No changes to Rams' O-line, but team optimistic about better results

[JRobinson]

Agree that we don't know what the Rams were thinking, too bad we couldn't be flies on the wall recording cell phone videos when they debated personnel decisions. And I agree that these are tough choices about money and players with lots of stuff factoring in and many competing priorities. And no one has a crystal ball. And apparently the Rams did overestimate Noteboom and Allen (though they likely would have improved if they hadn't been lost to injuries.)

But to me (and I said so at the time) Saffold should have been a top priority.

Couldn’t agree more. Saffold was dominate at times and played downright gritty. The best thing was that he did well with the zone blocking scheme.

I will say this though, I’m very hard pressed believing that Allen is starter material. I do not see him as the long term answer at center whatsoever.

 

[gogoat1]

My football philosophy has always been the O line is the most important unit on a football team. A great one makes average RBs, WRs and QBs better. Simply because of holes and protection. Most years I feel a top 3 pick should be used on a O linemen. Keep the studs waiting in a big line waiting for their shot. I likes seeing 3 Rams helmets on Pro Bowl teams.
McVay better not screw this up.

 

[BonifayRam]

My football philosophy has always been the O line is the most important unit on a football team. A great one makes average RBs, WRs and QBs better. Simply because of holes and protection. Most years I feel a top 3 pick should be used on a O linemen. Keep the studs waiting in a big line waiting for their shot. I likes seeing 3 Rams helmets on Pro Bowl teams.
McVay better not screw this up.

I agree fully with your 2 first sentences.

Snead/Fisher duo 2012/2015 had very little success in drafting OL'ers period. Of that era Snead selected 9 OL'er picks. Only 2 remain in the NFL at this time. Snead hit on just one. One might try to make an argument that Jamon Brown was a success because he earned close to $7 million with the Falcons last season but his 2019 PFF grade was below that of Rams OC Brian Allen. Atlanta considers Brown a massive bust as a free agent addition, grading out as one of Pro Football Focus' worst interior linemen.

Snead/Fisher Era 2012 thru 2015 Drafted Ol'ers
Rokevious Watkins
Barrett Jones
Demetrius Rhaney
Mitchell Van Dyk
Greg Robinson
Cody Wichmann
Andrew Donnal
Jamon Brown
Rob Havenstein

Snead/McVay Era 2017 thru 2020 Drafted OL'ers
Jamil Demby
Brian Allen
Joseph Noteboom
David Edwards
Bobby Evans
Tremayne Anchrum

I am no longer of the thought that high draft selections should be utilized on OL'ers. I have done a complete flip on this subject. Its a known fact it takes college OL'ers longer to contribute to an NFL team. They simply come into the NFL unready & deficient to complete as fully functional OL'ers. It normally takes 3 to 4 seasons for young OL'ers to begin to produce. Roughly the time OL'ers get up to NFL starting pace.....its UFA time off to another team. Waste of a high draft selection down the hole.

Snead has drafted 15 Ol'ers as a GM with only one showing the ability to start more than one full season & be effective at it in the NFL. Just so happens that one success fell off greatly in 2019 & Havenstein remains a big question mark going into this season.

If Snead had demonstrated a decent ability to draft OL'ers who can come in & perform capably then I would think differently. Snead has never drafted any OL'er that has played in a pro bowl or achieve any all pro honors as a GM. He has a poor past 8 year record. He will always have an ugly scar in the middle of his forehead due to the selection OL Greg Robinson. At this point in time I am happy with the way Snead drafted OL'ers since 2018 using the late second day & 3rd day draft selections on OL'ers. He just needs to draft more in each draft doing this though.

In conclusion, I would prefer that Snead primarily use his high draft selections on defensive players who usually come in quickly & bring improvement to the defensive units. RB's & WR's also have a good proven history of entering the NFL & catching fire early too. My position now is to use salary cap funds primarily on purchasing proven known over priced but effective UFA OL'ers like Andrew Whitworth. Do not entertain any high overpriced UFA's RB {Gurley} / WR {Cooks} / MLB {Ogletree/ Barron} OLB {Matthews}/ ER & Safeties.

