- Joined
- Apr 21, 2013
- Messages
- 5,348
http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/...top&rand=ref~{"ref":"http://t.co/kGE2wlPXvy"}
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher has never made any bones about his affinity for drafting defensive linemen early and often.
In Fisher's two decades as an NFL head coach in Houston, Tennesee and now in St. Louis, he believes he has often found the intersection of value and need in the first round by landing another pass-rusher even if his team is already well-stocked at the position.
Which is why perhaps nobody should be surprised if his Rams use the No. 10 overall pick on a pass-rusher this year despite more glaring needs in the short term.
“It would not be inconceivable to take another defensive end," Fisher said. "We like defensive ends and tackles. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities.”
With Fisher, it never is. Since he arrived in St. Louis in 2012, the Rams have taken a defensive lineman in the first round in two of the past three drafts in the form of defensive tackles Michael Brockers (2012) and Aaron Donald (2014).
But the track record extends well beyond that. As the coach of the Tennessee/Houston franchise from 1994 to 2010, the Titans/Oilers used 12 first- or second-round picks on a defensive end or defensive tackle. In Fisher's final three seasons in Nashville, the Titans drafted an end or tackle in the first two rounds in each of those years.
Fisher's belief is pretty simple: You can never have enough pass-rushers. It's why the Rams probably would have taken endJadeveon Clowney with the No. 2 overall pick in 2014 had he slipped past the Houston Texans despite greater, more pressing immediate needs.
Strange as it may sound, however, taking a lineman, particularly an end, this year might be more of a need than many realize. While the Rams have strong depth at the position for 2015 with the likes of Robert Quinn, Chris Long, William Hayes, Eugene Sims and Ethan Westbrooks, that depth could be fleeting.
Quinn is the group's premiere player and under contract through the 2019 season. Other than Quinn, the rest come with varying degrees of question marks about their future in St. Louis. Long's deal runs through 2016 but his cap number for that year is $14.25 million. He'll need a strong bounce-back year after a 2014 injury cost him most of the season for the Rams to retain him at that number.
Hayes and Sims are both scheduled to be unrestricted free agents after this season, and though both provide excellent depth, Hayes has had injury issues and Sims has never been more than a solid if unspectacular player. Westbrooks has flashed potential but it remains to be seen whether he can develop into a starting-caliber player.
Given all of that and adding that the Rams' fundamental defensive philosophy centers on generating pass rush, adding an end could be higher on the priority list than it might seem. That is only buoyed by a draft that looks to be rich in prospects at the position.
Most NFL draft pundits rank USC's Leonard Williams, Nebraska's Randy Gregory, Florida's Dante Fowler Jr., Missouri's Shane Ray and Clemson's Vic Beasley as top-10-caliber prospects. The scheme or personality fit for each player might not necessarily be a match for the Rams but with so many of them ranked in that range, it's entirely possible that one could fall into the Rams' lap and stand out as the best player on the team's board.
Even with the team's pressing needs on the offensive line still unsettled, Fisher believes the Rams will have the ability to draft the best player available when the time comes but also mentions the chance that someone could want to move up if that type of player isn't what the Rams are looking for.
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher has never made any bones about his affinity for drafting defensive linemen early and often.
In Fisher's two decades as an NFL head coach in Houston, Tennesee and now in St. Louis, he believes he has often found the intersection of value and need in the first round by landing another pass-rusher even if his team is already well-stocked at the position.
Which is why perhaps nobody should be surprised if his Rams use the No. 10 overall pick on a pass-rusher this year despite more glaring needs in the short term.
“It would not be inconceivable to take another defensive end," Fisher said. "We like defensive ends and tackles. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities.”
With Fisher, it never is. Since he arrived in St. Louis in 2012, the Rams have taken a defensive lineman in the first round in two of the past three drafts in the form of defensive tackles Michael Brockers (2012) and Aaron Donald (2014).
But the track record extends well beyond that. As the coach of the Tennessee/Houston franchise from 1994 to 2010, the Titans/Oilers used 12 first- or second-round picks on a defensive end or defensive tackle. In Fisher's final three seasons in Nashville, the Titans drafted an end or tackle in the first two rounds in each of those years.
Fisher's belief is pretty simple: You can never have enough pass-rushers. It's why the Rams probably would have taken endJadeveon Clowney with the No. 2 overall pick in 2014 had he slipped past the Houston Texans despite greater, more pressing immediate needs.
Strange as it may sound, however, taking a lineman, particularly an end, this year might be more of a need than many realize. While the Rams have strong depth at the position for 2015 with the likes of Robert Quinn, Chris Long, William Hayes, Eugene Sims and Ethan Westbrooks, that depth could be fleeting.
Quinn is the group's premiere player and under contract through the 2019 season. Other than Quinn, the rest come with varying degrees of question marks about their future in St. Louis. Long's deal runs through 2016 but his cap number for that year is $14.25 million. He'll need a strong bounce-back year after a 2014 injury cost him most of the season for the Rams to retain him at that number.
Hayes and Sims are both scheduled to be unrestricted free agents after this season, and though both provide excellent depth, Hayes has had injury issues and Sims has never been more than a solid if unspectacular player. Westbrooks has flashed potential but it remains to be seen whether he can develop into a starting-caliber player.
Given all of that and adding that the Rams' fundamental defensive philosophy centers on generating pass rush, adding an end could be higher on the priority list than it might seem. That is only buoyed by a draft that looks to be rich in prospects at the position.
Most NFL draft pundits rank USC's Leonard Williams, Nebraska's Randy Gregory, Florida's Dante Fowler Jr., Missouri's Shane Ray and Clemson's Vic Beasley as top-10-caliber prospects. The scheme or personality fit for each player might not necessarily be a match for the Rams but with so many of them ranked in that range, it's entirely possible that one could fall into the Rams' lap and stand out as the best player on the team's board.
Even with the team's pressing needs on the offensive line still unsettled, Fisher believes the Rams will have the ability to draft the best player available when the time comes but also mentions the chance that someone could want to move up if that type of player isn't what the Rams are looking for.
