How do you really feel about the draft & UDFAs

[Tumak61]

I like the draft a lot. Looks like it will promote plenty of competition. Improved OLine giving Stafford time to look downfield for Atwell and Jefferson on deep routes opening up the mid range for Cupp. I have high expectations for the Offense. Defensively I think the Rams will be pretty darn good. The combo of Donald and Brown inside is going to better than many realize and a number of Edge guys were added in the draft.

 

[yrba1]

Feel pretty good moving forward, I have faith with this coaching staff that they can get reliable contributions out of these players, long-term. A lot of fans have this instant gratification mindset when our FO kept trading 1st rounders to let the star power strengthen our roster, but I'm excited to see a trust-in-the-process approach letting talent grow and develop organically.

 

[majrleaged]

Hopeful

 

[thirteen28]

Loved the draft, loved the first pick of the draft (Avila), love the number of picks we had (increasing the odds of hitting on some).

Only problem I had is that ... It really coulda been more twitchy ...

 

[Memento]

I still don’t like the Stetson Bennett pick (I preferred Jaren Hall) nor the Ochaun Mathis pick (would’ve definitely picked another corner), but the rest are fine by me. I disagree that Maginn and McAllister make the roster, I disagree with your assessment on McClendon (to me, he’s clearly a right tackle whose technical aspects are his best trait, not something he has to work on; hell, stylistically, he compares well to Havenstein).

I think people are sleeping on Hardy and Thomas as edge rushers; I feel that both could take a huge leap, along with Rochell and the Browns. That’s why I felt that Mathis is a wasted pick; he falls under “looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane”, and I wanted Trice with that pick.

As for inside linebackers, I feel that Kelechi Anyalebechi and DeAndre Square have real
potential to upset Rozeboom and/or Hummel. Anyalebechi was the defensive player of the conference and won the award for Academic Football player in his conference. Square was one of the best linebackers in the SEC in 2021 and fell off a bit this year. They’ll have to make it on teams, like the Davises at cornerback, and Johnston at safety.

I’m a fan of what they did overall.

 

[PARAM]

Cautious optimism. Been there done that with draft picks. UDFA's. Camp stars. Only to see many of them fizzle out when the real games start.

With 14 picks the odds are better we find a few keepers. Who they are I don't know. The obvious one is Avila. Its possible Young and Turner need time but could be nice contributors in a year or two.

The rest its a crap shoot. Maybe they find a few rotational pieces with the day 3 guys. But I don't expect much in their first year.

Yeah, the first few weeks after the draft, if it doesn't contain a ton of head scratchers, most everybody is amped to one degree or another. Then camp and preseason weed out the weaknesses. And by opening day, the rookies are mostly watching from the sidelines. But we've always had front line talent in front of them. This year, not so much. Young and Hampton should get every opportunity to contribute. Avila might win the starting C job. Turner and Allen could be asked to play more than normal McVay rookies. And Zach Evans has a chip the size of Stonehenge on his shoulders. Just try to keep that kid off the field.


We ought to "bookmark" this thread and revisit it around mid season. Might prove interesting.

 

[MauiRam]

Avila & Zach E. are my favorites - the rest I hope for the best.

 

[HitStick]

I think many are forgetting the amount of injuries this team had to deal with this year. Realistically, the Rams wont have to deal with that extreme amount of injuries, so that alone should produce more wins. With that said, given the departures, I believe the Rams did well managing the draft and finding player to plug into their system and produce immediately. I think we have the steal of the draft in Hodges- Tomlinson. Steve Avila makes our line instantly better. Byron Young and Kobie Turner are plug and player starters with a great deal of upside. Stetson was drafted to be a backup. He’s a winner and has some dawg in him. Wasn’t my first, second, third, or even fourth choice as a backup, but it is what it is. He’s an upgrade IMO. Zach Evans should be a warning to Cam. I think he’s a stud. After that, I’m hopeful we have some surprises.

With that said, I’m hoping we surprise a few people, and are forced to give up 3 firsts to trade up for Caleb

 

[jap]

I just want us to be kicking arse by the second half of the season.

