Listening to SiriusXM 9:30pm Trade talk

[Elmgrovegnome]

He should be strong enough by now? Most rookies are in need of an NFL strength program entering the league. And didn't this kid come from an Air Raid type passing offense? How often was he blocking defenders on the second level in college? Or even getting in a 3 point stance? But, then he joins the Rams and Kromer has him training in 2-4 different positions over the course of a summer?

If he were a complete player entering the league, chances are he wouldn't have still been on the board 25 picks into the 3rd round of the draft.

Hey, he might turn out to be a bad player with more time. Then again, he might turn out to be another Wayne Gandy who disappointed early, but developed into a pretty good OT in time. But, for anyone to know this early is amazing to me.

Quit calling him a rookie. He wasn't drafted in 2019. He had plenty of time to get stronger and learn technique. You will just have to be amazed.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

that's a given.

your rant made it seem like he traded back a round to the end of the 3rd in that draft. they hardly had any picks. he needed to move around to get more picks.

and there's nothing wrong with the way he drafts. he has values on players, identifies which players the rams will target and moves around the draft board to try and get them in the area he thinks they will drop to. it certainly doesn't make him look like he thinks he's the smartest guy in the room.

.

For the past few years I've felt that Snead loves the 'Trader Les ' persona. Trying to find these diamonds in the rough by collecting 5th, 6th, and 7th round picks is a fools errand. Sure you can get lucky but it's rare. Maybe you get a few backups and spot starters, but the Rams need more than filler. I get frustrated seeing all of the trading back. I have always been a quality over quantity type of guy. Snead's tactics of moving back to get more players he likes instead of fewer players he really likes is not working very well. There was an article a few years ago where he mentioned that was his thinking. He's playing the odds. Draft picks just every year. It does go along with his tendency to trade for proven talent, which I am fine with. But he has to take the risk and pick some quality players that have a better chance of having an impact sooner. Maybe he's gun shy from prior drafts, or maybe his ego as the Wheeling Dealing GM, who is always approached first when teams have a proposition seems to be feeding his ego.

If he trades back both of the second round picks to get some thirds and fourths I think I'll lose it. And if he is jumped because teams know who he wants that's gonna blow just as bad. like last year. It's been a while since I truly liked one of his drafts. I'd rather see him target players ahead of where he picks and trade up, than keep trading back. I am starting to think he is a below average GM and wouldn't mind if the Rams moved on from him.

 

[Memphis Ram]

Quit calling him a rookie. He wasn't drafted in 2019. He had plenty of time to get stronger and learn technique. You will just have to be amazed.

OK. I'll quite calling him a rookie and I'll just be amazed. But, I still say that it's not a one size fits all and Noteboom had no more business playing guard than Blythe did last year. Especially without a veteran like John Sullivan next to him. Getting stronger and learning technique is great, but some players simply suffer from poor position fits at varying levels.

Blythe. Ok Center. Poor Guard.
Saffold. All-Pro Guard. Solid OT.
Havenstein. Solid RT. Better not try at LT.
And IMO, Noteboom. Solid OT. Had no business at OG.

But, this is another reason why I was hoping the Rams moved on from Kromer when Bill Callahan was available this offseason.

 

[wolfdogg]

Apparently L. Fournette can be had for a 5th or 6th round pick. I say do it

 

[nighttrain]

Apparently L. Fournette can be had for a 5th or 6th round pick. I say do it

2nd

 

[wolfdogg]

2nd

Bucky brooks was speculating 5th or 6th. I was surprised to hear that but weve seen some crazy trades recently

 

[dieterbrock]

2nd

3rd

 

[Memphis Ram]

Rams are considering to move up into round 1. I believe it was the 10th pick Browns for both 2nds. Target is said to be OT Cleveland

Not B.S. here. Just saying I heard this driving to work. It was on the update segment

So stay tuned Rams fans.

6. EZRA CLEVELAND, Boise State (6-6, 311, 4.97, 1-2): Cleveland is a three-year starter at LT. “He’s a really good athlete,” said one scout. “He’ll be a solid pass protector. I think he’s steady. He tested out really well. He’ll be close to the first (round). Tackles go.” Lightly recruited out of Spanaway, Wash. “He reminds me of some of the guys Green Bay has had over the years,” said a second scout. “(Bryan) Bulaga, (David) Bakhtiari, guys that kind of are just functional and get the job done. They’re not spectacular, just steady … if Cleveland didn’t have to interview people would really like him. But his interview was so low energy and just kind of flat line that it kind of just scared people. He’s so Steady Eddie. It’s not that he’s a bad guy at all. Cleveland … he’s Boise, he’s a junior, he’s got to get stronger. But he is athletic.” He played most of 2019 with turf toe injury. Led tackles in five categories: the 40, Wonderlic (30), bench press (30), short shuttle (4.46) and 3-cone (7.26). Arms were just 33 3/8, hands were a tiny 9. “Everybody’s high on him,” said another scout. “Why am I not that high on him? There’s a degree of tightness in his hips. Has balance issues. I question his lower-body strength. Not going to beat point-of-attack defenders. Finesse guy that uses his size. Size defenders knock him around. I question his lateral adjust. But guys like him.”

