LA Rams have a good draft class to find a center

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Every year a team needs to band aid something. This year at least one of those band aids is deep WR. They may draft one, but Jackson ensures we got it covered.

(y)
....and a gushing wound at Center...
 

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And then sit him for a year until he's ready to start.
ok.

Because it won't be any different than the in house process for a center that we've done for years without real sustaining success at the position, except we'll have a real center in a year.
 
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badnews

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I aint gonna lie, your words cut deep ~ ROD
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leoram

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While it's not an immediate need, grooming another tackle is extremely important as well. Because I value the OLine above all else, I'm personally hoping for their evaluations to target the best linemen available in both rounds two and three. Controlling the clock by running effectively while protecting the QB protects the defense more than any single player they could draft at CB, edge, DL, or LB. Returning the OLine to a standard where the QB can stand in the pocket longer produces more YPA for all eligible receivers. NOTHING is more important than improving the quality and depth of that unit.

For example, many consider Russell Wilson as a top flight QB but since they tend to ignore the OLine, he can't beat the Rams by throwing from the turf. Kurt Warner was considered washed up until Russ Grimm fixed the Card's offensive line. At the turn of the century, the Chiefs had a dominant offense with middling skill talent (their best WR was Eddie Kennison) because the line plus Tony Gonzales meant everyone they put at RB would go to the Pro Bowl. The same was true when Dickerson left the Rams as one of our best lines paved the way for both Charles White and Greg Bell to have 1,000+ yard seasons.
 
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sloramfan

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rams are the new masters of projecting exactly what they won't do...

center in this draft? absolutely... in the 6th or later, while the draftroom laughs it's asses off at those that fell for the pre-draft hype...

i think the center is already on the team...

the rams aren't so stupid as to paint themselves into a corner, as some think... let's give credit where it's already been earned..

these guys play with real stakes, not keyboard money...

go rams

slo
 

BonifayRam

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Medical flags could plop top center Dickerson into Rams lap in draft (ramblinfan.com)
Medical flags could plop top center Dickerson into Rams lap in draft
by Jay Blucher
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The LA Rams are looking for an offensive center in the 2021 NFL Draft. That’s no secret. What you may not realize is the fact that a top center may fall to the Rams at 57. Wouldn’t that be something?

There aren’t many centers the size of Alabama’s Landon Dickerson in the NFL, and perhaps on the planet, either.

At 6-foot-6 and 335 pounds, you can pick your cliche to insert here: a mountain of a man, a grizzly bear of a man, a behemoth of a man, a human fireplug, a Titan. There’s no denying he’s a massive mauler, whose style of ferocious play reminds NFL scouts of the Indianapolis Colts’ Quenton Nelson.

If he were to be drafted by the LA Rams, he would almost certainly be new offensive line coach Kevin Carberry’s dream addition. Imagine adding this year’s winner of the Rimington Award as the top center in the collegiate ranks to seamlessly fill the shoes of the now-departed Rams center Andrew Blythe.

And while we are on the subject of collegiate accolades, Dickerson is also the co-Jacobs Award winner along with Alabama teammate Alex Leatherwood as the best blocker in the SEC. And he’s a unanimous first-team AP All-American, to boot.

Ahh, but he will never be available at where the Rams pick in round two of the 2021 NFL Draft, will he? I mean, the 57th pick of the draft is very deep into day two, and he will surely be off the board by the time the Rams are on the clock, though, right? Not necessarily.

As the draft approaches, there’s a school of thought out there, draft-inspired whispers, that teams might be a bit hesitant about selecting Dickerson because of medical concerns surrounding his recent spate of injuries. Medical flags and all that. They dropped prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft like rocks off a tall building. And now, Dickerson faces that same bane heading into the 2021 NFL Draft. Medical flags can shatter the dreams of NFL hopefuls.

After all, he did miss parts of four college seasons, with a torn ACL of the right knee in 2016; a season-ending right ankle injury in 2017; a left ankle sprain that kept him off the gridiron for most of the 2018 season, and a torn left knee ACL suffered late in the 2020 season. That particular injury kept him out of showing his stuff at this year’s Senior Bowl.