 

[sloramfan]

i thought this draft was good...

none of us know for sure really how good..

but i want to visit the stetson bennett pick...

some are discounting this choice for this reason or that, mostly arm strength....

i'll give my worthless 2 cents...

which backup do you prefer over SB? wolford?..... perkins?.... lol both were total disappointments... and very weak in the passing game...

all SB did was make play after play against elite college talent in 2 nat champ playoff runs...

yeah yeah, i know the nfl is made up of elite college all stars, but still, he made the plays, and many of those plays were against guys that will be playing on the next level...

i think SB is a massive improvement over what we trotted out last season, and i'm really looking forward to seeing him run the preseason team this year...

his ability to see things develop can't be understated, and his ability to improvise when things go bad is also a plus...

i think it was a great pick... i could be wrong, but i think he's going to be a much better option, should the unspeakable happen...

stay healthy matt... let's go win another one...

go rams

slo

 

[PARAM]

Interesting comments. Lot's of fans hoping for surprises. Of course, now we know, we got them and we aced the draft. Let's do it again!!!

 

[Memento]

Interesting comments. Lot's of fans hoping for surprises. Of course, now we know, we got them and we aced the draft. Let's do it again!!!

Well, I was wrong about a lot of things, judging by my comments.

 

[LA_Rams_#29]

The draft and UDFAs are great when your team develops talent like we do. I mean we just had 5 starters come out of last year's draft, and a 6th will be in the TE rotation big time next year... There are organizations that didn't get 6 starters out of a decade worth of drafts..

 

[Ramhusker]

The draft and UDFAs are great when your team develops talent like we do. I mean we just had 5 starters come out of last year's draft, and a 6th will be in the TE rotation big time next year... There are organizations that didn't get 6 starters out of a decade worth of drafts..

Yeah, we do that again this draft and we’ll be hell to deal with for a good time to come.

 

[oldnotdead]

They need fewer starters but they need better rotational depth. There is too big of a dropoff right now when the starters are out for whatever reason. A good team has the depth to carry them through not just injuries, but to rest key players and keep them fresh. Robinson and Witherspoon are two guys they need to extend. Sign them to 2 or 3 year extensions and play them as bridge players for the young guys they are going to draft this year.

It's why I think they will offer to extend Wentz for 2 years. If they take a more developmental QB like say McCarthy who could drop to them at 19. He's at least a one year project so they can let him hold the clipboard for one year and learn behind Stafford and Wentz. If they think he needs a second year to develop then they have Wentz as their bridge starter. Or they can start the second year QB in 2025 but have a good backup vet behind him for at least a year. Remember Lamar Jackson was drafted at #32 and took a couple of years to hit his stride. McCarthy has a lot of the same characteristics you could see in Jackson as a rookie. I think McCarthy will drop but how far is the question. I think there is no question the Seahawks will target Penix, so IMO Nix and possibly McCarthy would be the Ram's targets.

CB is a hard position for a rookie to transition from college to the pros because the NFL requires technique precision most colleges don't emphasize. It's why some rookies at CB take at least a year maybe two to develop. This is why I would like them to extend Witherspoon if they can. Give that position a bridge for the rookie to learn behind. Hopefully, Tomlinson can take that next step in his development and give them the depth they need. Shelley is an underrated SCB if used properly.

Depth at safety is also a concern. But I think they have their starters in Lake and Yeast.

This draft will be more focused, i.e. more targeted in who they take. IMO OT will be a targeted position on day 2. Play him at RT as a rookie then move him to LT if they choose to do so in 2025. Jackson needs to show his improvement this year because he's going to expect a big payday next year. Hopefully, Wendell can turn him into the franchise LT they need. But they will also need a RT so drafting an OT this year covers their bases in case Jackson doesn't meet expectations either developmentally or contract wise.

Yeah, I still think Noteboom and Havenstein will be post June 1 transactions. I just don't see them paying Rob $14.5M for 2024 then releasing him after that at the end of his contract. The money they recoup from both of them combined will pay for Shelton and Dotson with some change left over.

