I'd suggest they get lynched, then fired and finally put in the hall of shame of the worst GMs ever.

 

[Rams43]

We may have now reached a point where drafting a QB looks less likely, trading up would be too costly, none of them would start until the end of the season at best, … and then there is that whole salary raise to Foles that may require some justification. Our team has far too many gaps in depth to go all out in a trade high in the draft for risky future QB talent, unless, of course, one of them happens to just drop into our lap. The Rams will bite the bullet and start with Case Keenum, hope they can rehabilitate Foles, and pray that Mannion shows true development. The Rams lost 4 games last season by a grand total of 15 points, this with a near all-rookie OL and their top RB M.I.A. for 2 of those early losses. Add some weapons, this team can make it to the play-offs, especially with the development & added experience our OL has now gained.

Even with the loss of Chris Long & Laurinaitis as CAP casualties, our Rams may only have one real hole on the Defense at FS. Depth issues exist at OLB and MLB, and i've covered the DT position based on the potential loss of Brockers to free agency in the future. Josh Doctson & Hunter Henry will be expected to add the necessary firepower to our mediocre receiving corps, so it shouldn't be too much of a reach to believe our QB efforts this season will improve at least somewhat. jmo.

Trade :

Rams trade overall # 15 to Minnesota for their # 23 and # 54 picks. The Vikings take their WR of Choice, Laquan Treadwell.

Free Agency :

DT - Nick Fairley
C - Manuel Ramirez

Draft :

1) WR - Josh Doctson
2a) TE - Hunter Henry
2b) OLB/S - Su'a Cravens
2c) FS - Jalen Mills
3) DT - Adolphus Washington or Chris Jones
4) MLB - Scooby Wright
6) K - Ka'imi Fairbairn

Sorry, River.

I believe LB, CB, and FS are not big needs in the minds of our FO. I do expect maybe one addition in each position group, but they will be middle to late rounders or even UDFA's for depth and future development. I also suspect that S&F already have a good idea who their starters are gonna be in the secondary, and it ain't gonna include a draftee. Those starters are already on the team.

Love your Doctson, Henry, and Fairburn picks, though.

I'm 100% convinced that they draft a QB. Not sure if it's a big trade up, sit at #15, or a 2nd rounder that they really like for their O philosophy. But drafting a QB seems now a certainty. Bank it. Lol.

This will be the most O oriented draft of Fisher's 5 year run as Ram HC. All the FA moves seem to reinforce that opinion, as well. Wouldn't really surprise me to see our first 4 picks all be on the O.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Sorry, River.

I believe LB, CB, and FS are not big needs in the minds of our FO. I do expect maybe one addition in each position group, but they will be middle to late rounders or even UDFA's for depth and future development. I also suspect that S&F already have a good idea who their starters are gonna be in the secondary, and it ain't gonna include a draftee. Those starters are already on the team.

Love your Doctson, Henry, and Fairburn picks, though.

I'm 100% convinced that they draft a QB. Not sure if it's a big trade up, sit at #15, or a 2nd rounder that they really like for their O philosophy. But drafting a QB seems now a certainty. Bank it. Lol.

This will be the most O oriented draft of Fisher's 5 year run as Ram HC. All the FA moves seem to reinforce that opinion, as well. Wouldn't really surprise me to see our first 4 picks all be on the O.

Well, … look again, because I don't have a CB listed anywhere. I can't say what Fisher will do, but when I offer a mock, it's based on what I might do, and I worry over depth at LB and FS. If Ogletree goes down at MLB or Barron goes down at WLB, what do we have behind them that stems a deep drop in talent. And who do you have as our starting FS for next season, and who is his back-up ? I understand Fisher doesn't immediately start rookies often, especially when it can be avoided, but by mid-season the story may be quite different. Cravens may be a little high for a Barron back-up, but Fisher likes USC players, and this guy duplicates many of Barrons talents, so perhaps we see packages where he steps in for Ayers also.
I realize that popular theory here calls for a QB high in this draft, but if Goff & Wentz are gone by the 5'th or 6'th overall pick, there isn't much we can do about it short of giving away the teams future, including our 1'st, both 2'nds and likely our 2017 1'st as well. I'm not willing to do that for either of those players. When it comes to the QB's likely to go later in the draft, I have to ask how much better they are than our own Mannion ? Is their upside so significant that Mannion becomes an obsolete pick already ? Only Fisher can answer that question, but Fisher & Snead will look like complete idiots if both Foles and Mannion crash & burn so early in their Rams careers.
Anyway, i'm not as convinced as so many others that a top ranked QB is part of the plan this season, at least not unless they happen to fall right into our laps. In lieu of a great QB joining the team, I look for serious starting offensive weapons and quality depth, … but that's just me. jmo.