One torn knee ACL might give pause, but both knees? Some draft experts are even saying he could be a physically-unable-to-perform (PUP list) candidate who might not be fully rehabbed enough to start the season.

His upcoming medical evaluation will be telling.

That all says “slides down” in the draft to me. . . where he just maybe possibly could (hopefully) fall in the Rams lap. And the Rams have many traits in the draft, one of which is blowing past medical flags. This could get very interesting.
 

Soul Surfer

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ok.

Because it won't be any different than the in house process for a center that we've done for years without real sustaining success at the position, except we'll have a real center in a year.
It mostly has to do with the difficulty and incredible importance of the center being able to execute every play correctly.
One fumble can cost you the game.
One missed block can cost you your quarterback.
Going from a likely spread offense to a hybrid zone system ain't easy.
This guy going from a division 3 to starting in the pros?
What the Rams are looking for when they are drafting these guys are good measurables and metrics but guys that didn't live up to their abilities because of subpar coaching or injury.

They want to pick up a guy like a Noteboom or an Edwards that they can get for a lower draft pick and then coach him up into something that they can get a couple 3 years out of as a starter or backup.

I don't even see them re-signing a guy like Edwards.

I think they're going to continue investing 3rd and lower draft picks into these guys and then coach them up and use that as a way to save money for their big shot free agents that they want to keep.

The biggest challenge will be finding a good left tackle without paying premium prices for a free agent.
 

Malibu

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I think that the Rams believe that their starting OC is already on the roster.

If that’s true, don’t expect an OC to be drafted until the 5th round, if at all.
If that is the case we are in serious trouble. Because the weakest link was Center last year so you want to start a guy behind the weakest link who couldn't even start last year and feel we will be just fine that is lunacy
 

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It mostly has to do with the difficulty and incredible importance of the center being able to execute every play correctly.
One fumble can cost you the game.
One missed block can cost you your quarterback.
Going from a likely spread offense to a hybrid zone system ain't easy.
This guy going from a division 3 to starting in the pros?
What the Rams are looking for when they are drafting these guys are good measurables and metrics but guys that didn't live up to their abilities because of subpar coaching or injury.

Well, of course it does, hence the frustration of watching good interior linemen (centers, especially) get bypassed for exciting skill position toys...and dumpster diving for UDFA Oline players. In the case of getting an adequate center, which Austin Blythe was not, imo, we repeat the process that's not working. How about getting a guy who isn't that much of a project at #57 and coach him into an All Pro?
 

Soul Surfer

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Well, of course it does, hence the frustration of watching good interior linemen (centers, especially) get bypassed for exciting skill position toys...and dumpster diving for UDFA Oline players. In the case of getting an adequate center, which Austin Blythe was not, imo, we repeat the process that's not working. How about getting a guy who isn't that much of a project at #57 and coach him into an All Pro?
That sounds great.

My point is I doubt we're going to see any starts out of that Center this year.

I still say one of those third-round picks is about as early as they are going to pick up a center.

I wish we were as good as scouting offensive lineman as we are defensive backs and defensive lineman.
 

Rams43

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If that is the case we are in serious trouble. Because the weakest link was Center last year so you want to start a guy behind the weakest link who couldn't even start last year and feel we will be just fine that is lunacy

Give these coaches a little credit, Malibu. Don’t you think they’ve already weighed every concern of yours, plus many more, before making their decision?

They have a track record of developing their own for a year or two then inserting that player into a productive starting position.

These coaches are seeing the practice, meetings, weight room performance, and mastery of the playbook and it sure looks like they are happy with one or more of their own candidates as their ‘21 starter.

At least more ready than any rookie coming in this year.

In addition, this would allow a premium draft pick to go to another needed position. A genuine twofer, man.

Rams are playing chess with offseason strategy while pundits are playing checkers, if you ask me.
 

bubbaramfan

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Don't forget Rams lost their best blocking RB in Brown. From what i saw from Akers and Henderson at picking up and blocking blitzers, the need for a stout center is even bigger.