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This is a new scenario that I've been pondering after reviewing film on some players. While the first couple picks are typical of my mock, after that, it changes quite drastically. Some may like, some may not.
Trade
Rams trade:
Pick #2
Falcons trade:
Pick #6
Falcons 2nd(#37)
2015 2nd
Rams trade:
Rams 2nd(#44)
49ers trade:
49ers 2nd(#61)
49ers 3rd(#94)
Rams trade:
Rams 3rd(#75)
Rams 4th(#106)
Patriots trade:
Patriots 2nd(#62)
Analysis: I still think the Falcons make the most sense as a trade partner. I think we'll have a hard time getting that future 1st out of them so we settle for a future 2nd here. We decide to trade down from our mid 2nd with San Francisco who trades up for a CB or WR that has fallen since they have multiple picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. We then trade up from our 3rd with New England for the pick right after the San Francisco pick we acquired.
NFL Draft
Round 1 Pick #6 - Jake Matthews OT/OG/C Texas A&M
Analysis: With Saffold coming back, that's a very large weight lifted. Still, I think Saffold stands a better chance to stay healthy at RG than he does at LT so I'd rather us keep him at RG. Drafting Jake gives us a player that can step in at LT if Long isn't ready(I think he will be) and play LG at a VERY high level if Long is ready. Matthews is incredibly technically sound, smart, and has top notch intangibles. His hand use, natural bend, and punch timing are all what you'd expect from a top tier NFL LT. He's also a great athlete who has underrated strength, excellent balance and impressive coordination. Matthews can play any position on the OL, is a plug and play guy from Day 1, and is a durable player who should have a long career in the NFL.
Round 1 Pick #13 - Aaron Donald DT Pittsburgh
Analysis: He's a mainstay in my mock drafts for a reason. Donald is a special player at the UT spot in the NFL. His ability to penetrate and disrupt plays is unrivaled in this draft. While undersized at 6'1" 285, Donald has freakish athleticism for a DT and is a technically refined player that plays with a very high motor. He was very arguably the best defensive player in college football in 2013. His hand use, use of leverage, lower body strength, and explosion off the snap make him a lethal pass rusher. He also has the anchor, balance, ability to stack blocks, and lateral agility to be an effective run stopper in the NFL. Donald has the ability to be a Rod Coleman, La'Roi Glover, and dare I say it John Randle type force in the middle of a defense.
Round 2 Pick #5 - Jimmie Ward FS Northern Illinois
Analysis: Every time you watch Ward play, he flashes. The guy is just all over the field. He always seems to be around the ball. Ward possesses top tier instincts, is a reliable tackler in space, and has the natural cover skills to match-up man to man on the slot WR. He also possesses the range and athleticism to make plays out of center-field as a safety. Him and LaMarcus Joyner are game changers imo at the FS spot. Those two guys are just incredible natural football players. Ward will struggle to get off blocks in the box and isn't the biggest hitter but as a FS in our scheme, that shouldn't be an issue.
Round 2 Pick #29 - Phillip Gaines CB Rice
Analysis: Gaines lit it up at the combine by posting a 4.34 time in the 40, 6.62 3 Cone Drill, and a 4.04 Short Shuttle all at nearly 6'0.5" 193 pounds. His senior season at Rice, Gaines allowed only 13 receptions on 40 targets. Watching his film, I really liked what I saw of Gaines's cover skills. He's fluid mover with quick-twitch athleticism and quick feet. He possesses the loose hips to turn and run with WRs out of press coverage and the long speed to cover just about anyone. He also uses his length well and transitions out of his backpedal effectively. He has the athleticism and cover skills to be an excellent CB in the NFL with improved technique. While watching him, I also noticed that he's a pile watcher that doesn't really play that physically. He doesn't fight off WR blocks well, doesn't play with a lot of strength, and doesn't tackle consistently well. So you have to take the good with the bad, great cover skills but I'd call him soft.