 

[Soul Surfer]

The only time I would spend a high draft pick on o lineman is if he is a plug and play left tackle.
But that's very rare.

Watching Fisher, Boudreau and Sneads failures on the O line had me study a successful teams o line, mostly the Patriots.

The Patriots draft an O lineman every season in the 3rd to 5th round for the most part with the idea of NOT starting him.

They want that player to develop for a year or two and BECOME virtually plug-and-play by sitting and learning through coaching.

The ones they pick seem to be under coached in school but have the physical tools to become good.
This also allows them to spend their big money on these so-called skill positions, (wide receiver mostly).

And again they learn how to play as a team and a unit.

 

[TheTackle]

The only time I would spend a high draft pick on o lineman is if he is a plug and play left tackle.
But that's very rare.

Watching Fisher, Boudreau and Sneads failures on the O line had me study a successful teams o line, mostly the Patriots.

The Patriots draft an O lineman every season in the 3rd to 5th round for the most part with the idea of NOT starting him.

They want that player to develop for a year or two and BECOME virtually plug-and-play by sitting and learning through coaching.

The ones they pick seem to be under coached in school but have the physical tools to become good.
This also allows them to spend their big money on these so-called skill positions, (wide receiver mostly).

And again they learn how to play as a team and a unit.

The Pats used a 1st in 2018 on Isiah Wynn who didn’t prove to be plug and play ‘ at any position across their OL

LT is a premier position but drafting a perennial pro bowler at any spot is big. E.G. Logan Mankin

If the 20th best player on your board is a center and they are there when you pick at 30 then you would take them, correct?

We traded high picks for players who rank at the top of their position. That to me seems like a productive use of draft capital

 

[Merlin]

Snead/Fisher Era 2012 thru 2015 Drafted Ol'ers
Rokevious Watkins
Barrett Jones
Demetrius Rhaney
Mitchell Van Dyk
Greg Robinson
Cody Wichmann
Andrew Donnal
Jamon Brown
Rob Havenstein

Snead/McVay Era 2017 thru 2020 Drafted OL'ers
Jamil Demby
Brian Allen
Joseph Noteboom
David Edwards
Bobby Evans
Tremayne Anchrum

Yeah Snead's track record of drafting OL is fucking hideous. It's not just bad it's terrible.

Worst thing here too is that I get the feeling he sort of drafts who the staff wants him to draft. So under McVay & more importantly Kromer the iffy return rate has continued. I'm pretty high on Edwards, granted, but outside of that selection it's all unicorns and rainbows.

 

[Kevin]

The Rams use a collaborative process to draft. There isn’t an all powerful head coach making decisions with limited input from scouts and coaches. The Rams have drafted and traded players with better overall results since McVay took over.

 

[Reddog99]

Im back and forth when it comes to confidence in the OL. Im nervous about it then I remind myself that there was improvement after the bye last year and that there is absolutely no reason to not have confidence in McVay after what's hes accomplished in the last 3 years.

Now if he trots out the same unit and gets the same results or worse I'll have to revisit my opinion on it but for now I have faith in McVay.

I hope they start Blythe at C from the very beginning. Having a fresh Blythe in the middle and a fresh Whit and Hav on the ends I think the line could be solid. Edward's as a guard while whomever is better between Evan's and Corbett being the other guard. I want the best 5 on the field together from day one.

Need these guys to gel as quickly as possible so we dont lose too many games early on and fall too far behind in the NFC West race. I figure the 49ers have the hangover, the Seahawks will be good like always just not dominant and Cards will have a winning season but they're a year or so away still so if the OL improves at all the Rams can take back over.

 

[BonifayRam]

Les Snead Didn’t Feel Pressure To Select Offensive Lineman Early In 2020 NFL Draft

Rams News: Les Snead Didn't Feel Pressure To Select Offensive Lineman Early In 2020 NFL Draft

Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead did not feel pressure to take an offensive lineman early in the 2020 NFL Draft.

ramsnewswire.com

A big reason that the Los Angeles Rams took a step back in 2019 and missed the playoffs a year after going to the Super Bowl was because of the inconsistency of their offensive line.

