Lattimore set to meet with Rams

[CaptainKurt]

A shell of his former self may have been a bit excessive, but there's no doubt he wasnt the same guy. This knee injury is worse. I dont think NFL teams can even project him to return to his 2012 form. Additionally they are assuming a huge risk that he'll ever be medically right again. That's too big of a risk for the 3rd round

Guys on this board are crazy about Le'Veon Bell. Bell, along with Andre Ellington, Montee Ball, and Stepfan Taylor, could all be available when we select in the 3rd. They're all healthy and carry a considerably lower level of risk

Knee injuries, while serious, do not necessarily mean a player is done for the rest of his career. With medical procedures improving all the time, players are bouncing back better than ever before. Adrian Peterson blew out his knee and came back a year later to almost break the single-season rushing record.

When the Rams meet with Lattimore, they will check him out medically (like they did with Jake Long) and they will talk to him to get a sense of his character and level of determination.

From everything I've read, this kid seems like he is a great person who is extremely dedicated and James Andrews puts him on the same level as RGIII in terms of his ability to bounce back.

The other players you mentioned don't have the upside that Lattimore has.

I would make a gamble like that. Jenkins was a risk in Round 2 last year, and it worked out great.

 

[jrry32]

A shell of his former self may have been a bit excessive, but there's no doubt he wasnt the same guy. This knee injury is worse. I dont think NFL teams can even project him to return to his 2012 form. Additionally they are assuming a huge risk that he'll ever be medically right again. That's too big of a risk for the 3rd round

Guys on this board are crazy about Le'Veon Bell. Bell, along with Andre Ellington, Montee Ball, and Stepfan Taylor, could all be available when we select in the 3rd. They're all healthy and carry a considerably lower level of risk

The 49ers took that same risk on Frank Gore and it paid off for them. I'm not advocating Lattimore in the 3rd. That's too much of a risk without being able to see his medical. But if the Doctors give him the green-light with medical, I'd certainly consider him in the 3rd. I'd take him in the 4th.

The only guy on that list that seems appealing to me is Le'Veon Bell. Ball is basically Shonne Green. No explosion and bad in the passing game. Taylor is good in the passing game but he also lacks explosion and burst. Ellington is a good player with balance but he's undersized and has had a lot of injury issues at Clemson.

Lattimore is far more talented than any of those three. Bell isn't right there with 2012 Lattimore. But if you get 2010 or 2011 Lattimore once he gets healthy, Marcus is easily worth the pick. It's a risky pick but you don't have top 15 talents drop that far without risk.

 

[-X-]

A shell of his former self may have been a bit excessive, but there's no doubt he wasnt the same guy. This knee injury is worse. I dont think NFL teams can even project him to return to his 2012 form. Additionally they are assuming a huge risk that he'll ever be medically right again. That's too big of a risk for the 3rd round

Guys on this board are crazy about Le'Veon Bell. Bell, along with Andre Ellington, Montee Ball, and Stepfan Taylor, could all be available when we select in the 3rd. They're all healthy and carry a considerably lower level of risk

The 49ers took that same risk on Frank Gore and it paid off for them. I'm not advocating Lattimore in the 3rd. That's too much of a risk without being able to see his medical. But if the Doctors give him the green-light with medical, I'd certainly consider him in the 3rd. I'd take him in the 4th.

The only guy on that list that seems appealing to me is Le'Veon Bell. Ball is basically Shonne Green. No explosion and bad in the passing game. Taylor is good in the passing game but he also lacks explosion and burst. Ellington is a good player with balance but he's undersized and has had a lot of injury issues at Clemson.

Lattimore is far more talented than any of those three. Bell isn't right there with 2012 Lattimore. But if you get 2010 or 2011 Lattimore once he gets healthy, Marcus is easily worth the pick. It's a risky pick but you don't have top 15 talents drop that far without risk.

Question for both of you.

What did you think of Alfred Morris before the draft last year?

Not trying to *prove* anything. Just curious is all.

 

[jrry32]

Question for both of you.

What did you think of Alfred Morris before the draft last year?

Not trying to *prove* anything. Just curious is all.

I heard Morris's name during E-W Shrine week but I never looked into the kid. So I didn't really think anything about him. :lol:

 

[libertadrocks]

The 49ers took that same risk on Frank Gore and it paid off for them. I'm not advocating Lattimore in the 3rd. That's too much of a risk without being able to see his medical. But if the Doctors give him the green-light with medical, I'd certainly consider him in the 3rd. I'd take him in the 4th.

The only guy on that list that seems appealing to me is Le'Veon Bell. Ball is basically Shonne Green. No explosion and bad in the passing game. Taylor is good in the passing game but he also lacks explosion and burst. Ellington is a good player with balance but he's undersized and has had a lot of injury issues at Clemson.

Lattimore is far more talented than any of those three. Bell isn't right there with 2012 Lattimore. But if you get 2010 or 2011 Lattimore once he gets healthy, Marcus is easily worth the pick. It's a risky pick but you don't have top 15 talents drop that far without risk.

I dont understand how any medical team or talent evaluator can determine if Lattimore is 'right' before the draft. Realistically he is still 6 months away from being able to play.