Round 2 Pick #30 - Jared Abbrederis WR Wisconsin
Analysis: This pick might come as a bit of a surprise to some of you but after reviewing Abbrederis's film again, I really like what I saw. He's an INCREDIBLE route runner for a college WR that uses subtle fakes, route stems, changing of speed, and double/triple moves to setup CBs and get them out of position. If there was a record for forcing DBs to turn the wrong direction prior to making your break, making DBs loose their footing, and getting DBs to bite on double moves...I think Abbrederis would have broken the college record. It seemed whenever you watched him, he was selling his routes so well that he just created miles of separation coming out of his breaks. His route running ability might just be better than Keenan Allen's was last year. He sells his routes like a savvy 10 year NFL veteran. Can't wait to see what he does with NFL Coaching. He's a former walk-on QB so he's a really heady guy too and rarely ever drops passes. He also ran a 4.44 40 time at the combine and plays fast on film. The negatives I see in his game are that he's not physically strong and struggles to get off jams at times because of it, lacks bulk(6'1" 195), and isn't great at coming down with contested passes like a Mike Evans is.
Round 3 Pick #30 - Charles Sims HB West Virginia
Analysis: With Stacy's tendency to get nicked up and our lack of 3rd down options at HB on the roster, I think Sims would be a nice pick-up here. Sims possesses natural hands out of the back-field(203 receptions in his college career) and runs excellent routes for a HB. He also is a good pass protector. He should, at minimum, earn reps as a 3rd down HB for the Rams. Sims also possesses the speed to take it to the house(4.47 40 at the combine), is a HB with impressive wiggle, and is a decisive runner that does a nice job of getting up-field. He would be a nice lightning combination to Stacy's thunder. Plus, if Stacy does get injured, Sims has the size(6'0" 215) to carry the load for the mean time.
Round 5 Pick #13 - Trai Turner OG LSU
Analysis: Turner gives us additional depth on the interior OL. He came out a little too early as a sophomore but he's a 6'3" 310 pound OG despite his young age with very good athleticism for his size and solid power. There's definitely plenty of potential here for a guy like Boudreau to build on. And hopefully, Turner will be able to sit as a rookie and be coached up. Developmental OL pick here with a lot of upside.
Round 6 Pick #12 - Kevin Pierre-Louis OLB Boston College
Analysis: Aggressive, athletic OLB that should be able to contribute to the Rams as a nickel LB and special teamer. KPL had an exceptional combine and an impressive senior season. On tape, he's athletic and instinctive kid that plays a lot more effectively than you'd expect downhill. He's a bit undersized at 6'0" 232 but he's not afraid to throw his body around. Still, he'll struggle disengaging from the blocks of TEs and OLs in the NFL.
Round 7 Pick #11 - Trey Millard FB Oklahoma
Analysis: Millard is a hyper athletic FB from Oklahoma. He can lead block, catch the ball out of the back-field and run with it effectively. He appeared to be well on his way to being a 4th round pick due to his freakish athleticism for a 6'2" 255 pound FB but he tore his ACL during the 2013 season. Still, he has a lot of potential as a weapon and lead blocker in the NFL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnMmWYG0zlw
Round 7 Pick #26 - Tahj Boyd QB Clemson
Analysis: Before someone complains that Boyd won't be here, this is just a name holder pick. We'd more likely draft a QB in this mock with one of our 6th round comp picks which is where we'd select Tahj Boyd or Tom Savage but I didn't feel like dealing with all the comp picks in this mock.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1tv-HmWPH8
Projected Starters
QB: Sam Bradford
HB: Zac Stacy
FB: Trey Millard
XWR: Jared Abbrederis
ZWR: Tavon Austin
SLWR: Stedman Bailey
TE: Jared Cook
LT: Jake Long
LG: Jake Matthews
C: Scott Wells
RG: Rodger Saffold
RT: Joe Barksdale
LDE: Chris Long
LDT: Kendall Langford
RDT: Michael Brockers
RDE: Robert Quinn
WLB: Alec Ogletree
MLB: James Laurinaitis
SLB: Jo-Lonn Dunbar
RCB: Janoris Jenkins
LCB: Trumaine Johnson
SLCB: Phillip Gaines
FS: Jimmie Ward
SS: T.J. McDonald
K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Johnny Hekker
What do you guys think?
