Sparq Inspired Draft Mock ...

[Riverumbbq]

2) TE - Davis Njoku, Mi. (4)
3) DE - Tanoh Kpassagnon, Vil. (1)
4a) WR - Kenny Golladay, N.I. (10)
4b) OLB - Vince Biegel, Wis. (5)
5) NT/DT - Eddie Vanderdoos, UCLA (4)
6a) C - Chase Roullier, WY. (2)
6b) CB - Brendan Langley, Lamar, Tx. (9)
7) WR - Robert Davis, G.St. (1)

The parenthesis at the end is where these players graded within their positional group using Sparq guidelines. For example, Robert Davis, not a widely regarded WR, finished 1'st among all WR's in the analytical measurables department. Langley graded 9'th out of 36 CB's, Rollier graded 2'nd of the Centers, etc.

For the sake of this draft, I was assuming a free agent or traded for Center being on the roster, either a Mangold (1 year contract) or Cameron Erving, or ... ?

Also for this Sparq draft, assume Tru Johnson back in his starting role.

For a 2017 starting WR opposite Woods, free agent Boldin on a 1 year contract. Will revisit WR with the 2018 1'st round draft pick.

jmo.

 

[DaveFan'51]

2) TE - Davis Njoku, Mi. (4)
3) DE - Tanoh Kpassagnon, Vil. (1)
4a) WR - Kenny Golladay, N.I. (10)
4b) OLB - Vince Biegel, Wis. (5)
5) NT/DT - Eddie Vanderdoos, UCLA (4)
6a) C - Chase Roullier, WY. (2)
6b) CB - Brendan Langley, Lamar, Tx. (9)
7) WR - Robert Davis, G.St. (1)

The parenthesis at the end is where these players graded within their positional group using Sparq guidelines. For example, Robert Davis, not a widely regarded WR, finished 1'st among all WR's in the analytical measurables department. Langley graded 9'th out of 36 CB's, Rollier graded 2'nd of the Centers, etc.

For the sake of this draft, I was assuming a free agent or traded for Center being on the roster, either a Mangold (1 year contract) or Cameron Erving, or ... ?

Also for this Sparq draft, assume Tru Johnson back in his starting role.

For a 2017 starting WR opposite Woods, free agent Boldin on a 1 year contract. Will revisit WR with the 2018 1'st round draft pick.

jmo.

Using SPARQ scores I would have gone:
2) TE - Bucky Hodges - Virginia Tech - (2) 138.7 SPARQ
3) DE - Trey Hendrickson - Florida-Atlantic - (2) 136.1 SPARQ
{ I only have a 118.0 SPARQ for Kpassagnon}
4a) WR - Golladay is good in this spot!
I'm actually good with the rest of your picks. Nice Job!!

 

[Boston Ram]

Njoku....I will take it in the 2nd! Not a bad draft.

 

[LACHAMP46]

I seee what you did here:shades:...LOL Love the premise. Love the players. Especially thos44 wr's!

2) TE - Bucky Hodges - Virginia Tech - (2) 138.7 SPARQ

I like Hodges Dave....but if you watch Njoku play, you'll see why a lot of ROD members would like him a little more, hell maybe a lot more. @jrry32 doesn't like :double:Hodges at all. That TE Njoku is gonna be special:shades:

 

[OldSchool]

Only complaint I have is a deep draft at CB we only draft one and that's late in the 6th round. You say we add two WR but plan on adding a 1st rounder next year. We signed a big free agent and draft 2 this year to go with the 2 we draft last year and will add a 1st round WR next year yet we might lose our #1 CB yet only add a 6th rounder CB the year before he might leave. IMO CB is a big priority where I see we might add 1 WR this year maybe 2 as last years draft picks are evaluated.

I like the idea of a draft centered around this "sabermetric"

 

[Memento]

Definitely a fan of Kpassagnon in your draft.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Definitely a fan of Kpassagnon in your draft.

