G/C at 31?

[Ram65]

I could not argue with you here flv. I like what we have too. It's the reserves that concern me...and that pretty good OL is likely to suffer two major hits in less than 10 months. So the OL moves on season to season @ constant slow fluid movement of new starters & reserves. No OL in the NFL has been blessed with better health than Kromers the last two seasons....will luck ride again with us? I sure hope so!

Kroger's ability to groom up these non top 50 draft selections has been one of the bright highlights the last two seasons. I do not see a failure with Jamon Brown because he was a very poor fit with his classic outside running scheme. I glad McVay gave him as the OC title in to the run game. I like this setup.

Why does many of our members here believe that OT Dalton Risner is a first round Swing OT fit? He sure looks like a bona fide high quality plug in starting RT/RG prospect but Swing OT? Rams have no need for a RT where Risner starred the last 3 seasons. This is why he is rated so high ....its on his RT performances but we will move him elsewhere?

There is no game tape of him playing on the blind side LT post. So if he was the selection where are you going to start him ? If selected I would start him @ RG myself for the next four season next to Havenstein & use Blythe as the Rams top game day reserve. I just not sure he is what Kromer desires.

Here some of Risner weaknesses:

• Sluggish coming out of stance
• Pounding, heavy feet in his lateral movement:shocking:
• Could struggle with consistency on backside blocks
• Needs to re-set hands for improved leverage as drive blocker
• Hands too wide in the run game
• Weight drifts outside in pass sets against speed
• Footwork diminished vs Mississippi State as game wore on
• Cracks the door for strong inside counters to come in

Not really fair to just post a draft prospects weaknesses. If you read all these on all players there might only be a handful that will amount to quality NFL players. Things have to be put in perspective.
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Strengths

• Instinctive and defaults into proper mechanics and choices
• Plays wide and keeps blocks centered
• Drive blocks with strain and looks to improve body positioning
• Operates on short and long pulls with excellent body control and radar to find his foe
• Efficient on bump-and-climb combos up to linebacker
• Patient on second level with ability to gather and adjust to moving targets
• Punches with straight, stiff outside hand
• Strong hands can snatch and secure opponents
• Smart hand resets in recovery blocks
• Has anchor to hold his ground against a power surge
• Finishes with a mean streak

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Seems like a power guy that can block at the second level, anchor with a mean streak. Rams could use that on the OL. I highly doubt the Rams see him as a LT. With only seven offensive lineman active on game day he has versatility to move to RT, OC and both OG spots. He played his first year as a OC. This year I see him starting over Blythe at RG should they draft him. Should Havenstein get hurt he could move over to RT. Noteboom moves over to LT should Whitworth get hurt. If the Rams lose both Whitworth and Noteboom they are in trouble but, at least they have a shot at with Havenstein and Risner playing OTs. There aren't any great swing OT in the NFL. His flexiblity gives him the added value.

I've seen Risner go middle late first round to early second round in mocks. I'm not pushing for him or any offensive lineman at the #31 pick. He is rated third highest OT here

https://www.nfl.com/draft/tracker/prospects/T?college=allColleges&page=1&status=ALL

The Rams would be drafting him as an OG which doesn't seem worth it in round one per @flv except that he is versatile and has some qualities the Rams should like. A trade down would be a better situation should Risner be available in early round two. I'm still looking more at defense with the Rams first pick.

 

[BonifayRam]

Not really fair to just post a draft prospects weaknesses. If you read all these on all players there might only be a handful that will amount to quality NFL players. .......

True, but it was done to stress my major point & not get into the weeds outside what I wanted to convey. You covered some of the reasons that it would not be the best of plans to take Risner @ #31. So you got my point well. Mission accomplished.

Fact is this draft is a really bad one for blue chip LT prospects. Rams do need one if they do go with Noteboom @ starting LG. Will Kromer really work Noteboom (in his first season as the starter) @ Both LT & LG in practice? Would you not desire Noteboom concentrating on his primary LG mission myself.

Kromer must have a game active dressed OL who can be plugged in @ LT to take snaps with the offense in true game action in an emergency injury event to protect the blind side of Goff. Question is whom will it be? Jamil Demby, Kyle Murphy or Darrell Williams? None would have been a candidate to do that in 2018. Things might change by the beginning of the 2019 regular season too.

