Memento's Obligatory 3-4 Defense Mock (since Jrry started one)

[Memento]

Hello and welcome to the raging insanity of my mock. A 3-4 could be considered blasphemous considering that we have Donald, but since @jrry32 already started one, I figure, why should he have all the fun? Let's get started, shall we?

Head Coach - Kyle Shanahan
Offensive Coordinator - Rick Dennison
Defensive Coordinator - Wade Phillips
Special Teams - John Fassel

(Stealing from Jrry because I believe that an attacking 3-4 would be best to bring out the best in Donald.)

Cut:

Rodger Saffold
Lance Kendricks
Eugene Sims
Tre Mason
Tim Barnes

(All fairly obvious at this point.)

Re-sign

Trumaine Johnson
Greg Zuerlein
Dominique Easley
Ethan Westbrooks

(All fairly obvious. I didn't add Longacre or Trinca-Pasat because I feel they wouldn't be a fit in a 3-4.)

Release:

Benny Cunningham
T.J. McDonald
Kenny Britt
Brian Quick
Case Keenum
Cam Thomas
Chase Reynolds

(I'd love to keep Cunningham, but he's talented enough to start for a couple teams. McDonald is replaced by Mo. Britt and Quick are let go to put in some new young blood in the wide receiver position. Keenum is replaced by Mannion. Chase Reynolds is pure special teams and easily replaceable, and Thomas is JAG.)

Convert:

Lamarcus Joyner (CB - FS)

(Another move that benefits the secondary. A backend of Joyner and Alexander is music to my ears.)

Free Agency:

Alshon Jeffery
Kenny Stills.
Courtney Upshaw
Jared Odrick
J.C. Tretter

(Stealing a bit from jrry's mock again. Jeffery is my pick. Stills, Tretter, Upshaw, and Odrick were all jrry's signings, and they make sense to me.)

Trades:

William Hayes to the New York Giants for 2017 sixth round pick.

(Hayes doesn't fit in a 3-4, and probably needs to be replaced even if we don't hire a 3-4 defensive specialist.)

Robert Quinn to the Dallas Cowboys for their 2017 first round pick.

(I question if Quinn can remain healthy. I also question his ability in a 3-4. So we trade for a first round pick.)

Tavon Austin to the Buffalo Bills for their second and fourth round picks in 2017.

(This is going to be very unpopular, but it makes sense to me. The Bills will likely lose Woods to free agency, and Watkins has been injury prone and immature. We shed a contract and get picks while the Bills get a weapon.

Greg Robinson, fourth round (Comp), and 2017 sixth to the Cleveland Browns for their 2017 third round pick.

(Cleveland has an offensive line that's worse than ours. Joe Thomas is really the only guy worth mentioning. Robinson slides to right tackle for them, and we get a high pick in exchange for him and two picks.)



Draft:

1 (Dallas) - Charles Harris, OLB, Missouri.

2 - T.J. Watt, OLB, Wisconsin.

2 (Buffalo) - Forrest Lamp, OG/C, Western Kentucky.

3 (Browns) - Adamn Bisnowaty, OT/OG, Pittsburgh.

3 - Akhello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado.

4. - Amara Darboh, WR, Michigan.

4 (Buffalo) - Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova.

5 - Damontae Kazee, CB, San Diego State.

6 (Giants) - Elijah McGuire, RB, UL Lafayette.

6 (Comp) - Josh Augusta, NT, Missouri.

7 - Psalm Wooching, OLB, Washington.

(Harris is probably one of the better pass rushers in the NCAA, along with T.J. Watt, so they go with the top two picks. Lamp and Bisnowaty fit the zone blocking scheme, and add versatility amongst the starters. Witherspoon starts alongside Tru, while Darboh starts alongside Jeffery and Stills, with Thomas and Cooper getting special teams duties. Kpassagnon is someone who I'm going to put on every draft. He's a poor man's Julius Peppers, but his size and length allow him to fit in a Calais Campbell role in a 3-4. Kazee is a talented slot receiver who will compete with Gaines for snaps. McGuire immediately backs up Gurley, Augusta backs up Brockers at nose tackle, while Wooching fits on special teams, but has potential to be a contributor in his first year.)

