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Rams draft preview: Offensive line
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17881/rams-draft-preview-offensive-line-2
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The NFL draft is set to begin April 30 and the St. Louis Rams hold six picks in this year's selection process. For the next week and a half, we'll take a look at a different position every day -- what the Rams have in place at a position, what they need, when they might address it and some possible fits.
We continue the countdown with a look at this year's crop of offensive linemen.
In place: Greg Robinson, Rodger Saffold, Barrett Jones, Tim Barnes, Demetrius Rhaney, Garrett Reynolds, Brandon Washington, Travis Bond.
What's needed: As we've discussed almost non-stop since the end of the season, there is no more pressing need on the entire roster than the offensive line. The Rams have Robinson and Saffold penciled into the starting lineup, and coach Jeff Fisher has made clear Robinson will be the left tackle moving forward. After that, it's mostly guesswork. As it stands, Jones, Barnes and Rhaney will compete for the starting center job, a job left open by the departure of Scott Wells, who was released in March. There is still an opening at guard and right tackle, though, as Joe Barksdale remains unsigned and Reynolds was brought in for depth. It's possible the Rams could bring Barksdale back and they also have interest in guard Justin Blalock, though it seems unlikely at this point that anything would happen before the draft. Jake Long and Wells remain available and likely will for a bit, but a reunion with Wells is more likely than Long at this point. Either way, the Rams must come out of the draft and the final stages of free agency with a starting-caliber guard and tackle at minimum, and another center would also be helpful even if the Rams are hopeful about the potential of the three on the roster.
Possible fits: The good news for the Rams is that this draft has no shortage of offensive linemen who could come in and make a difference right away. The bad news is there might not be a player worthy of going 10th in the draft if the team wants to address the issue early. Iowa's Brandon Scherff is considered the top lineman in the draft, but many seem to believe he's best suited to play guard instead of tackle. It's not crazy to take a guard at 10 anymore and the Rams have definite interest in Scherff even though it's unclear if he paid a pre-draft visit to St. Louis. As for that list, there is no shortage of players who are known to have visited. Stanford tackle Andrus Peat, Florida tackle D.J. Humphries, Pittsburgh tackle T.J. Clemmings, Miami tackle Ereck Flowers, Louisville tackle Jamon Brown, and LSU tackle La'el Collins are some of the edge protectors known to have visited. The Rams have also brought in interior players such as Florida State center Cameron Erving, South Carolina guard A.J. Cann, Duke guard Laken Tomlinson, Hobart guard Ali Marpet, Florida State guard Tre Jackson and Arizona State guard Jamil Douglas. From that group, there are indications the Rams are high on Peat because he comes from an power-run style offense and is polished enough as a pass protector while maintaining some upside. Guys like Cann, Ervin, Tomlinson and Jackson fit a similar mold and could probably plug and play right away as well.
Verdict: There is really no doubt the Rams are going to draft an offensive lineman, probably more than one. The only question is how early they will pull the trigger. Though the need is obvious, the value with the No. 10 pick might not intersect with that need. If it does, Scherff or Peat with Flowers as a dark horse seem like the most likely candidates. And for what it's worth, though media mock drafts might have Peat and Flowers going much lower, there is a sense from scouts that teams value them in the range of the Rams' top pick. If the Rams can find a trade partner and move down, that would likely bring names like Collins, Humphries and Erving into the mix. After that, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Rams use a second or third round pick on a player like Tomlinson, Cann, Marpet, Clemmings, Jackson or Brown. With six picks in the draft, the Rams don't have a ton of firepower, but the guess here is that the Rams will use two picks in the first two days on offensive linemen.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17881/rams-draft-preview-offensive-line-2
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The NFL draft is set to begin April 30 and the St. Louis Rams hold six picks in this year's selection process. For the next week and a half, we'll take a look at a different position every day -- what the Rams have in place at a position, what they need, when they might address it and some possible fits.
We continue the countdown with a look at this year's crop of offensive linemen.
In place: Greg Robinson, Rodger Saffold, Barrett Jones, Tim Barnes, Demetrius Rhaney, Garrett Reynolds, Brandon Washington, Travis Bond.
What's needed: As we've discussed almost non-stop since the end of the season, there is no more pressing need on the entire roster than the offensive line. The Rams have Robinson and Saffold penciled into the starting lineup, and coach Jeff Fisher has made clear Robinson will be the left tackle moving forward. After that, it's mostly guesswork. As it stands, Jones, Barnes and Rhaney will compete for the starting center job, a job left open by the departure of Scott Wells, who was released in March. There is still an opening at guard and right tackle, though, as Joe Barksdale remains unsigned and Reynolds was brought in for depth. It's possible the Rams could bring Barksdale back and they also have interest in guard Justin Blalock, though it seems unlikely at this point that anything would happen before the draft. Jake Long and Wells remain available and likely will for a bit, but a reunion with Wells is more likely than Long at this point. Either way, the Rams must come out of the draft and the final stages of free agency with a starting-caliber guard and tackle at minimum, and another center would also be helpful even if the Rams are hopeful about the potential of the three on the roster.
Possible fits: The good news for the Rams is that this draft has no shortage of offensive linemen who could come in and make a difference right away. The bad news is there might not be a player worthy of going 10th in the draft if the team wants to address the issue early. Iowa's Brandon Scherff is considered the top lineman in the draft, but many seem to believe he's best suited to play guard instead of tackle. It's not crazy to take a guard at 10 anymore and the Rams have definite interest in Scherff even though it's unclear if he paid a pre-draft visit to St. Louis. As for that list, there is no shortage of players who are known to have visited. Stanford tackle Andrus Peat, Florida tackle D.J. Humphries, Pittsburgh tackle T.J. Clemmings, Miami tackle Ereck Flowers, Louisville tackle Jamon Brown, and LSU tackle La'el Collins are some of the edge protectors known to have visited. The Rams have also brought in interior players such as Florida State center Cameron Erving, South Carolina guard A.J. Cann, Duke guard Laken Tomlinson, Hobart guard Ali Marpet, Florida State guard Tre Jackson and Arizona State guard Jamil Douglas. From that group, there are indications the Rams are high on Peat because he comes from an power-run style offense and is polished enough as a pass protector while maintaining some upside. Guys like Cann, Ervin, Tomlinson and Jackson fit a similar mold and could probably plug and play right away as well.
Verdict: There is really no doubt the Rams are going to draft an offensive lineman, probably more than one. The only question is how early they will pull the trigger. Though the need is obvious, the value with the No. 10 pick might not intersect with that need. If it does, Scherff or Peat with Flowers as a dark horse seem like the most likely candidates. And for what it's worth, though media mock drafts might have Peat and Flowers going much lower, there is a sense from scouts that teams value them in the range of the Rams' top pick. If the Rams can find a trade partner and move down, that would likely bring names like Collins, Humphries and Erving into the mix. After that, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Rams use a second or third round pick on a player like Tomlinson, Cann, Marpet, Clemmings, Jackson or Brown. With six picks in the draft, the Rams don't have a ton of firepower, but the guess here is that the Rams will use two picks in the first two days on offensive linemen.