Good to have the core secure.
An important part to this approach has been the OL.
Having guys ready to replace high cost FA like Saffold or a retiring key player like Whitworth is huge.
Projecting out a line of Edwards/Noteboom/Allen/Evans/Havenstein for next year makes sense and shows great planning.
I would expect the Rams to continue to draft a couple of OL per year for the next couple of years.
But replacing valuable OL with a young group that can be together for years is huge. Reminds me of what they have been able to do in NE and Pitts for years.
That said, the draft picks have to work.
The players have to be up to snuff.
Very, very interested to see how Noteboom and Allen fare in a pretty tough opening test in a few days.
Excellent comments! Yes these draft picks & investments of time in UDFA have to turn into positives. Just based off what I have seen in preseason it looks like the Rams Org has it trending in the right direction. Rams appear to have had a few misses like DT Franklin-Myers/ ILB Kiser (4th rd. & 5th rd 2018 Draft) & possibly OLB Ebukam (4th rd Draft)
I lean towards this approach primarily with the OL too. Rams Org has been tinkering around the edges here first with LT Andrew Whitworth who was
not homegrown but stolen out of the Bengals social security retirement line. Now with the long term contract for RT Havenstein who was homegrown. Rams will forced to keep drafting OL'ers on the 2nd day of the draft for a while.
We will see if Noteboom is close to what Whitworth is in value to this team. I have never been in favor of large contracts for RB/TE/ILB/Safeties/NT. Speaking of TE its taken almost 3 yrs for top draft pick 2017 to get up to speed he still is not considered a starter yet.