Memento's "I've Stayed Up All Night To Do This" Mock Offseason.

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Memento

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Well, yeah, I did stay up all night to do this, haha. Well, here it goes:

Cut:

Kenny Young
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
Justin Lawler
Nick Scott

(All of these players save valuable cap dollars, cap which will go to free agency.)

Re-sign:

Darious Williams - RFA (second round tender).
Johnny Mundt - RFA (original round tender).
Coleman Shelton - ERFA
Travin Howard - ERFA
Raymond Calais - ERFA
JuJu Hughes - ERFA

(Darious Williams and Johnny Mundt get tenders. Other than that, these are ERFAs.)

Restructure:

Aaron Donald
Jalen Ramsey
Matthew Stafford (extension restructure)

(I hate to ask this of them because I don't know much about the cap this year, but I'm planning on a bunch of free agents, since we're going all in, especially considering some of the trades I'll be making. In Stafford's case, he's restructuring by extending his contract to spread the cap dollars more.)

Release:

John Johnson III
Leonard Floyd
Troy Hill
Gerald Everett
Malcolm Brown
Josh Reynolds
Samson Ebukam
Derek Rivers
Austin Blythe
Morgan Fox
Jake McQuaide
Kai Forbath

(I hate to let JJ3 and Floyd leave, but both of them could return a potential third round compensatory pick each - picks that will be useful with a lack of first round picks for the next two years. Hill has been a solid player, but I could see him going for a number 2 cornerback job. Brown should be replaced by Akers, Henderson, and a draft pick. Ebukam hasn't been effective this year and can be replaced by the combination of Hollins, Lewis, and three draft picks. Fox will go for a starting role. Blythe, Everett, and Reynolds can all leave without regrets. Rivers is gone as well. McQuaide has been great, but I can't see us paying huge money for an aging long snapper, and with the latest long-snapper free agent signings, I doubt he stays. As for Forbath, I'd rather forget he was ever on the team.)

Free Agency:

Marvin Jones - two years, 14 million overall.

(I'm on the Marvin Jones bandwagon. He's a solid receiver who will look for ring chasing, so he should come cheap - although less cheap than I hoped last time, haha.)

Desean Jackson - one year, league minimum.

(Yeah, call me crazy for signing him and Jones when we have Kupp and Woods...but like always, I have an idea.)

Rasul Douglas - one year, league minimum.

(Douglas is a bigger cornerback who was drafted in the third round by the Eagles and later cut this year and picked up by the Panthers. We sign him to see if there's any potential left.)

Jarrad Davis - one year, 3.5 million.

(Davis is a lottery ticket at inside linebacker. We can upgrade over Reeder and Kiser. He's a former first round pick who has struggled in his career...but so did Floyd. I think he's worth a shot.)

Patrick Onwuasor - one year, 3.5 million.

(Onwuasor is an interesting player. He signed a one year deal with the Jets after a solid tenure with the Ravens, but had hamstring issues that caused him to play only one game. I think he competes at the now-empty inside linebacker spot that Young had filled.)

Alex Mack - one year, 6 million.

(Yeah, I figure that he'll be a better option at center than Blythe, and he'll come fairly cheap. Mack isn't close to his prime, but he's still an upgrade over everyone we have.)

Trades:

Darious Williams signed by Dallas Cowboys, we don't match and get second round pick.

(Honestly, if we only sign Williams to a second round tender, we're asking teams to poach him, in my honest opinion.)

Michael Brockers to the Tennessee Titans for 2021 fourth round pick.

(Tennessee needs good players on the defensive line; both DaQuan Jones and Jack Crawford are unrestricted free agents. Brockers could easily fit in the middle of that defense, and we could get much needed salary relief and a pick, to boot. And that's not even mentioning the amount of depth we have on our defensive line; even without Brockers, we have Joseph-Day and Gaines in the middle, Donald and Robinson as other starters, and with draft picks ready for large roles - hell, even Michael Hoecht, Jonah Williams, Marquise Copeland, and Eric Banks could find potential roles on the D-line. We can afford to lose Brockers and Fox.)

Rob Havenstein to the Cincinnati Bengals for 2021 fourth round pick.

