- Joined
- Jul 31, 2010
- Messages
- 8,874
Combine Recap: Day 1
Myles Simmons
View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Combine-Recap-Day-1/944a8bb3-c083-4b3f-9c07-b84d8901fe4f
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The first day of the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine saw special teamers, offensive linemen, and tight ends go through measurements, medical exams, and interviews - - both with teams and the media. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from Day 1 in chilly Indy. (Press Conferences below)
1) Snead expects Bradford back
Rams general manager Les Snead was one of many GMs and coaches who addressed the media on Wednesday, and he reiterated what he, head coach Jeff Fisher, and new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti have been saying all offseason: Quarterback Sam Bradford remains a part of St. Louis’ 2015 plans.
“Deleting him is not the answer,” Snead said, referring to removing Bradford from the roster via trade or release. The GM added, “I think the answer is providing insurance in case we do go through more bad luck.”
Depth at quarterback is important, given Bradford’s injury status over the last two seasons. Still, Snead made it clear that he thinks a healthy No. 8 could give the Rams the best chance to win.
For more on Snead’s comments on St. Louis’ quarterback situation, check out our feature from Wednesday afternoon.
2) Donald left an impression
By now we all know that Aaron Donald was both the AP and PFWA’s Defensive Rookie of the Year for his impressive first-year campaign in which he recorded 9.0 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. This was largely a continuation of the defensive tackle’s play at Pitt, where he recorded an NCAA-leading 28.5 sacks in his senior season.
So what does that have to do with the combine? Well, at his press conference today, Duke guard Laken Tomlinson had some particularly complimentary words about the Rams’ D-tackle.
“I would say the toughest D-lineman I played against in my career is Aaron Donald,” Tomlinson said. “He’s a really, really tough guy to block. He’s a really quick, fast-twitch, powerful guy. And he moves well for a big-bodied person.”
Pitt and Duke played one another in 2013, Pitt’s first season in the ACC, with Donald’s Alma Mater coming away with a 58-55 victory.
3) Quick hits
…LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins said on Wednesday that he feels he has the versatility to play guard and tackle, but added that he loves playing what outside on what he called, “the island.”
“I just love the one-on-one matchups,” Collins said of playing tackle. “I love just being out there one-on-one with a guy, and just kind of having my way with him the whole night.”
Collins is widely considered one of the best offensive lineman available in the draft. In the third edition of our mock draft roundup, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report had the Rams selecting Collins at No. 10.
…East Carolina quarterback Shane Carden is in Indy to be a throwing quarterback -- meaning he’ll be making the passes to skill players in their drills.
It’s a role Carden embraced, especially considering he had an NCAA-leading 617 pass attempts in 2014. For some perspective, Rams quarterbacks totaled only 515 this past season.
He said he built up his arm by working with a baseball strength coach.
“We did a lot of extra work on my shoulder, and I saw some strength in that,” Carden said. “My arm felt good in the bowl game, felt good in the senior bowl, feels good now. I’ll be throwing all week, so I’m looking forward to that.”
…Finally, Snead had a few thoughts on how the adjustment period to the NFL can differ between wide receivers and quarterbacks. As you’d probably expect, it’s a little easier for the wideouts.
“They’re probably not running the entire NFL route tree,” Snead said. “So there will be some muscle-memory adjustment that they’ll have to go through, and I think you’ll find that a lot of times early with wide receivers. They’re going to be thinking instead of just going, which makes them maybe look at little less dynamic than they were in college.
… But I think it’s slightly an easier transition for the wide receivers in the NFL than the QB.”
Myles Simmons
View: http://www.stlouisrams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Combine-Recap-Day-1/944a8bb3-c083-4b3f-9c07-b84d8901fe4f
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The first day of the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine saw special teamers, offensive linemen, and tight ends go through measurements, medical exams, and interviews - - both with teams and the media. Here are some of the biggest takeaways from Day 1 in chilly Indy. (Press Conferences below)
1) Snead expects Bradford back
Rams general manager Les Snead was one of many GMs and coaches who addressed the media on Wednesday, and he reiterated what he, head coach Jeff Fisher, and new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti have been saying all offseason: Quarterback Sam Bradford remains a part of St. Louis’ 2015 plans.
“Deleting him is not the answer,” Snead said, referring to removing Bradford from the roster via trade or release. The GM added, “I think the answer is providing insurance in case we do go through more bad luck.”
Depth at quarterback is important, given Bradford’s injury status over the last two seasons. Still, Snead made it clear that he thinks a healthy No. 8 could give the Rams the best chance to win.
For more on Snead’s comments on St. Louis’ quarterback situation, check out our feature from Wednesday afternoon.
2) Donald left an impression
By now we all know that Aaron Donald was both the AP and PFWA’s Defensive Rookie of the Year for his impressive first-year campaign in which he recorded 9.0 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. This was largely a continuation of the defensive tackle’s play at Pitt, where he recorded an NCAA-leading 28.5 sacks in his senior season.
So what does that have to do with the combine? Well, at his press conference today, Duke guard Laken Tomlinson had some particularly complimentary words about the Rams’ D-tackle.
“I would say the toughest D-lineman I played against in my career is Aaron Donald,” Tomlinson said. “He’s a really, really tough guy to block. He’s a really quick, fast-twitch, powerful guy. And he moves well for a big-bodied person.”
Pitt and Duke played one another in 2013, Pitt’s first season in the ACC, with Donald’s Alma Mater coming away with a 58-55 victory.
3) Quick hits
…LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins said on Wednesday that he feels he has the versatility to play guard and tackle, but added that he loves playing what outside on what he called, “the island.”
“I just love the one-on-one matchups,” Collins said of playing tackle. “I love just being out there one-on-one with a guy, and just kind of having my way with him the whole night.”
Collins is widely considered one of the best offensive lineman available in the draft. In the third edition of our mock draft roundup, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report had the Rams selecting Collins at No. 10.
…East Carolina quarterback Shane Carden is in Indy to be a throwing quarterback -- meaning he’ll be making the passes to skill players in their drills.
It’s a role Carden embraced, especially considering he had an NCAA-leading 617 pass attempts in 2014. For some perspective, Rams quarterbacks totaled only 515 this past season.
He said he built up his arm by working with a baseball strength coach.
“We did a lot of extra work on my shoulder, and I saw some strength in that,” Carden said. “My arm felt good in the bowl game, felt good in the senior bowl, feels good now. I’ll be throwing all week, so I’m looking forward to that.”
…Finally, Snead had a few thoughts on how the adjustment period to the NFL can differ between wide receivers and quarterbacks. As you’d probably expect, it’s a little easier for the wideouts.
“They’re probably not running the entire NFL route tree,” Snead said. “So there will be some muscle-memory adjustment that they’ll have to go through, and I think you’ll find that a lot of times early with wide receivers. They’re going to be thinking instead of just going, which makes them maybe look at little less dynamic than they were in college.
… But I think it’s slightly an easier transition for the wide receivers in the NFL than the QB.”