Offensive Starters:

QB - Jared Goff
RB - Todd Gurley
WR - Alshon Jeffery
WR - Kenny Stills
WR - Amara Darboh
TE - Tyler Higbee.
LT - J.C. Tretter vs. Adam Bisnowaty
LG - Adam Bisnowaty vs. Forrest Lamp
C - Forrest Lamp vs. J.C. Tretter
RG - Jamon Brown vs. Cody Wichmann vs. Andrew Donnal
RT - Rob Havenstein.

LE - Jared Odrick
NT - Michael Brockers
RE - Aaron Donald
LOLB - T.J. Watt
LILB - Alec Ogletree
RILB - Mark Barron
ROLB - Charles Harris
CB - Trumaine Johnson
CB - Akhello Witherspoon
CB - E.J. Gaines vs. Damontae Kazee
FS - Lamarcus Joyner
SS - Maurice Alexander.

Thoughts, comments, critiques are all welcome.

 

[ljramsfan]

Hello and welcome to the raging insanity of my mock. A 3-4 could be considered blasphemous considering that we have Donald, but since @jrry32 already started one, I figure, why should he have all the fun? Let's get started, shall we?

Head Coach - Kyle Shanahan
Offensive Coordinator - Rick Dennison
Defensive Coordinator - Wade Phillips
Special Teams - John Fassel

(Stealing from Jrry because I believe that an attacking 3-4 would be best to bring out the best in Donald.)

Cut:

Rodger Saffold
Lance Kendricks
Eugene Sims
Tre Mason
Tim Barnes

(All fairly obvious at this point.)

Re-sign

Trumaine Johnson
Greg Zuerlein
Dominique Easley
Ethan Westbrooks

(All fairly obvious. I didn't add Longacre or Trinca-Pasat because I feel they wouldn't be a fit in a 3-4.)

Release:

Benny Cunningham
T.J. McDonald
Kenny Britt
Brian Quick
Case Keenum
Cam Thomas
Chase Reynolds

(I'd love to keep Cunningham, but he's talented enough to start for a couple teams. McDonald is replaced by Mo. Britt and Quick are let go to put in some new young blood in the wide receiver position. Keenum is replaced by Mannion. Chase Reynolds is pure special teams and easily replaceable, and Thomas is JAG.)

Convert:

Lamarcus Joyner (CB - FS)

(Another move that benefits the secondary. A backend of Joyner and Alexander is music to my ears.)

Free Agency:

Alshon Jeffery
Kenny Stills.
Courtney Upshaw
Jared Odrick
J.C. Tretter

(Stealing a bit from jrry's mock again. Jeffery is my pick. Stills, Tretter, Upshaw, and Odrick were all jrry's signings, and they make sense to me.)

Trades:

William Hayes to the New York Giants for 2017 sixth round pick.

(Hayes doesn't fit in a 3-4, and probably needs to be replaced even if we don't hire a 3-4 defensive specialist.)

Robert Quinn to the Dallas Cowboys for their 2017 first round pick.

(I question if Quinn can remain healthy. I also question his ability in a 3-4. So we trade for a first round pick.)

Tavon Austin to the Buffalo Bills for their second and fourth round picks in 2017.

(This is going to be very unpopular, but it makes sense to me. The Bills will likely lose Woods to free agency, and Watkins has been injury prone and immature. We shed a contract and get picks while the Bills get a weapon.

Greg Robinson, fourth round (Comp), and 2017 sixth to the Cleveland Browns for their 2017 third round pick.

(Cleveland has an offensive line that's worse than ours. Joe Thomas is really the only guy worth mentioning. Robinson slides to right tackle for them, and we get a high pick in exchange for him and two picks.)