(Havenstein is easy to move; he has a large contract, and with the Mack signing here, I think that we could move one of Edwards or Evans to right tackle. Meanwhile, Cincy needs offensive line help for Burrow not to be killed, and they won't get Sewell. From what has been reported (although I'm not sure of the realism, but hey, that's why this is a mock, right?), the Rams are trying to move Havenstein, and he apparently has value. Second round pick is bullshit, in my opinion, and judging by ROD members, I won't get a third, but a fourth round pick to a desperate team? Works for me.)

Joseph Noteboom to the Indianapolis Colts for 2021 fifth round pick.

(Indy gets protection for Carson Wentz and replaces Anthony Castonzo.)

2021 fifth round pick (Noteboom/Colts pick) and Brycen Hopkins to the Philadelphia Eagles for Zach Ertz.

(Apparently, there's Ertz to the Rams rumors, and I'd love this kind of deal (apparently, I overpaid in the last one.) We need to upgrade our tight end room and no, Hopkins isn't the answer. Hoping Ertz doesn't cost too much, but I'd love this. Meanwhile, Philly gets a needed pick and a young tight end replacement.)

Cooper Kupp to the Miami Dolphins for 2021 second round pick (Texans).

(Stealing from @jrry32 . I love Kupp, but he's expendable because of injuries and because Woods and Jones do the same thing.)

Robert Woods to the New York Giants for 2021 second round pick and 2021 fourth round pick.

(Yeah, I've officially lost it...or have I? Yeah, I think that Jones, Jackson, and Ertz hold down the fort for our younger skill position players, and the Giants desperately need receiving help. And trust me, the skill position players I take are worth it.)

Tyler Higbee to the Carolina Panthers for 2021 fourth round pick.

(To me, Higbee is who he is: a decent receiver and a good blocker. His contract is a hold-up, but I think that a team like the Panthers, who desperately need weapons and help for their quarterback, could definitely be interested.)

2021 second round pick (ours) to the Minnesota Vikings for 2021 third and 2021 third (Baltimore).

(Minny trades up for an offensive tackle (Cosmi, most likely), while we trade down for picks.)

2021 third (Holmes compensatory) and 2021 third (Fowler compensatory) to the Jacksonville Jaguars for 2021 third and 2021 fourth (ours).

(We trade up for a specific player, while Jacksonville trades down.)

Draft:

2nd (Dolphins) - Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State. (6'5", 250 lbs.)



(Freiermuth's called Baby Gronk for a reason, and it clearly shows. He's a physical do-it-all tight end who has the potential to dominate a game. In my mind, the only reason he's not a first round pick is because of his injury history, but he's flat-out the second best tight end in this class only to Pitts. You may wonder why I picked him this high. I say that he's the best player available, and Higbee, as much as I like him, is more of a blocking tight end with decent receiver skills (and that's if he isn't traded/cut with his contract). Freiermuth could potentially be elite.)

2nd (Giants) - Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia. (6'1", 185 lbs.)



(Stokes is your Williams replacement. He has fantastic ball skills and is athletic enough to cover all but the fastest receivers in the league. He's also a solid tackler, albeit slight for his size. He can get grabby and needs to turn his head around to avoid penalties. Still, he's a physical cornerback with great ball skills, and that's a good thing for a corner.)

2nd (Cowboys) - D'Wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan. (5'9", 189 lbs.)



(Eskridge is fast. Blazing fast. 4.3 flat (or somewhere around that area) fast. This kid, in my opinion, could be a lot like Tyreek Hill-lite. It's not enough for him to be explosive, but he knows how to run routes as well, he has a good catch radius for his size, and he has return ability on both kickoffs and punts. I think he could end up taking Jackson's spot before too long.)

3rd (Jaguars - Josh Myers, OC, Ohio State. (6'5", 312 lbs.)



(You want a powerful, athletic, and nasty center? Myers is your guy. I've seen him slip out of the second round in some places, but I wouldn't hesitate to scoop him up with a high third. Honestly, I don't know why he'd slip; he's pretty much everything you want out of a center.)

3rd (Vikings) - Hamilcar Rashed Jr., OLB, Oregon State. (6'3", 254 lbs.)



(Rashed had an absolutely insane 2019 season, leading the NCAA in tackles-for-a-loss (22.5, if you're curious) and tossing in 14.5 sacks to boot. I don't think he played in 2020 because of the Pac-12's response to Covid-19. This is a kid who is athletic, knows how to set up offensive tackles, and while he needs work against the run, he could eventually become a solid player.)