Not only did the Rams lose a pair of starters from the previous season, but they also dealt with a number of injuries, forcing young players to have to step up before they were ready.

If the Rams want to get back in postseason contention in 2020 then it’s no secret their offensive line will need to be better. Rams general manager Les Snead did what he could to sure up that unit in free agency, re-signing both Andrew Whitworth and Austin Blythe, two key components of last year’s group.

Many expected the Rams to take another offensive lineman early in the 2020 NFL Draft though, which Snead did not decide to do, only taking Tremayne Anchrum out of Clemson in the seventh round.

Snead explained his reasoning for that, believing the young players they already have are good enough to form a successful offensive line, via Lindsey Thiry of ESPN:

“We did go into [the draft] probably a little different than maybe the outside of our building where, ‘OK, hey, it’s a major, major glaring weakness,'” Snead said. “We felt confident that if we continue grooming and developing these players, they’d have a chance to become a really solid offensive line.”

Believe it or not, the Rams’ offensive line actually showed improvement in the final few weeks of the 2019 season. Young players like Austin Corbett, David Edwards and Bobby Evans were all able to step in and have some success, showing they could be potential starts in the future.

Snead feels that the experience they gained will prove to be valuable in the long run:

“We’ve been adding those players and I’ve said it many a times,” Snead said. “Fortunately or unfortunately, a lot of them got to play last year.”

While it’s currently unclear who the five starters will be on the offensive line, there are plenty of quality options competing. A lot of it will come down to what position Blythe plays as he started last season at guard but moved to center when Brian Allen went down and actually had a ton of success.

Regardless of where he plays though, a big focus in 2020 will be on how the Rams’ offensive line performs and if Snead was validated in not drafting some reinforcements up front early.

 

[BonifayRam]

Better, worse or the same? A look at the Rams' changes on OL

Better, worse or the same? A look at the Rams' changes on offense

A stacked tight ends room could play an increased role on the Rams' offense with the departure of wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

www.espn.com

Additions: Tremayne Anchrum Jr. (Seventh-round pick)

Losses: None

These guys are back: Andrew Whitworth (Three-year, $30 million deal), Austin Blythe (One-year, $3.9 million deal), Rob Havenstein, Joe Noteboom, Brian Allen, Austin Corbett, David Edwards, Bobby Evans, Chandler Brewer, Jamil Demby, Coleman Shelton

Better, worse or the same: Same

The line did not undergo any personnel changes this offseason, with the exception of Anchrum's addition. Snead and McVay expressed optimism in the group's ability to continue its development following last season's injuries (starters Noteboom, Allen and Havenstein were sidelined) and growing pains. "We felt confident that if we continue grooming and developing these players, they'd have a chance to become a really solid offensive line," Snead said. The challenge will be finding the correct combination of five starters after each position shuffled in 2019, with exception of Whitworth at left tackle. Havenstein and Evans will compete at right tackle, and Evans also could play inside. It's uncertain if Blythe will remain at center, or if Allen will resume the role. Noteboom, Corbett and Edwards also will compete for a guard spot.

 

[Soul Surfer]

The Pats used a 1st in 2018 on Isiah Wynn who didn’t prove to be plug and play ‘ at any position across their OL

LT is a premier position but drafting a perennial pro bowler at any spot is big. E.G. Logan Mankin

If the 20th best player on your board is a center and they are there when you pick at 30 then you would take them, correct?

We traded high picks for players who rank at the top of their position. That to me seems like a productive use of draft capital

What the Patriots did in 2018 has nothing to do with the Fisher/Boudreau/Snead regime.
That's when I did the study.

And the mistake they made in drafting a player under 6 ft 3 at tackle seems to actually prove my point, ( mostly due to injury, mtl).
It failed miserably and I doubt they'll do that again.
Like I said, there's nothing wrong with taking a left tackle with your number one pick but they definitely wasted that Brandon Cook pick they got from us.

The rest of the offensive line that was slated to protect the forty-two-year-old Geezer was made up of 3rd, 4th, 5th round draft picks and an undrafted free agent.

Only a handful of successful centers were picked in the first round and the rest of the 32 starting centers were second round all the way to undrafted free agents.

