The Rams made another signing today (Tyrunn Walker). I'm a fan of the move. It addresses our depth issues on the DL. I don't know what our plans are for Center, so I won't assume that we do or don't sign one.
Trade
Rams trade Round 3 Pick #5
Redskins trade Round 3 Pick #17 and Round 4 Pick #17
NFL Draft
Round 2 Pick #5 -
T.J. Watt OLB Wisconsin
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D6xzoyg2mY
Summary: Watt is probably my favorite prospect in this draft. He's a paradox of sorts because he's a raw player who is also polished. Watt has only played defense for two years and only started for one year. Yet, he already shows high-level recognition of blocking schemes, a strong understanding of how to exploit his opposition, and polished hand use. Watt possesses a powerful punch, outstanding flexibility throughout his body, and the speed to threaten the edge. He also has flashed the ability to overwhelm OLs with power. Watt needs to get stronger to take the next step as a pass rusher. With a consistent power game, he'd be capable of posting double digit sacks year in and year out. Additionally, Watt needs to continue to develop his pass rush moves/counters and work on finishing plays. He has to play more under control when finishing. He cost himself at 4 or 5 sacks this year (if not more) because he failed to finish the play. Ultimately, Watt provides a high-upside player to develop behind Barwin, a very talented rotational pass rusher, and insurance for Robert Quinn.
Round 3 Pick #17 -
Jourdan Lewis CB Michigan
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp3mHua_jSQ
Summary: With Lewis getting arrested for domestic violence, it seems likely that he'll fall further than he should. After reading about the circumstances preceding his arrest and considering his track record, I think it's pretty flimsy. As a player, Lewis is a tenacious competitor who makes up for his lack of height (5'10" 188) and elite long speed (4.54 40) with sticky cover skills, fluid hips, and extremely quick feet. Lewis camps out in the hip pocket of the WR. He's constantly challenging passes at the catch point, he displays polished footwork, and he uses his hands well while pressing. Despite his short stature, he's a highly effective press CB because of his quick feet, long arms (relative to his size), feisty nature, patient approach, and sound technical skill. I think Lewis is an outstanding fit in our scheme because he possesses the versatility to play both in the slot and outside the numbers. He can be our Chris Harris Jr. I think Wade will highly value Lewis's skill-set, and he seems to be getting underrated as people get caught up on the measurables of CBs who don't cover like Lewis does.
Round 4 Pick #5 -
Eddie Vanderdoes NT UCLA
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10CtPc_VaGw
Summary: Vanderdoes is an interesting player due to his backstory. He was a top ranked recruit out of HS who put a lot of good play on film between major injuries in college. Vanderdoes played heavier in 2016 than I would want him to play in the NFL (he was around 6'3" 325). He was pretty much immovable against the run, but it limited his ability to penetrate. Vanderdoes came into the Combine at 6'3" 305 and ran an impressive 4.99 40. Vanderdoes is country strong and uses it to stack blocks and disrupt the run game. As a pass rusher, he's pretty raw at this stage. He's been described as a bull in a china shop. He goes all out in terms of effort but plays a bit out of control. Still, Vanderdoes has a lot of potential if he stays healthy and should be at home attacking in Wade's scheme. As it is now, he has the ability to be a a quality run stopper with the potential to maybe develop into a solid to good pass rusher down the line.
Round 4 Pick #17 -
Chase Roullier C/OG Wyoming
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udIir9JOgLg
Summary: I stumbled onto Roullier late, but I really like this kid. As I said before, I like his skill-set for our scheme more than I do Pocic's and Elflein's. He's exactly what Kromer wants. Despite coming from Wyoming (small school), Roullier is a well-coached player exiting a pro style offense (his HC, Craig Bohl, was Carson Wentz's HC). Roullier spent his first two years as a starter at LG before moving over to Center this year. At 6'4" 312, Roullier fits what Kromer looks for in his interior OLs. Roullier is a strong player at the POA with the lower body strength, leg drive, and nastiness to move guys out of the way. Roullier does an excellent job of staying on his blocks and playing through the whistle. He displays sound technical skill and quality body control while blocking on the move. As a pass protector, Roullier shows nimble feet, sound footwork, polished hand usage, and a strong base. Roullier's weaknesses are his lack of experience at Center, his short arms, and his balance in pass protection. Roullier needs to do a better job of adjusting to stunts and twists. He also needs to get used to playing in the Center spot, as he lost his footing due to the bodies around him too often this year. All in all, Roullier is a quality all around player who fits our scheme and has few true weaknesses.
Round 4 Pick #35 -
George Kittle TE Iowa
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNsmmz6t5TI
Summary: George Kittle is one of the most interesting guys in this class. He was unheralded going into the Combine out of Iowa. He had solid production as a pass catcher in college but nothing eye popping (other than his yards per catch average). At the Combine, the 6'4" 247 pound Kittle surprised a lot of people by running a 4.52 40 and posting incredible jump numbers for a man his size. However, Kittle is more than just an athlete. What separates Kittle from your typical athletic project is that Kittle is a phenomenal blocking TE. Kirk Ferentz puts out a lot of polished TEs and OLs from Iowa. Kittle is another guy cut from that cloth as a blocker. He is a tenacious run blocker who uses his athleticism, body control, polished technique, and quality strength to create lanes in the run game and take his defender out of the play. Kittle plays through the whistle as a blocker and looks to bury his man. As a pass catcher, he needs a lot of development as a route runner, but he has shown that he has the athleticism, YAC skills, and hands to be a threat.