I think you and I are about the only ones to ever comment on him. I'd love to see him on a Phillips DL.

 

[Memento]

I think you and I are about the only ones to ever comment on him. I'd love to see him on a Phillips DL.

Yeah. A 6'7" 288 lbs. defensive end with his athleticism? I'm not religious, but I'm praying that McVay and Snead get him with our third round pick. Kpassagnon could be a poor man's Julius Peppers in Phillips' defense. He's raw as hell right now, but he could still make an impact this year. And he's intelligent as well. He went to Villanova, and graduated early. I'm hoping that we take him and a rival doesn't.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Only complaint I have is a deep draft at CB we only draft one and that's late in the 6th round. You say we add two WR but plan on adding a 1st rounder next year. We signed a big free agent and draft 2 this year to go with the 2 we draft last year and will add a 1st round WR next year yet we might lose our #1 CB yet only add a 6th rounder CB the year before he might leave. IMO CB is a big priority where I see we might add 1 WR this year maybe 2 as last years draft picks are evaluated.

I like the idea of a draft centered around this "sabermetric"

Just too many wants and desires to fill all the holes i'd like to. While CB is indeed deep this year, as mentioned, this particular mock is based on TruJo returning and Webster being what his hype value suggests. Still, we have EJ Gaines, Joyner and what may be an under-rated Mike Jordan behind them. If this is how it goes down, i'll feel comfortable going into 2017. jmo.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Yeah. A 6'7" 288 lbs. defensive end with his athleticism? I'm not religious, but I'm praying that McVay and Snead get him with our third round pick. Kpassagnon could be a poor man's Julius Peppers in Phillips' defense. He's raw as hell right now, but he could still make an impact this year. And he's intelligent as well. He went to Villanova, and graduated early. I'm hoping that we take him and a rival doesn't.

As you know, I couldn't agree more. And I may be an atheist, but when it comes to Rams football ... give me some of that ole time religion ...



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOCxcOdxNog

 

[OldSchool]

Just too many wants and desires to fill all the holes i'd like to. While CB is indeed deep this year, as mentioned, this particular mock is based on TruJo returning and Webster being what his hype value suggests. Still, we have EJ Gaines, Joyner and what may be an under-rated Mike Jordan behind them. If this is how it goes down, i'll feel comfortable going into 2017. jmo.

Keep in mind though both Joyner and Gaines are UFA after this season. While it would be nice to keep retaining our own we have Ogletree, Donald and TruJo all either at free agency or approaching it. We also have Dunbar, Westbrook, Easley and Barwin who will be FA and need to be replaced. If we can add a couple CB from this years draft that will do wonders if we don't have to replace Joyner and Gaines next year in the draft but can replace them with 2nd year players. Chances are we can resign Tree, AD and TruJo. Your draft has replacements in line for Barwin, Easley and it has a NT. Drafting those two CB will set us up very nicely where free agency and the draft in 2018, for McVays 2nd year, can be 100% BPA we'd have almost no holes to fill. Whereas the only WR who'll be a free agent next year is Studman Bailey. Then it would be a great time to use our 1st round pick on a big play maker at WR with Goff having had a year to get comfortable in the new offense. Just my long winded thoughts on how this draft could set us up in style for 2018.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Keep in mind though both Joyner and Gaines are UFA after this season. While it would be nice to keep retaining our own we have Ogletree, Donald and TruJo all either at free agency or approaching it. We also have Dunbar, Westbrook, Easley and Barwin who will be FA and need to be replaced. If we can add a couple CB from this years draft that will do wonders if we don't have to replace Joyner and Gaines next year in the draft but can replace them with 2nd year players. Chances are we can resign Tree, AD and TruJo. Your draft has replacements in line for Barwin, Easley and it has a NT. Drafting those two CB will set us up very nicely where free agency and the draft in 2018, for McVays 2nd year, can be 100% BPA we'd have almost no holes to fill. Whereas the only WR who'll be a free agent next year is Studman Bailey. Then it would be a great time to use our 1st round pick on a big play maker at WR with Goff having had a year to get comfortable in the new offense. Just my long winded thoughts on how this draft could set us up in style for 2018.