This draft may not have a lot of immediate starters but it should give the quality rotational depth they are currently lacking. These guys could be starters in one or two years. If you want to build a dynasty type franchise you need to draft looking at the long term i.e. one or two years ahead. This way as contract or injury attrition happens they already have an experienced player to step into the position.

I'm really looking forward to this draft.

 

[Merlin]

I really like what both Z. Evans and Hodges-Tomlinson bring to the Rams. Both are underrated talents, who I think will play bigger than their draft position. HT is as close to being a lockdown SCB as you are going to get. Evans could be that missing piece and it offers the Rams security depending upon what happens with Akers after this season. Personally, I would like them to extend Akers but who knows if they will or if he will warrant it. Regardless I think the Rams are truly 3 deep at RB this year.

I think you're overusing the blind faith vote when it comes to Evans. I mean betting on McVay and Snead is a good bet generally speaking but they're not perfect. So if you want to keep doubling down on every single pick being a home run you're gonna run out of luck and victory laps as it pertains to last year's draft class.

Evans in that limited look was not even remotely impressive. So is he some amazing pick that is going to round out our depth? Well that's up to him to some extent, as the beauty of this game is the players have a big part in that equation. But I'm not seeing it. I see no reason to think it either, given his college storyline or his time to date with the Rams. That run he had sticks in my head in fact, where he went down way too easily for my taste.

But again I have certain preferences with backs and generally speaking that includes physicality. Even Williams, at his size, brings physicality and does not shrink from the moments when run options dictate contact. Evans to my eye has a long way to go, and in fact for this draft I'd treat him as a hole on the roster. Which is to say I'd bring in another RB for depth mid to late rounds to ensure I have enough in that backfield, and from there if Evans wants to engage and get the most from his talent so be it. If not then we're covered.

Might be time to ease up on the "every move the Rams make is perfect" as it pertains to personnel and the draft. Because for any of us that have been fans of this game long enough we know there is no such thing as hitting on every pick. It was a fine draft. But not all these guys are going to be studs my man.

 

[oldnotdead]

I think you have to look at how they used Evans. A lot of his snaps came in garbage time where he was simply plowing into the line to kill clock time. The sample is too small to really make a determination as to how good or not he really is. When you are killing the clock the main thing is ball security not looking for yardage. He was a rookie, so I will wait and give him the benefit of a larger sample of snaps to make a decision on him. He's got talent, he proved that in college. IMO it's a matter of his own mental drive and ability to cultivate his own developmental growth.

IMO he's got more talent than Ronnie Rivers. If he can take the next step then why not as a #3RB? I see them as drafting another RB to fill that #2 role. McVay's running game is no longer predicated on busting big plays in the run game. He's gone to a more move the chains type of approach. That is why he released Akers and Williams is a better fit. It's why he kept Rivers because he's a stay ahead of the chains type of talent. IMO they are looking for a RB with explosive burst, good field vision, power and elusiveness and good hands as a receiver. That is the definition of a RB in a move the chains type of offense.

I shake my head when I look at the Rams RB room. With Sean's revised offense Sony Michel would have been a perfect 3 down RB.

McVay has come to realize that explosive plays can leave too much time on the clock and clock management is a legitimate offensive consideration. That is why he is looking at YAC as his explosive plays in the passing game. Stafford will take the deep strike if he deems it's there but it's not his primary read IMO.

It's why his passing attack opens the door to more QBs. Going through his progressions quickly, making good decisions and being able to pass with accuracy and velocity in the short to intermediate zones is more important than his deep throw arm strength. The tipoff to that was their moving Van Jefferson to Atlanta (I believe that is the team he's on).

Its why I decided that Nix and perhaps McCarthy might be their focus for the next QB because they are better scheme fits for his current offense. Originally, I think McVay's offense was to read deep to short which made Penix a good fit as it's how they played at UW. Both Nix and McCarthy can make deep throws with accuracy but their transition to McVay's evolved offense makes them better fits Also both QBs could drop within the Ram's ability to get one of them.

The other consideration is that moving to a ball control type of offense means a higher reliance upon having a good PK to keep ringing up points be it 7 or 3.