Round 5 Pick #5 -
Josh Reynolds WR Texas A&M
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5OVUO5phtY
Summary: Honestly, I don't know why Reynolds is rated as a 5th round pick. This is a deep WR class, but Reynolds should go two rounds earlier than this. However, I'm going to take advantage of teams not giving him the respect he deserves. Reynolds posted nearly 2800 yards and 30 TDs in 3 years in the SEC. Aside from his TDs, the stat that stands out with Reynolds is his career 17.0 yards per catch average. At 6'3" 195, Reynolds is very thin for a NFL WR. This is probably the biggest reason why he's underrated. He doesn't have a normal body type. He doesn't have much, if any, growth potential, so he'll always be thin. Play strength is definitely a concern at the next level. However, Reynolds displays the toughness, physicality, effort, and work habits to overcome his physical limitations. And frankly, Reynolds's thin frame gives him advantages other big WRs don't usually have. Reynolds is a gliding long-strider who preys upon CBs who don't respect his deep speed. Reynolds also displays incredible quick-twitch athleticism, foot quickness, and hip flexibility for a 6'3" WR. This makes him a highly effective route runner. To top it all off, Reynolds is as good as it gets at tracking the deep ball, has very reliable hands, and has shown the ability to make circus catches. All in all, Reynolds is a legitimate deep threat, red-zone threat, and dangerous route runner. He's also a high character kid who will do all the little things and give full effort at all times.
Round 6 Pick #5 -
Vince Biegel ILB/OLB Wisconsin
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuOcKH_QHHM
Summary: I am not a huge fan of Biegel as an edge rusher in the NFL, and there are legitimate concerns about his injury history. However, I love the thought of Biegel at SILB. Biegel lacks the power, length, ability to bend the edge, and explosiveness to win consistently as an edge rusher. However, Biegel has tremendous instincts, good speed for his size (4.67 40), good agility for his size, and a non-stop motor. At 6'3" 246, Biegel's size and athletic traits make him a perfect fit for SILB in Wade's scheme. He can hold his own in coverage and will be able to stack and shed blocks in the run game. He also has the speed and agility to run sideline to sideline. Biegel is a smart, high energy player who has quality athletic traits, but his traits simply don't fit on the edge. In addition to Biegel's value as a SILB, Biegel also has the makings of a studly core special teamer. That only increases his value on Day 3 of the Draft. Biegel provides a lot of value for us as a depth OLB, a possible starter at ILB (if we move Barron to SS), and a core special teamer. If Biegel gets drafted before this (a real possibility), I'd take ILB Blair Brown from Ohio in this spot.
Round 6 Pick #22 -
Joshua Holsey CB Auburn
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-MJCkkQ1Bs&t=49s
Summary: Holsey is on my list of underrated CBs. This is such a deep and talented class that a guy like Holsey can go unnoticed. Holsey had two torn ACLs in his career, so that is a concern with him. However, he has exceptionally quick feet, the speed to run with WRs deep, loose hips, and good ball-skills. He can get a little grabby at times, but as we all know, some CBs use that to their advantage (*cough* Richard Sherman). Holsey is a CB who hides it well and uses it to his advantage. Holsey handled a number of top college WRs, including Mike Williams, during his senior season at Auburn. Plus, we do Holsey a favor by drafting Josh Reynolds; he was the only WR I saw get the better of Holsey this year.
Round 7 Pick #16 -
Chad Williams WR Grambling State
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbjLsP1o7N8
Summary: Chad Williams is a flyer and the first major character risk in this draft (I don't see Lewis as a character risk). Williams had a strong showing at the NFLPA Game and earned an invite to the Senior Bowl. He also had a strong showing during Senior Bowl practices. He reportedly showed the burst to separate out of his breaks and caught the ball well. He's still a very raw route runner and needs a lot of development before he's ready to play, but he has a lot of upside. Williams posted 90 catches for 1337 yards and 11 TDs this year at Grambling. In 2015, he posted 64 catches for 1012 yards and 10 TDs. Williams's basketball background has given him impressive body control and the ability to come down with jump balls. Williams proved he has NFL athleticism when he ran a 4.37 40 at his Pro Day at 6'1" 205. Williams plays the game with a chip on his shoulder, isn't afraid to get physical, and runs hard after the catch. However, he was arrested before this season on a marijuana and firearm possession charge.
Projected Starters
QB: Jared Goff
HB: Todd Gurley
FB: Cory Harkey
XWR: Robert Woods
ZWR:
Josh Reynolds
SLWR: Tavon Austin
TE: Tyler Higbee
LT: Andew Whitworth
LG: Rodger Saffold
C:
Chase Roullier
RG: Greg Robinson
RT: Rob Havenstein
LDE: Michael Brockers
NT:
Eddie Vanderdoes
RDE: Aaron Donald
LOLB: Connor Barwin
LILB: Mark Barron
RILB: Alec Ogletree
ROLB: Robert Quinn
LCB: Trumaine Johnson
RCB: Kayvon Webster vs. E.J. Gaines
SLCB:
Jourdan Lewis
FS: LaMarcus Joyner
SS: Maurice Alexander
K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Johnny Hekker
LS: Jake McQuaide
KR: Pharoh Cooper
PR: Tavon Austin