Kromer is sure to have his assistants working & modifying the 2018 Andrew Whitworth Plan. The aging Whitworth is sure to see changes from that previous plan this season. Sure to be contained in it is for this well-seasoned LT taking more time off from HD high-risk activity. 2019 season might curb & manage snaps during regular season games with the offense @ appropriate times. I am interested in what Kromer & the Rams trainers will come up with " 2019 Keep Him Fresh & Healthy PLan" .

I would imagine this plan will have Four phases:
#1-Training Camp.
#2- four Preseason games.
#3-17 weeks of Regular season games.
#4-Post Season Plan (3 to 4 games).

 

[Ram65]

True, but it was done to stress my major point & not get into the weeds outside what I wanted to convey. You covered some of the reasons that it would not be the best of plans to take Risner @ #31. So you got my point well. Mission accomplished.

I get it but, he wasn't considered a LT anyway. His value is in being able to move around inside and at RT if needed.

Fact is this draft is a really bad one for blue chip LT prospects. Rams do need one if they do go with Noteboom @ starting LG. Will Kromer really work Noteboom (in his first season as the starter) @ Both LT & LG in practice? Would you not desire Noteboom concentrating on his primary LG mission myself.

Should Whitworth get hurt Noteboom moves over as I stated before. Noteboom is the LG and backup LT. I imagine he would be the backup RT too unless Rams draft Risner.

Kromer must have a game active dressed OL who can be plugged in @ LT to take snaps with the offense in true game action in an emergency injury event to protect the blind side of Goff. Question is whom will it be? Jamil Demby, Kyle Murphy or Darrell Williams? None would have been a candidate to do that in 2018. Things might change by the beginning of the 2019 regular season too.

I think Demby is too slow for OT. I'm not sure who takes the backup spots at this time.

 

[BonifayRam]

How many offensive linesman do you think go in the first round ?

SIX! Here's how I see it.....#1- LT Andre Dillard, #2- OG/OC Garrett Bradbury, #3-LT/LG Jonah Williams, #4-RT Jawaan Taylor are off the board in the first 20 selections. The last third part of the first round you should see RT's #5-Dalton Risner & #6-Cody Ford go off close together. Note: LT Greg Little will not last long in the 2nd round. OL'ers will go higher than many DL'ers who are far better. Leaving high-quality DL's & ER's on the board much longer. Great value available in these positions for playoff teams! Snead will get trade down offers & he will take advantage of a team who wants back in the first round badly at that moment.

Not sure The Rams pass on McCoy , but I think he can play guard as well as Center.

I would believe that interior OL'er Chris Linstrom is rated much higher on the Rams board than McCoy.

What about Lindstrom or McCoy ??
Williams would be a good plugin guy at RG with Noteboom playing LG? Both players could slide to tackle on both those sides. Blythe would be the perfect backup at either guard or center. I think those would be an excellent way to solidify the Offensive Line for a while, giving Demby time to mature as well.

Linstrom fits Kromers desires big time! Which Williams are we speaking about? Nama's Jonah Williams or Rams Darrell Williams? Blythe is a perfect game day reserve who can plug & play @ FOUR OL posts. It's a good way to use him in 2019 if possible.

 

[Soul Surfer]

Ok but why first round? Noteboom and Allen will be starters next season and they were both middle round picks.

I have seen enough of Noteboom to believe he could be a starter next year but not really sold on Allen, (yet).

But here's hoping for an All-Pro career for Allen.

 

[PressureD41]

Ya I too am dubious on B. Allen in the starting line-up.. Besides his wrestling background I question the rest of his game

 

[So Ram]

SIX! Here's how I see it.....#1- LT Andre Dillard, #2- OG/OC Garrett Bradbury, #3-LT/LG Jonah Williams, #4-RT Jawaan Taylor are off the board in the first 20 selections. The last third part of the first round you should see RT's #5-Dalton Risner & #6-Cody Ford go off close together. Note: LT Greg Little will not last long in the 2nd round. OL'ers will go higher than many DL'ers who are far better. Leaving high-quality DL's & ER's on the board much longer. Great value available in these positions for playoff teams! Snead will get trade down offers & he will take advantage of a team who wants back in the first round badly at that moment.

I would believe that interior OL'er Chris Linstrom is rated much higher on the Rams board than McCoy.
Linstrom fits Kromers desires big time! Which Williams are we speaking about? Nama's Jonah Williams or Rams Darrell Williams? Blythe is a perfect game day reserve who can plug & play @ FOUR OL posts. It's a good way to use him in 2019 if possible.