3rd (Vikings from Ravens) - Seth Williams, WR, Auburn. (6'2", 224 lbs.)



(Williams is a fucking tank. He has underrated deep speed, sure, but his forte is high-pointing the ball, plucking it from the air, and coming down with the catch every time, cornerbacks/safeties/linebackers be damned. I think he needs work with routes, so putting him in Jones' hip-pocket to learn from him should be a priority. He could be dominant in this league.)

4th (Bengals) - Walker Little, OT, Stanford. (6'7" 309 lbs.)



(Little has had injuries and technique issues that drop him here. But he could be our left tackle of the future if we develop him properly - something I think McVay and his new offensive line coach (who coached Little at Stanford) can do. He's got good athleticism and strength; he just needs work with technique and to stay healthy.)

4th (Panthers) - Ambry Thomas, CB, Michigan. (6'0", 189 lbs.)



(Thomas is an underrrated corner who doesn't usually get mentioned with the top cornerbacks in this draft. He's underweight and doesn't have the best length. He also struggles when it comes to giving wide receivers space. But he's an athletic freak with underrated ball skills, and that's more than worth an early fourth round pick.)

4th (Giants) - Jaelon Darden, WR, North Texas. (5'9", 170 lbs.)



(I'll be honest: Darden is probably the player I want most in this draft, even over Nick Bolton. His ability to start, stop, and start again is almost Faulk-like. He's amazing at returns; despite stopping and starting, he'll always net you positive yards. He's explosive, has solid hands, and runs routes well. Yeah, he may be small, but I don't think he's ever missed a game. Count me as wanting him.)

4th (Titans) - Marvin Wilson, DL, Florida State. (6'3", 319 lbs.)



(How far the mighty have fallen. Wilson was once considered a first round draft pick, but an awful 2020 season sunk his draft stock. He's still a huge presence up front, and with Aaron Donald next to him taking rushers, maybe he regains his old form. Is he a bit of a risk? Sure, but in this mock, we have the draft capital to take a risk.)

4th (Jaguars, originally ours) - Malcolm Koonce, OLB, Buffalo. (6'3", 248 lbs.)



(Koonce provides a solid depth piece as an edge rusher. He struggles against the run and setting the edge; he'll need to gain significant lower-body strength for him to be trusted on anything other than pass-rushing downs. He also needs a counter-move when his original plan fails. But his speed to bend the edge, his length, and his motor could make him a great pass-rusher.)

4th (Littleton compensatory) - Jaylen Twyman, DL, Pittsburgh. (6'2", 290 lbs.)



(Twyman is another undersized defensive lineman from Pittsburgh who has the number 97. Guess who he reminds people of? Yeah, he's not Donald; he struggles more against the run than Donald did, and he's not the pass-rusher Donald is. He opted out of the season, so there's no telling who he really is. But he's explosive, knows how to set up offensive linemen, and he had an amazing 2019 season.)

6th - Chris Rumph II, LB, Duke. (6'3", 225 lbs.)



(Rumph is someone that @jrry32 mentioned, and after looking at his film...I can see why. He flies all over the field, has an astounding array of pass-rushing moves, a motor that doesn't quit, etc. He's literally the perfect edge rusher, but he'll fall because he's underweight. Hell, he could probably fit inside as well, and he'd be solid special teams as well. I'd take him with our sixth.)

7th - Gerrid Doaks, RB, Cincinnati. (6'1", 225 lbs.)



(Doaks is a physical back who - while he won't win too many footraces, especially in the NFL - has underrated speed. He's got decent hands as well, and if he learns the nuances of pass-blocking, he could see a lot of third down situations.)

Roster: (Starters = bold; Rookies = italics.

QB - Matthew Stafford, John Wolford.

RB - Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson, Gerrid Doaks.

WR - Marvin Jones, Van Jefferson, Desean Jackson, D'Wayne Eskridge, Seth Williams, Jaelon Darden.

TE - Zach Ertz, Pat Freiermuth, Johnny Mundt, Kendall Blanton.

OL - Andrew Whitworth, Bobby Evans, Alex Mack, Austin Corbett, David Edwards, Chandler Brewer, Tremayne Anchrum, Josh Myers, Walker Little.