 

[Rams43]

Well, … look again, because I don't have a CB listed anywhere. I can't say what Fisher will do, but when I offer a mock, it's based on what I might do, and I worry over depth at LB and FS. If Ogletree goes down at MLB or Barron goes down at WLB, what do we have behind them that stems a deep drop in talent. And who do you have as our starting FS for next season, and who is his back-up ? I understand Fisher doesn't immediately start rookies often, especially when it can be avoided, but by mid-season the story may be quite different. Cravens may be a little high for a Barron back-up, but Fisher likes USC players, and this guy duplicates many of Barrons talents, so perhaps we see packages where he steps in for Ayers also.
I realize that popular theory here calls for a QB high in this draft, but if Goff & Wentz are gone by the 5'th or 6'th overall pick, there isn't much we can do about it short of giving away the teams future, including our 1'st, both 2'nds and likely our 2017 1'st as well. I'm not willing to do that for either of those players. When it comes to the QB's likely to go later in the draft, I have to ask how much better they are than our own Mannion ? Is their upside so significant that Mannion becomes an obsolete pick already ? Only Fisher can answer that question, but Fisher & Snead will look like complete idiots if both Foles and Mannion crash & burn so early in their Rams careers.
Anyway, i'm not as convinced as so many others that a top ranked QB is part of the plan this season, at least not unless they happen to fall right into our laps. In lieu of a great QB joining the team, I look for serious starting offensive weapons and quality depth, … but that's just me. jmo.

No need to be touchy, River. We're both just spitballing here, right?

I threw in the CB as an aside. You hadn't mentioned it, but others have.

If Tree or Barron go down? Gonna be tough to fully replace either, of course, since both are playing at such a high level in GW's scheme. But there are other LB's that I think they like off the bench. Hager, Lynch, and Hodge. And as I said, I expect another LB will be added via draft or UDFA.

Starting FS this season? I think it's gonna be Joyner. But Davis, Bryant, and Alexander are standing by, as well. Again, another S will likely be added for development purposes.

Yeah, drafting a QB is a popular theory. That's because of the combination of importance of the position and perceived team need. I don't know which strategy they'll pursue, but I can assure you that they will draft a QB.

I see a very heavy O bias in this draft. Maybe 3 of the top 4 picks on O. The way they've tended to the D through FA is a further strong hint of that. They've made moves to plug up D player positions lost after FA, except LB. And as I've said, I think they like their LB depth already on the roster.

But again, my comments were only intended to offer my 2 cents, NOT to criticize your mock or it's strategy.

 

[Riverumbbq]

No need to be touchy, River. We're both just spitballing here, right?

I threw in the CB as an aside. You hadn't mentioned it, but others have.

If Tree or Barron go down? Gonna be tough to fully replace either, of course, since both are playing at such a high level in GW's scheme. But there are other LB's that I think they like off the bench. Hager, Lynch, and Hodge. And as I said, I expect another LB will be added via draft or UDFA.

Starting FS this season? I think it's gonna be Joyner. But Davis, Bryant, and Alexander are standing by, as well. Again, another S will likely be added for development purposes.

Yeah, drafting a QB is a popular theory. That's because of the combination of importance of the position and perceived team need. I don't know which strategy they'll pursue, but I can assure you that they will draft a QB.

I see a very heavy O bias in this draft. Maybe 3 of the top 4 picks on O. The way they've tended to the D through FA is a further strong hint of that. They've made moves to plug up D player positions lost after FA, except LB. And as I've said, I think they like their LB depth already on the roster.

But again, my comments were only intended to offer my 2 cents, NOT to criticize your mock or it's strategy.

Touchy ? Really ? Thought I was answering your post in a rather benign manner. One thing though, how do you assure us they will absolutely draft a QB ? Not saying they won't, but you 'assure' us ?
My mocks aren't predictions, just another hopeful method to get us where we all want to go. Either way, i'll always defend my posts unless errors or miscalculations are obvious and pointed out to me. Sorry if you took my words as anything other than a simple explanation of my thought process on the draft. jmo.

 

[Rams43]

Touchy ? Really ? Thought I was answering your post in a rather benign manner. One thing though, how do you assure us they will absolutely draft a QB ? Not saying they won't, but you 'assure' us ?
My mocks aren't predictions, just another hopeful method to get us where we all want to go. Either way, i'll always defend my posts unless errors or miscalculations are obvious and pointed out to me. Sorry if you took my words as anything other than a simple explanation of my thought process on the draft. jmo.

I respect anyone that defends their post, River. I sure do it, myself.

Your "better look again" opening in your first reply just struck me as a bit edgy, that's all. No worries.

As to guaranteeing that they will draft a QB? Obviously no one can quite do that.

But to say that they will very likely draft one is probably an understatement, don't you think?

The need is definitely there.
Demoff, Snead, and Fisher have all stated that a new QB will be brought in.
FA no longer seems to offer a QB upgrade solution.
The possibility of a trade up to #4 or #6 is legitimately there since we do own that extra 2nd.
Top 2 QB's are highly regarded which gives perceived value to such a trade up.
Staying at #15 and taking Lynch is another viable possible option.
Some pundits have claimed that this QB class might be 9 deep for possible future starting QB's.

Sooooo...

When all the above is considered, it just seems overwhelmingly likely that a QB is drafted SOMEWHERE before the end of Day Two.

Do you disagree?