What I've been able to ascertain from media draftniks, it's the Browns who are targeting Ezra Cleveland and are looking to move down from the 10th pick, prior to making that selection.

 

[PressureD41]

@Memphis Ram Well I hope this is correct. I want to keep 2-2's & 2-3/s picks. So much great value for us. Those picks will fuel the competition and possibly end up starting for us like Kupp & JJ3 etc.

 

[Allen2McVay]

The idea that two late second round picks were enough to move-up to #10 overall has never made any sense.

As pointed-out earlier in this thread, perhaps the speculation (if it was about the Rams) was moving-up to the 10th pick in Round Two.

 

[dang]

Whit 2020 < Whit 2019
Corbett?? 2020 > Note 2019
Blythe 2020 > Allen 2019
Edwards 2020 > Blythe 2019
Evans/Hav 2020 = Hav 2019

I’d love to make RT better in 2020 and get a stud OC for the next 7 years.

 

[Merlin]

6. EZRA CLEVELAND, Boise State (6-6, 311, 4.97, 1-2): Cleveland is a three-year starter at LT. “He’s a really good athlete,” said one scout. “He’ll be a solid pass protector. I think he’s steady. He tested out really well. He’ll be close to the first (round). Tackles go.” Lightly recruited out of Spanaway, Wash. “He reminds me of some of the guys Green Bay has had over the years,” said a second scout. “(Bryan) Bulaga, (David) Bakhtiari, guys that kind of are just functional and get the job done. They’re not spectacular, just steady … if Cleveland didn’t have to interview people would really like him. But his interview was so low energy and just kind of flat line that it kind of just scared people. He’s so Steady Eddie. It’s not that he’s a bad guy at all. Cleveland … he’s Boise, he’s a junior, he’s got to get stronger. But he is athletic.” He played most of 2019 with turf toe injury. Led tackles in five categories: the 40, Wonderlic (30), bench press (30), short shuttle (4.46) and 3-cone (7.26). Arms were just 33 3/8, hands were a tiny 9. “Everybody’s high on him,” said another scout. “Why am I not that high on him? There’s a degree of tightness in his hips. Has balance issues. I question his lower-body strength. Not going to beat point-of-attack defenders. Finesse guy that uses his size. Size defenders knock him around. I question his lateral adjust. But guys like him.”

Cleveland I think demonstrates how good this OT group is. He's the 7th guy on my OT board (I do positional groupings moreso than a big board). I have him ahead of Peart (not a fan of his feet), Wanogho (his knee scares me), Jackson (more I look at him I think he is a RT), and Bartch (who I absolutely love btw).

I think there's a lot of potential for deviation this year after that top group in round 1, due to the COVID impact on the scouting, so who knows where he actually goes off the board. But Cleveland is the type of guy Kromer loves. He's a big bodied OT who moves well, smart and hard working, scheme fit and will probably take well to crosstraining.

Here's his game vs Florida State and note who makes the tackle on the turnover around 50 seconds. He's probably not going to be a high end starter but he's a very safe pick IMO and yes if he's there at 52 the Rams will look hard at him:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K18wK7MFMx4

 

[OldSchool]

View: https://mobile.twitter.com/mattkaroly/status/1252267220773847040


Silly Giants he makes so much sense as the puck.


View: https://twitter.com/CecilLammey/status/1252276118113009664?s=20

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

OK. I'll quite calling him a rookie and I'll just be amazed. But, I still say that it's not a one size fits all and Noteboom had no more business playing guard than Blythe did last year. Especially without a veteran like John Sullivan next to him. Getting stronger and learning technique is great, but some players simply suffer from poor position fits at varying levels.

Blythe. Ok Center. Poor Guard.
Saffold. All-Pro Guard. Solid OT.
Havenstein. Solid RT. Better not try at LT.
And IMO, Noteboom. Solid OT. Had no business at OG.

But, this is another reason why I was hoping the Rams moved on from Kromer when Bill Callahan was available this offseason.

I would have loved hiring Callahan and moving on from Kromer. Both have good track records but I think Callahan is the better of the two. Kromer's biggest success with the Rams was when the Rams brought in Whitworth and Sullivan. It's tough to mess up the line with Sullivan, Saffold, and Whitworth. The transition since has not been smooth. The choice of Demby as the primary backup is a head scratcher.

 

[TexasRam]

Cleveland I think demonstrates how good this OT group is. He's the 7th guy on my OT board (I do positional groupings moreso than a big board). I have him ahead of Peart (not a fan of his feet), Wanogho (his knee scares me), Jackson (more I look at him I think he is a RT), and Bartch (who I absolutely love btw).

