Rabid Ram said:
Memento said:
Trade down from #16 and take Larry Warford at #22. I know that my opinion isn't going to be shared by everyone, but I firmly believe that Warford is the best guard in this draft (yes, even over Warmack), and in this weak class, I don't see any reason why he wouldn't be considered a first round pick; he's far better than some of the other prospects at premium positions. Take him and move Watkins to left guard, and the Rams have themselves a beefy O-line that will run opposing D-lines over and have good pass-protection against them as well.
Why not leave Watkins and draft Cooper to play left
I'm not a fan of Cooper. He strikes me as more of a center than a guard, and I have the feeling that he'll eventually have to move there to be the most successful. On the plus side, Cooper is a very intelligent player who is quite athletic for a man his size.
On the negative side, he struggles at pulling against faster ends and linebackers (see, Independence Bowl against Missouri), isn't strong enough to fend off larger defensive tackles, and in spite of his athleticism, he still struggles against elite quickness at defensive tackle. Sheldon Richardson (who was notoriously
horrible in his sophomore year) and Dominique Hamilton (strong nose tackle who isn't close to being an NFL player) had a field day against Cooper and the UNC O-line in general when Mizzou played against them. I don't buy his Combine weight either; at the very most, he played at 295 when he was at UNC. He will be a center at the next level, not a guard.
I rank Warford, Warmack, Barrett Jones (in fact, I have no idea why his stock is dropping; he's done everything people have asked of him and more), and Kyle Long ahead of Cooper when it comes to guard.