While they may conclude his recovery is on schedule and that he is working hard towards becoming the RB he once was, the most important variable will remain unknown. Is he as explosive as he was? Does he trust the knee? Is his running style altered? Does he shy away from contact? etc

No doubt Lattimore is better than all of those other prospects, but none of the other prospects carry nearly as much risk. I just think most are underestimating the amount of risk aversion in NFL draft war rooms.

Question for both of you.

What did you think of Alfred Morris before the draft last year?

Not trying to *prove* anything. Just curious is all.

Honestly, he wasnt even on my radar.

I'll typically look at the top tier prospects one by one, but I have a tendency to overlook some late round guys

 

[jrry32]

I dont understand how any medical team or talent evaluator can determine if Lattimore is 'right' before the draft. Realistically he is still 6 months away from being able to play.

While they may conclude his recovery is on schedule and that he is working hard towards becoming the RB he once was, the most important variable will remain unknown. Is he as explosive as he was? Does he trust the knee? Is his running style altered? Does he shy away from contact? etc

No doubt Lattimore is better than all of those other prospects, but none of the other prospects carry nearly as much risk. I just think most are underestimating the amount of risk aversion in NFL draft war rooms.

That was a typo, meant to say Bell is on par with 2012 Lattimore. How do they determine he's right? They look at how the knee is healing, the progress he made and check out the other knee. It's not going to be 100% exact but they can get quite a good feel for it. Especially if he's already able to do some working out and drills.

Does Marcus Lattimore shy away from contact? Come on.

Carry as much risk? Ehhh. I'd say Ellington, Ball and Taylor each carry a lot of risk. In Taylor's case, how do you explain to your fans that you took a HB with a slower 40 than two offensive linemen this year? :ww:

In Ball's case, he has a history of concussions and does not contribute in the passing game.

In Ellington's case, he's undersized with a history of ankle injuries.

All of them carry risk. Bell is probably the least risky and the best which is why I like him the most out of any of those options.

 

[RamFan503]

Good to be having fun on a board again.. Thanks.

See THAT is what this board is about.

 

[Faceplant]

All of them carry risk. Bell is probably the least risky and the best which is why I like him the most out of any of those options.

Agreed.

 

[F. Mulder]

Personally I wouldn't take him before the 4th and prefer the 5th.

 

[Ramhusker]

I said earlier that I wouldn't take a chance on him before the 4th but I must clarify that that gamble would only be taken if guys like Montee Ball and Le Veon Bell are already off the board. I love the guys heart but the Rams are not set enough in regards to possibly tossing a pretty good draft pick on a gamble like say teams with more solid rosters and more draft picks can do. I'm thinking of teams like the 49ers and Seahawks could take that gamble but the Rams would have to trade one of their 1st round picks for 3 additional picks to play that game in my opinion. :idk: But what the hell do I know??? If I was in the front office, I would probably be wasting my time calling in QB prospects to make teams behind me think I was actually thinking about picking one so maybe I could prompt other teams to try and trade up.

 

[jrry32]

I said earlier that I wouldn't take a chance on him before the 4th but I must clarify that that gamble would only be taken if guys like Montee Ball and Le Veon Bell are already off the board. I love the guys heart but the Rams are not set enough in regards to possibly tossing a pretty good draft pick on a gamble like say teams with more solid rosters and more draft picks can do. I'm thinking of teams like the 49ers and Seahawks could take that gamble but the Rams would have to trade one of their 1st round picks for 3 additional picks to play that game in my opinion. :idk: But what the hell do I know??? If I was in the front office, I would probably be wasting my time calling in QB prospects to make teams behind me think I was actually thinking about picking one so maybe I could prompt other teams to try and trade up.

It's an interesting conundrum, though. Do bad teams stay bad(or stay average) because they try to play it too safe? Do good teams stay good because they take the right calculated risks?

I wouldn't waste time bringing in QBs. Your workouts and visits are too important to waste time with guys you have no interest in. Plus...as an opposing team...I'd have a hard time taking it seriously.

Odds are that if a QB falls there worth selling up, if you want to move down and don't have offers, you can try bluffing that you have an offer with teams that might be interested to convince them to outbid the fictional team.

 

[jap]

I would expect Lattimore to get Jake Long-esque medical checking as the Rams try to project his progress with respect to their own interests this upcoming season. With Sam expected to assume more ownership of the leadership role, Lattimore, if projected to be healthy enough to be worth a draft selection, might be able to work his way in gradually between Sam's passing and the auxiliary rushing of Isaiah, DR, and Ganaway---to say nothing of Tavin Austin on reverses (Ooops! we don't have him---yet! :twisted: ).

 

[brokeu91]

Personally I wouldn't take him before the 4th and prefer the 5th.

I agree. It could be a real risk taking him. He probably won't be able to start the season and may not play at all this year. This was a major injury, and despite the talent any injuries to knees for a skill position player is a very bad thing. I know he has not had the amount of injuries that DX had, but look at what that did to his production despite his first round talent.

If we didn't have as many holes to fill I'd say it might be worth a third round pick, but right now that third round pick could be a player who could start at some point this season and be productive for us. I'd say we probably should pass until the fourth round.

Next year, I think we'll be able to start taking flyers on guys like that.