I think there's a lot of potential for deviation this year after that top group in round 1, due to the COVID impact on the scouting, so who knows where he actually goes off the board. But Cleveland is the type of guy Kromer loves. He's a big bodied OT who moves well, smart and hard working, scheme fit and will probably take well to crosstraining.

Here's his game vs Florida State and note who makes the tackle on the turnover around 50 seconds. He's probably not going to be a high end starter but he's a very safe pick IMO and yes if he's there at 52 the Rams will look hard at him:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K18wK7MFMx4

Cleveland doesn't impress me. He reminds me of Noteboom. Quick feet, nice technician but lacking in power. Probably not moving bodies at the NFL level, but as you say Merlin, probably a safe pick. Low floor low ceiling.

 

[MachS]

A rookie OT plays 6 regular season games at a position he's NEVER played before and is really not a good fit for and we've seen enough of him already?? Unless there is something serious going on with his injury that we don't know about I would hope the Rams would be so quick to give up on him.

Hopefully, the extra roster spots will keep Kromer from playing an Left Tackle in Noteboom and a Center in Blythe at Guard.

Rookie? Why does everyone on this board think Noteboom was a rookie last year?? He wasn't. Bryan Allen, not a rookie either. Those guys both sat for 1 1/2 years while we went to the super bowl, learned from vets like witworth and sullivan, and had Kromer grooming them to take over in a year. Well their time came and they both fell flat on their face. Its actually a joke they were both so horrible after sitting for an entire year learning. Meanwhile, the actual rookies (Evans and Edwards) came in and outplayed them easily through the rest of the season.

Everyone putting serious stock in Noteboom and Allen contributing this year need to stop and think. They are both coming off SERIOUS injuries and played terrible last year while 100% healthy. So this year coming off injury, after a half season of getting their ass kicked last year, they're suddenly supposed to be quality starters? It wasnt just that they played KIND OF bad, they both got completely dominated while starting. The probability at this point is they're both busts and wont be starters for us, and we should plan accordingly. If one of them comes back from a serious injury as a better player then we have a backup. But expecting one of these guys to start is hilarious, they had their shot last year.

 

[Merlin]

Rookie? Why does everyone on this board think Noteboom was a rookie last year?? He wasn't. Bryan Allen, not a rookie either. Those guys both sat for 1 1/2 years while we went to the super bowl, learned from vets like witworth and sullivan, and had Kromer grooming them to take over in a year. Well their time came and they both fell flat on their face. Its actually a joke they were both so horrible after sitting for an entire year learning. Meanwhile, the actual rookies (Evans and Edwards) came in and outplayed them easily through the rest of the season.

Agreed and nice post. Sure would be nice to see both Allen and Boom compete for starting jobs this preseason but if you're the guy responsible for stacking the roster for 2020 do you assume that will happen? Hell no.

Edwards and Evans btw had their problems. But one thing I do know with Edwards in particular is that dude is not easy to overpower like we saw with Boom/Allen. He battled some physical matchups and did pretty damn well for a rook. I also really like Evans so yeah there's room for hope. I'd just like to see a little more talent thrown to this group.

 

[Merlin]

Cleveland doesn't impress me. He reminds me of Noteboom. Quick feet, nice technician but lacking in power. Probably not moving bodies at the NFL level, but as you say Merlin, probably a safe pick. Low floor low ceiling.

Yeah and the main thing for me at least is compare him to the 7th guy on the OT list in most drafts and he's gonna look real damn good. I don't think it's a stretch to say he might be a Bakhtiari type, or functional LT as they say.

And going back to the Rams this is why I think the window for a "LT of the future" is our round 2 picks. When you have teams looking at Cleveland early round 2 it insinuates that we won't have a shot at a dev LT type. But what if one of those guys, one the Rams think has a chance to be a LT, is there at 52. Well in that scenario it's hard to get angry about taking him.

BTW all that aside I don't think Snead will take a LT of the future here. I don't think he's a long term vision type guy. I expect him to try to maximize wins for 2020 and ensure his job is safe.

 

[Loyal]

Yeah and the main thing for me at least is compare him to the 7th guy on the OT list in most drafts and he's gonna look real damn good. I don't think it's a stretch to say he might be a Bakhtiari type, or functional LT as they say.

And going back to the Rams this is why I think the window for a "LT of the future" is our round 2 picks. When you have teams looking at Cleveland early round 2 it insinuates that we won't have a shot at a dev LT type. But what if one of those guys, one the Rams think has a chance to be a LT, is there at 52. Well in that scenario it's hard to get angry about taking him.

BTW all that aside I don't think Snead will take a LT of the future here. I don't think he's a long term vision type guy. I expect him to try to maximize wins for 2020 and ensure his job is safe.

So Fournette is a done deal? BRILLIANT!

 

[Merlin]

So Fournette is a done deal? BRILLIANT!

Would not surprise me. Since I would not like that pick at least there in round 2.