My 7'th round WR pick is really a crap-shoot, many late round guys never make the roster anyway. But let me say, I completely agree with your post, those future contract renewals must be part of any equation, and I trust in Demoff to continue doing a great job handling CAP issues. Along with the many that we might like to re-sign, there are also a few who may not be extended. Saffold is in a kind of 'contract' year for me, he'll be much easier to CAP casualty cut next season if Brown, Donnal and/or Wichmann progress under Kromer. If Tru leaves thru free agency, that opens a lot of CAP, there is also the question of carrying both Barron & Ogletree, whether this is a kind of expensive 'show me' year for Phillips to decide if that's what he wants in his 3-4 going forward. Lots of questions to be asked and answered, this is just one little mock a month before the 2017 draft and a year and a month before 2018 worries. I tried to put together the best quick & reasonable draft I could using the Sparq analytics, and i'd love to see you or some other put together something more favorable to the scenario you describe, it's all good, the more the merrier, i'm always willing to be educated or convinced another option makes better sense. jmo.

 

[Merlin]

I'd like to see a Sparq comparison vs the hits and misses from the drafts of three and four years ago. I do like the concept of it very much, but only if the other things you want to see are there. Curious, though, how much it relates to success/failure.

 

[Riverumbbq]

I'd like to see a Sparq comparison vs the hits and misses from the drafts of three and four years ago. I do like the concept of it very much, but only if the other things you want to see are there. Curious, though, how much it relates to success/failure.

If you go to the 'three sigma athlete' link on the "2017 Sparq rankings" link (currently still on the ROD front page of the NFL football/college football forum), you will see that you can get results from the 2015 & 2016 Sparq scores. It may not go as far back as you'd like, but it does help somewhat.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I like it but agree with OldSchool. In a draft loaded at Corner I would want to get one in the first 2-3 rounds. They could land a guy that could be a first rounder most years if they get one in round 2.

I like Kpassagnon also. I only wish I knew how to pronounce his name.

 

[rams56]

Very intersting reading... loved it @Riverumbbq....fantastic. ... thank you for your effort on this mock....

Go Rams.....

 

[Riverumbbq]

I like it but agree with OldSchool. In a draft loaded at Corner I would want to get one in the first 2-3 rounds. They could land a guy that could be a first rounder most years if they get one in round 2.

I like Kpassagnon also. I only wish I knew how to pronounce his name.

More than likely, I'd probably only change the 2'nd round pick from Njoku to CB Fabian Moreau, another potential late first rounder that just might slide down to us. I considered this when making the Sparq mock as Moreau graded at #2 in analytics among all CB's. Choosing Njuko over Moreau was more about TruJo returning to the lineup and the lack of experience & depth at TE, my thinking being that Njuko would likely bring a more immediate impact. jmo.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

More than likely, I'd probably only change the 2'nd round pick from Njoku to CB Fabian Moreau, another potential late first rounder that just might slide down to us. I considered this when making the Sparq mock as Moreau graded at #2 in analytics among all CB's. Choosing Njuko over Moreau was more about TruJo returning to the lineup and the lack of experience & depth at TE, my thinking being that Njuko would likely bring a more immediate impact. jmo.

Yes and no. Someone posted a piece on here a while back that basically proved that good corners are more necessary and impactful than ever before. The Rams currently have a huge hole at Corner, since Phillips scheme is designed to be played with press man corners. I am happy they signed Kayvon Webster but there still isn't another corner of that type on the roster. If they can get a very good one, then they should.

I also agree though, and have said myself that I would love an offensive playmaker, and they most likely would need to pick one at the top of round 2. I like Engram, but would be happy with Njoku. I would also be fine with Godwin. But, I am starting to think that they will go corner. Phillips defenses seem to hinge on great corner play. It really feels like a necessary element.