Draft:

1 (Dallas) - Charles Harris, OLB, Missouri.

2 - T.J. Watt, OLB, Wisconsin.

2 (Buffalo) - Forrest Lamp, OG/C, Western Kentucky.

3 (Browns) - Adamn Bisnowaty, OT/OG, Pittsburgh.

3 - Akhello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado.

4. - Amara Darboh, WR, Michigan.

4 (Buffalo) - Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova.

5 - Damontae Kazee, CB, San Diego State.

6 (Giants) - Elijah McGuire, RB, UL Lafayette.

6 (Comp) - Josh Augusta, NT, Missouri.

7 - Psalm Wooching, OLB, Washington.

(Harris is probably one of the better pass rushers in the NCAA, along with T.J. Watt, so they go with the top two picks. Lamp and Bisnowaty fit the zone blocking scheme, and add versatility amongst the starters. Witherspoon starts alongside Tru, while Darboh starts alongside Jeffery and Stills, with Thomas and Cooper getting special teams duties. Kpassagnon is someone who I'm going to put on every draft. He's a poor man's Julius Peppers, but his size and length allow him to fit in a Calais Campbell role in a 3-4. Kazee is a talented slot receiver who will compete with Gaines for snaps. McGuire immediately backs up Gurley, Augusta backs up Brockers at nose tackle, while Wooching fits on special teams, but has potential to be a contributor in his first year.)

Offensive Starters:

QB - Jared Goff
RB - Todd Gurley
WR - Alshon Jeffery
WR - Kenny Stills
WR - Amara Darboh
TE - Tyler Higbee.
LT - J.C. Tretter vs. Adam Bisnowaty
LG - Adam Bisnowaty vs. Forrest Lamp
C - Forrest Lamp vs. J.C. Tretter
RG - Jamon Brown vs. Cody Wichmann vs. Andrew Donnal
RT - Rob Havenstein.

LE - Jared Odrick
NT - Michael Brockers
RE - Aaron Donald
LOLB - T.J. Watt
LILB - Alec Ogletree
RILB - Mark Barron
ROLB - Charles Harris
CB - Trumaine Johnson
CB - Akhello Witherspoon
CB - E.J. Gaines vs. Damontae Kazee
FS - Lamarcus Joyner
SS - Maurice Alexander.

Thoughts, comments, critiques are all welcome.

I would keep Benny and Britt until TC, but that is just me.

 

[OldSchool]

I would keep Benny and Britt until TC, but that is just me.

Benny and Britt are free agents there's no cutting them. We'd have to resign them to bring them to camp at all.

 

[ljramsfan]

Benny and Britt are free agents there's no cutting them. We'd have to resign them to bring them to camp at all.

D'oh!! You're right!

 

[jrry32]

As always, Memento, there's a lot to like here. My complaint is that you just have too many trades. The problem with trades is that we tend to give the Rams the favorable outcome in the deals to give ourselves more assets to work with. The one thing that I really disagree with is trading Robert Quinn for a late first round pick. I'd rather take the risk on Quinn's health. Because the odds of us finding a guy as good as him at that slot just aren't high.

I think your FA looks great. The guys in your draft that I know are really good players. Good mock.

Anyways, I want to say that I'd actually prefer to stay in the 3-4. But Wade Phillips is such a great DC that I'd make the switch for him. Especially because his 3-4 closely resembles a 4-3 in how it is executed.(attacking rather than reading and reacting)

 

[den-the-coach]

Again I can't get past the Quinn deal and Kevin Demoff stated in a recent interview with Myles Simmons that the Rams are a 4-3 defense because they have the best 3 technique DT in the game in Aaron Donald, so although the Rams have personnel for the 3-4 I'm not sure they will make the change to that defense.

Now I would love Wade Phillips, however, if that stays true and the Rams don't go 3-4 then Raheem Morris is more likely a DC candidate than Phillips, IMHO.