Jonah Williams would be great !! Start him right away at RG. That would be some serious beef up front &add such depth .Kromer likes to use 7 game day Lineman.

 

[BonifayRam]

Jonah Williams would be great !! Start him right away at RG. That would be some serious beef up front &add such depth .Kromer likes to use 7 game day Lineman.

This would be a great #31 election IF it were to take place. Jonah Williams is a bona fide top 20 pick. I believe his best NFL post is @ Left OG. If for whatever reason that Jonah was to fall to us he would be our game day LT reserve in 2019. Then after Andrew Whitworth wins his SB ring & retires, Jonah @ LG would be part of our starting left side duo with Noteboom @ LT.

IMO the RG post presently under the operation of Austin Blythe would remain so for the 2019 season. As far as to who would be that operator in 2020 stay tuned....

 

[So Ram]

This would be a great #31 election IF it were to take place. Jonah Williams is a bona fide top 20 pick. I believe his best NFL post is @ Left OG. If for whatever reason that Jonah was to fall to us he would be our game day LT reserve in 2019. Then after Andrew Whitworth wins his SB ring & retires, Jonah @ LG would be part of our starting left side duo with Noteboom @ LT.

IMO the RG post presently under the operation of Austin Blythe would remain so for the 2019 season. As far as to who would be that operator in 2020 stay tuned....

These what if’s are getting old. Just can’t wait for the draft to finish up. Will see how much confidence The Rams have in Demby by how the draft plays out. McVay has stated Noteboom & Allen are basically penciled in to replace Saffold & Sullivan.
I’m not a big Austin Blythe fan . Love that he is a overachiever,but his size & upside are sort of tapped Out. Playing the what if game though. If The Rams draft Johan Williams you can pretty much pencil him in as a starter.He maybe even a better LG than Noteboom would be ? Noteboom’s best position is going to be LT. Then again if The Rams were to have kept the same team as 2018 Noteboom would start over Blythe. Coming out of training camp I thought that was going to be the case. He got a nice look at RG at the end of training camp with the starters.
Blythe could give Allen a run for his money at Center ? He will get some reps there in the offseason.

 

[Merlin]

Generally the OT types tend to be taken a bit higher than they should due to supply and demand. This year's OT group doesn't have slam dunk types at the top, but it's a deep group and there are a lot of guys who teams might convert to guard. But the ones that teams do feel are OTs in that early group will go off the board pretty fast IMO.

What makes Risner interesting is there's a lot of question whether he's got the feet for tackle, and he's also going to need work if a team projects him there. And even if they do project him to tackle it's probably right side. This is why I think he might be available, if he can get by the Minnesotas and New Orleans types ahead of us. But he is very powerful and would probably be quite good in pass sets on the interior. The Bama kid is similar, but he's definitely going to play tackle so will be off the board.

And it's also why I think Bradbury might not go as high as some believe he will. Bradbury's a plus center and he's a great fit for zone schemes, but he's not going to fit the power lines (so some teams by default aren't going to have him high) and if you watch his cutups (not his highlight reels) he is no Frederick. He's a 20s guy IMO. Polished and ready to start but short arms and not elite upside. There is a reasonable chance he's not the best Center from this class five years from now, so while some team might reach for him as a starter I just don't think the projections are accurate on him.

 

[Soul Surfer]

These what if’s are getting old.

But we still have the urge to post something.

 

[Hey Man]

We need Timmerman back. Best guard ever.

 

[Dodgersrf]

True, but it was done to stress my major point & not get into the weeds outside what I wanted to convey. You covered some of the reasons that it would not be the best of plans to take Risner @ #31. So you got my point well. Mission accomplished.

Fact is this draft is a really bad one for blue chip LT prospects. Rams do need one if they do go with Noteboom @ starting LG. Will Kromer really work Noteboom (in his first season as the starter) @ Both LT & LG in practice? Would you not desire Noteboom concentrating on his primary LG mission myself.

Kromer must have a game active dressed OL who can be plugged in @ LT to take snaps with the offense in true game action in an emergency injury event to protect the blind side of Goff. Question is whom will it be? Jamil Demby, Kyle Murphy or Darrell Williams? None would have been a candidate to do that in 2018. Things might change by the beginning of the 2019 regular season too.