DL - Aaron Donald, A'Shawn Robinson, Sebastian Joseph-Day, Greg Gaines, Jaylen Twyman, Marvin Wilson.

LB - Terrell Lewis, Jarrad Davis, Patrick Onwuasor, Justin Hollins, Hamilcar Rashed Jr., Malcolm Koonce, Chris Rumph II, Micah Kiser, Travin Howard, Troy Reeder.

DB - Jalen Ramsey, David Long Jr., Terrell Burgess, Jordan Fuller, Taylor Rapp, Rasul Douglas, Eric Stokes, Ambry Thomas, J.R. Reed, Juju Hughes.

ST - Matt Gay, Johnny Hekker, Steven Wirtel/Colin Holba/UDFA.

So, let me know what y'all think.
 

iamme33

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dan
my question is did you sleep all day after staying up all night. seriously i think you should stay up for more all nighters cause that's pretty nice draft. like the o line but wonder about the wr did not expect to trade both cupp and woods. any way keep those mid night oils burning and keep them coming.
 

PressureD41

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OT Little, is pegged to go in Rd2-3 from all the reports I read. Don't like the WR room now, lost all the depth needed to go ring chasing. Like the Def draft picks tho. Always look fwd to reading your mocks. Keep'em coming
 

Ram Ts

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Fun read - but yeah, you totally have lost it lol.

This is the kind of activity and trades/draft that would have made some sense last year for a team that needs some change and a small rebuild. That’s not the rams current situation. No way they completely rebuild their WR corps; while also changing so much of DL/OL and adding even further youth. But really fun read for me nonetheless.
 

jrry32

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I like plenty of the players (not a fan of Rashed, S. Williams, or Twyman, though), but my criticism remains the same, too many player trades. Plus, I don't like our WR group. I also don't get why we'd trade both tackles.
 

OldSchool

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The trades on this level make it look like a rebuild. We're trading veteran proven starters for draft picks and just don't see that as the Snead/McVay plan.
 

Allen2McVay

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Fun read but 14 new starters!?!

I did not understand the comment about hating to ask Donald, Ramsey and Stafford to restructure.

They wouldn’t be giving up any money. Just converting salary to bonus. Still paid/received in 2021 but allocated differently for cap calculation purposes.
 
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jrry32

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I like plenty of the players (not a fan of Rashed, S. Williams, or Twyman, though), but my criticism remains the same, too many player trades. Plus, I don't like our WR group. I also don't get why we'd trade both tackles.

Forgot to mention that I'm not comfortable counting on Ertz to be an impact player in 2021. Dude sucked something fierce in 2020. Higbee was significantly better. Considering Ertz's age, I'm concerned that he might be declining rapidly.
 

dang

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I appreciate the effort put into it but I think the bottle let you down on this one.
 

Memento

Your (Somewhat) Friendly Neighborhood Authoress.
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  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
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my question is did you sleep all day after staying up all night. seriously i think you should stay up for more all nighters cause that's pretty nice draft. like the o line but wonder about the wr did not expect to trade both cupp and woods. any way keep those mid night oils burning and keep them coming.

Yeah, I kinda did. And yeah, I get that it's not popular to trade both Kupp and Woods. I'll take just Marvin Jones in the future, haha.

OT Little, is pegged to go in Rd2-3 from all the reports I read. Don't like the WR room now, lost all the depth needed to go ring chasing. Like the Def draft picks tho. Always look fwd to reading your mocks. Keep'em coming

He's also been injured and redshirted his season. He's a likely bet to fall that far. Thanks.

Fun read - but yeah, you totally have lost it lol.

This is the kind of activity and trades/draft that would have made some sense last year for a team that needs some change and a small rebuild. That’s not the rams current situation. No way they completely rebuild their WR corps; while also changing so much of DL/OL and adding even further youth. But really fun read for me nonetheless.

Yeah, I get that. I promise I'll try to keep myself somewhat tethered to sanity the next time.

I appreciate the effort put into it but I think the bottle let you down on this one.

Ironically enough, I don't drink; given that I have bipolar, it fucks with my mental state hard, haha.

The trades on this level make it look like a rebuild. We're trading veteran proven starters for draft picks and just don't see that as the Snead/McVay plan.

Fair enough. I wanted to add some vets into it, which is why I chose both Jones and Jackson.