Trade
Rams trade:
Pick #2
Falcons trade:
Pick #6
Falcons 2nd(#37)
2015 2nd
Rams trade:
Rams 2nd(#44)
49ers trade:
49ers 2nd(#61)
49ers 3rd(#94)
Rams trade:
Rams 3rd(#75)
Rams 4th(#106)
Patriots trade:
Patriots 2nd(#62)
Analysis: I still think the Falcons make the most sense as a trade partner. I think we'll have a hard time getting that future 1st out of them so we settle for a future 2nd here. We decide to trade down from our mid 2nd with San Francisco who trades up for a CB or WR that has fallen since they have multiple picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. We then trade up from our 3rd with New England for the pick right after the San Francisco pick we acquired.
NFL Draft
Round 1 Pick #6 - Jake Matthews OT/OG/C Texas A&M
Analysis: With Saffold coming back, that's a very large weight lifted. Still, I think Saffold stands a better chance to stay healthy at RG than he does at LT so I'd rather us keep him at RG. Drafting Jake gives us a player that can step in at LT if Long isn't ready(I think he will be) and play LG at a VERY high level if Long is ready. Matthews is incredibly technically sound, smart, and has top notch intangibles. His hand use, natural bend, and punch timing are all what you'd expect from a top tier NFL LT. He's also a great athlete who has underrated strength, excellent balance and impressive coordination. Matthews can play any position on the OL, is a plug and play guy from Day 1, and is a durable player who should have a long career in the NFL.
Round 1 Pick #13 - Aaron Donald DT Pittsburgh
Analysis: He's a mainstay in my mock drafts for a reason. Donald is a special player at the UT spot in the NFL. His ability to penetrate and disrupt plays is unrivaled in this draft. While undersized at 6'1" 285, Donald has freakish athleticism for a DT and is a technically refined player that plays with a very high motor. He was very arguably the best defensive player in college football in 2013. His hand use, use of leverage, lower body strength, and explosion off the snap make him a lethal pass rusher. He also has the anchor, balance, ability to stack blocks, and lateral agility to be an effective run stopper in the NFL. Donald has the ability to be a Rod Coleman, La'Roi Glover, and dare I say it John Randle type force in the middle of a defense.
Round 2 Pick #5 - Jimmie Ward FS Northern Illinois
Analysis: Every time you watch Ward play, he flashes. The guy is just all over the field. He always seems to be around the ball. Ward possesses top tier instincts, is a reliable tackler in space, and has the natural cover skills to match-up man to man on the slot WR. He also possesses the range and athleticism to make plays out of center-field as a safety. Him and LaMarcus Joyner are game changers imo at the FS spot. Those two guys are just incredible natural football players. Ward will struggle to get off blocks in the box and isn't the biggest hitter but as a FS in our scheme, that shouldn't be an issue.
Round 2 Pick #29 - Phillip Gaines CB Rice
Analysis: Gaines lit it up at the combine by posting a 4.34 time in the 40, 6.62 3 Cone Drill, and a 4.04 Short Shuttle all at nearly 6'0.5" 193 pounds. His senior season at Rice, Gaines allowed only 13 receptions on 40 targets. Watching his film, I really liked what I saw of Gaines's cover skills. He's fluid mover with quick-twitch athleticism and quick feet. He possesses the loose hips to turn and run with WRs out of press coverage and the long speed to cover just about anyone. He also uses his length well and transitions out of his backpedal effectively. He has the athleticism and cover skills to be an excellent CB in the NFL with improved technique. While watching him, I also noticed that he's a pile watcher that doesn't really play that physically. He doesn't fight off WR blocks well, doesn't play with a lot of strength, and doesn't tackle consistently well. So you have to take the good with the bad, great cover skills but I'd call him soft.