Kromer is sure to have his assistants working & modifying the 2018 Andrew Whitworth Plan. The aging Whitworth is sure to see changes from that previous plan this season. Sure to be contained in it is for this well-seasoned LT taking more time off from HD high-risk activity. 2019 season might curb & manage snaps during regular season games with the offense @ appropriate times. I am interested in what Kromer & the Rams trainers will come up with " 2019 Keep Him Fresh & Healthy PLan" .

I would imagine this plan will have Four phases:
#1-Training Camp.
#2- four Preseason games.
#3-17 weeks of Regular season games.
#4-Post Season Plan (3 to 4 games).

Noteboom has his work cut out for him this year.
I still believe that if Whit goes down, its going to be Note who slides over to LT.

Now, let's go get us our future LG early.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

But that's not the case. There are skills needed at center that aren't needed at guard. Thanks to that, there are some who are good center prospects who may not be good guard prospects, at least not as good. There are some players - like Bradbury - who are outstanding center prospects worthy of a first round pick, but who are maybe worthy of a second round pick as a guard. I'm not alone in thinking that, NFL teams have long acted that way.

I do want the Rams to take two OL in the draft, and have said so repeatedly. The earlier pick should be a T/G prospect, to take Noteboom's spot as a backup, and to start at one of the guard spots in 2020. The other should be a guard who has a little experience at center, but not his best position - to hopefully replace Blythe in 2020 if not sooner. The Rams like to have 7 active OL, so having versatility is important in the backups.



Since I have repeatedly said that Obo shouldn't be counted on, since he hasn't even been in a full pads practice yet, and that Kiser as the default starter is risky, since he literally got zero snaps with the defense in games, despite being active for all 16 games and the Rams having issues with their ILBs last season, I'm not sure why you would say that - except to try to claim things the opposite of what I have actually said. In fact, I have REPEATEDLY said that edge is a need. If Obo works out, great. All he's shown is that at a priority position he was picked at #160, looked good without pads, and then got hurt and did not heal in time to play, costing him a season. He's not a factor if somebody decent falls to the Rams. I have repeatedly called for the Rams to upgrade at ILB re: Kiser. I would love for him to work out, but he has shown in games that Wade doesn't have enough faith to even give him a snap. It's sort of hilarious that you accuse me of supporting Kiser - there have been multiple threads where I was attacked for saying he should be upgraded.

If you are going to accuse me of things, please don't accuse me of literally the exact opposite of what I have posted repeatedly.

So, Centers need specific skill sets, and the Rams had three of the four top centers in for visits, but your saying they are looking at them as guards. If guard is so important why not bring in the 3/4 top guards, that played a little center? Instead they are bringing in Centers that played a little guard.

And Kiser actually played, and Snead said they'd be comfortable plugging him in at the other ILB spot, opposite Littleton, just like he and McVay said about Allen and Center. So why is it any different? Why is one a lock and the other isn't?

 

[Akrasian]

And Kiser actually played, and Snead said they'd be comfortable plugging him in at the other ILB spot, opposite Littleton, just like he and McVay said about Allen and Center. So why is it any different? Why is one a lock and the other isn't?

Kiser literally played zero snaps with the defense. He played only on special teams - despite the backups on ILB being so "good" that no team has signed either of them. Allen played a few snaps - 35 - at center, which PFF rated as above average, as well as practiced as the starter every Wednesday. One of these things is not like the other, one of these things does not belong.

Also note, that the Rams have signed Matthews to take snaps from Kiser. There have been zero reports of the Rams pursuing a center in free agency.

Also, there is a huge difference between using a first on a guy who is only going to be taken that high because he plays center, and using a third or later on a guy who plays both guard and center. The Rams need versatility on their OL, since they prefer to only have 7 active on game day. Bradbury would only go that 31 because of his center skills - those others will go later, but have shown serious guard skills.

Seriously, have you not noticed that they only want to have 7 OL active on game day, requiring versatility? Last year they found a guy who could play 4 positions in the third - that is not normal, though.

Maybe Allen doesn't work out - It wouldn't shock me if they drafted a true guard, and make Blythe the backup for guard and center, ready to start if Allen isn't as good as the Rams reputedly believe.

 

[NERamsFan]

I’ll say it again, Nate Davis in round 3! Kromer takes pride in mid round gems that project as eventual starters under his tutelage.

Save the early pick for Simmons or trading down. No need for an OL early in draft when we can hold off for a guy like Groy, at worst, after the draft.