I like plenty of the players (not a fan of Rashed, S. Williams, or Twyman, though), but my criticism remains the same, too many player trades. Plus, I don't like our WR group. I also don't get why we'd trade both tackles.

Forgot to mention that I'm not comfortable counting on Ertz to be an impact player in 2021. Dude sucked something fierce in 2020. Higbee was significantly better. Considering Ertz's age, I'm concerned that he might be declining rapidly.


May I curiously ask why you're not a fan of Seth Williams (I am a fan of him.)? And I'll try to do less player trades (and only trading one of Boom/Havenstein) in the next one.

Also, I wasn't completely counting on Ertz, hence why Freiermuth was an option.
 

jrry32

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May I curiously ask why you're not a fan of Seth Williams (I am a fan of him.)? And I'll try to do less player trades (and only trading one of Boom/Havenstein) in the next one.

Also, I wasn't completely counting on Ertz, hence why Freiermuth was an option.

Seth Williams lacks separation quickness and wasn't consistent enough in jump ball situations or with his hands generally to convince me that he can win as a possession WR. He has upside. That's undeniable. But I don't like the risk I'd be taking with him.

On Ertz, rookie TEs typically don't make much of an impact, and we traded Tyler Higbee in essence for Ertz. Higbee is younger and was much, much, much better in 2020. He's also cheaper. I don't like the trade. And while I didn't love the Hopkins pick, I don't know about trading him before we see what he can do.
 

RamFan503

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Gotta say Memsie. I'm not a fan of this mock. A total revamping of a pretty good receiving corp, exchanging Higbeast (an up and coming TE that also does the dirty work) for an aging TE that MIGHT be an upgrade, relying heavily on new pieces and unknown draft picks....

No likey.

I also think it goes in an opposite direction that Snead tends to go.

I don't believe that this team needs such a rebuild. IMO... We need a couple key pieces and some restructuring along with some decent drafting.

But hey... Notice I'm not putting in any work on these mocks. :biggrin:
 

Rams43

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Well, that was definitely a fun read, Memento.

But for a team that’s so close to a potential SB in ‘21? Way too much turnover and loss of chemistry for my taste. Hell, I wouldn’t even recognize my team.

I see Rams O only needing tweaking at maybe 2 positions, a second tier vet C and maybe a vertical WR (via draft). I favor a Hav trade for pick or player and replacing him with one of Boom or Evans.

That’s it on O, really. With Stafford at QB and McVay once again having his entire playbook open this would be a top 3 O.

On D I see only 3 needs for immediate starters, two edge players (one should be a vet FA) and maybe a second tier ILB vet FA. Brockers could best help by being traded away for pick or player. Draft an Edge that falls and a Cb or S for depth and development. I would try to extend Fox, if possible, since I think he gives us good bang for the buck.

In short, only 4-5 starter moves are necessary and that’s assuming that Floyd, JJ, and Hill all walk.

Gonna take some serious restructuring, I think, but the draft would be used for BPA all the way. Ripe for a couple of juicy trade-downs too, I suspect.

A no muss, no fuss offseason, huh?
 

TexasRam

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First off, respect. You have done a great job of scouting out both college and pro players available and that is to be commended.

Some of the moves are interesting and make sense.

But overall, when i read your mock my first thought was why are we doing a complete Rebuild vs a tweak. We went to the divisional round of the playoffs last year and were maybe a Donald injury and a few lineman away from making a legit Super Bowl run.

I can see trading either Kupp or Woods but not both. I think it's important to have at least one of those guys that really knows our system that can run some of those automatic plays that Mcvays system is know for.

Conceptually though, I do think that the WR's you are suggesting bringing in would be better fits with the type of game Stafford has. These guys that can get deep like Jones and Jackson. Though Ertz is a big question. This type of rebuild may really backfire and set us back compared to what he currently have with Kupp and Woods which were part of a top offense over two years. I think the Oline tweak is really all we need. And some health. But if you want to part with either Kupp or Woods for cap reasons I do think that makes sense.

Also, nothing against you, cuz lots of people are doing this. But I don't like plugging in Evans as a starter. That is a massive risk in my opinion.
 

Turducken

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I like the big picture idea of shedding our tier 2 talent to save money in this weird salary cap year while getting younger, but there is a lot of risk wrapped up in it for a team that was supposed to be in a SB window next season. I think it would push those expectations back a season or two.