Round 2 Pick #30 - Jared Abbrederis WR Wisconsin
Analysis: This pick might come as a bit of a surprise to some of you but after reviewing Abbrederis's film again, I really like what I saw. He's an INCREDIBLE route runner for a college WR that uses subtle fakes, route stems, changing of speed, and double/triple moves to setup CBs and get them out of position. If there was a record for forcing DBs to turn the wrong direction prior to making your break, making DBs loose their footing, and getting DBs to bite on double moves...I think Abbrederis would have broken the college record. It seemed whenever you watched him, he was selling his routes so well that he just created miles of separation coming out of his breaks. His route running ability might just be better than Keenan Allen's was last year. He sells his routes like a savvy 10 year NFL veteran. Can't wait to see what he does with NFL Coaching. He's a former walk-on QB so he's a really heady guy too and rarely ever drops passes. He also ran a 4.44 40 time at the combine and plays fast on film. The negatives I see in his game are that he's not physically strong and struggles to get off jams at times because of it, lacks bulk(6'1" 195), and isn't great at coming down with contested passes like a Mike Evans is.
Round 3 Pick #30 - Charles Sims HB West Virginia
Analysis: With Stacy's tendency to get nicked up and our lack of 3rd down options at HB on the roster, I think Sims would be a nice pick-up here. Sims possesses natural hands out of the back-field(203 receptions in his college career) and runs excellent routes for a HB. He also is a good pass protector. He should, at minimum, earn reps as a 3rd down HB for the Rams. Sims also possesses the speed to take it to the house(4.47 40 at the combine), is a HB with impressive wiggle, and is a decisive runner that does a nice job of getting up-field. He would be a nice lightning combination to Stacy's thunder. Plus, if Stacy does get injured, Sims has the size(6'0" 215) to carry the load for the mean time.
Round 5 Pick #13 - Trai Turner OG LSU
Analysis: Turner gives us additional depth on the interior OL. He came out a little too early as a sophomore but he's a 6'3" 310 pound OG despite his young age with very good athleticism for his size and solid power. There's definitely plenty of potential here for a guy like Boudreau to build on. And hopefully, Turner will be able to sit as a rookie and be coached up. Developmental OL pick here with a lot of upside.
Round 6 Pick #12 - Kevin Pierre-Louis OLB Boston College
Analysis: Aggressive, athletic OLB that should be able to contribute to the Rams as a nickel LB and special teamer. KPL had an exceptional combine and an impressive senior season. On tape, he's athletic and instinctive kid that plays a lot more effectively than you'd expect downhill. He's a bit undersized at 6'0" 232 but he's not afraid to throw his body around. Still, he'll struggle disengaging from the blocks of TEs and OLs in the NFL.
Round 7 Pick #11 - Trey Millard FB Oklahoma
Analysis: Millard is a hyper athletic FB from Oklahoma. He can lead block, catch the ball out of the back-field and run with it effectively. He appeared to be well on his way to being a 4th round pick due to his freakish athleticism for a 6'2" 255 pound FB but he tore his ACL during the 2013 season. Still, he has a lot of potential as a weapon and lead blocker in the NFL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnMmWYG0zlw
Round 7 Pick #26 - Tahj Boyd QB Clemson
Analysis: Before someone complains that Boyd won't be here, this is just a name holder pick. We'd more likely draft a QB in this mock with one of our 6th round comp picks which is where we'd select Tahj Boyd or Tom Savage but I didn't feel like dealing with all the comp picks in this mock.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1tv-HmWPH8
Projected Starters
QB: Sam Bradford
HB: Zac Stacy
FB: Trey Millard
XWR: Jared Abbrederis
ZWR: Tavon Austin
SLWR: Stedman Bailey
TE: Jared Cook
LT: Jake Long
LG: Jake Matthews
C: Scott Wells
RG: Rodger Saffold
RT: Joe Barksdale
LDE: Chris Long
LDT: Kendall Langford
RDT: Michael Brockers
RDE: Robert Quinn
WLB: Alec Ogletree
MLB: James Laurinaitis
SLB: Jo-Lonn Dunbar
RCB: Janoris Jenkins
LCB: Trumaine Johnson
SLCB: Phillip Gaines
FS: Jimmie Ward
SS: T.J. McDonald
K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Johnny Hekker
What do you guys think?
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