 

[BonifayRam]

Reference not utilizing much of the Ram 2020 Draft value tender on the OL....... Sure did take most of the ROD members by surprise. As we discussed above Snead has had very poor success history on his usage of "Treasured Draft Tender" in order to bring improvement to his OL. So I do understand his reluctance to have gone in that direction based on his history.

Snead has used most of his past & future (2016 through 2021) draft tender on 3 positions QB/ WR/ CB (Goff/Cooks/Ramsey). Of those 1 is already gone, another is slated to be gone March 2021 & the last Goff just finished his rookie contract....then signed a $134 mil./ $110 million guarantee which is the largest in NFL history that will see him here through 2024.

3 OL'ers whom Snead gathered through the use of draft tender were starting OL'ers......LG Noteboom (started 6 gms)/ OC Allen (started 9 gms) & LG Corbett (stated 8 gms) all will be entering their 3rd NFL seasons on their original 4 yr contracts, none have produced much in over the first half of their contracts periods. Of these 3 only newly acquired Austin Corbett with a 5th rd draft pick is thought to be an initial starter @ LG.

The other 2 are coming off 2019 season knee injuries with OT Noteboom being the far worse off. Noteboom still appears to be an initially probable PUP candidate IMO. Ready for full game day action by Bye week. Allen should be ready for a TC battle for his 2019 starting center post with Blythe who replaced him after his injury. Obviously Snead is expecting a different outcome over the these young 3 OL'ers from this point on. He will depend heavy on his 3 signed UFA's OL'ers Blythe/ Whitworth & Havenstein all of which have a much more proven results.

At this time Snead seemed to end up doing better with his two 2019 drafted OL'ers Edwards & Evans who are looking more optimistic overall than his 2018 drafted Ol'ers. Edwards is a sure starting OG based off his very good rookie season where he played in four OL posts. Evans will be fighting to retain his starting later half starting RT post over longtime starter Hav. If Evans falls a little short he is sure to win the very important Swing OT position while Noteboom gets healthier.

Snead had some prosperity with McVay/Kromer with developing UDFA/WWC's OL'ers i.e. OC-OG Blythe/ OT-OG Brewer/ OC-OG Shelton. All three should have no issues making the 9 OL unit this season.

 

[So Ram]

Reference not utilizing much of the Ram 2020 Draft value tender on the OL....... Sure did take most of the ROD members by surprise. As we discussed above Snead has had very poor success history on his usage of "Treasured Draft Tender" in order to bring improvement to his OL. So I do understand his reluctance to have gone in that direction based on his history.

Snead has used most of his past & future (2016 through 2021) draft tender on 3 positions QB/ WR/ CB (Goff/Cooks/Ramsey). Of those 1 is already gone, another is slated to be gone March 2021 & the last Goff just finished his rookie contract....then signed a $134 mil./ $110 million guarantee which is the largest in NFL history that will see him here through 2024.

3 OL'ers whom Snead gathered through the use of draft tender were starting OL'ers......LG Noteboom (started 6 gms)/ OC Allen (started 9 gms) & LG Corbett (stated 8 gms) all will be entering their 3rd NFL seasons on their original 4 yr contracts, none have produced much in over the first half of their contracts periods. Of these 3 only newly acquired Austin Corbett with a 5th rd draft pick is thought to be an initial starter @ LG.

The other 2 are coming off 2019 season knee injuries with OT Noteboom being the far worse off. Noteboom still appears to be an initially probable PUP candidate IMO. Ready for full game day action by Bye week. Allen should be ready for a TC battle for his 2019 starting center post with Blythe who replaced him after his injury. Obviously Snead is expecting a different outcome over the these young 3 OL'ers from this point on. He will depend heavy on his 3 signed UFA's OL'ers Blythe/ Whitworth & Havenstein all of which have a much more proven results.

At this time Snead seemed to end up doing better with his two 2019 drafted OL'ers Edwards & Evans who are looking more optimistic overall than his 2018 drafted Ol'ers. Edwards is a sure starting OG based off his very good rookie season where he played in four OL posts. Evans will be fighting to retain his starting later half starting RT post over longtime starter Hav. If Evans falls a little short he is sure to win the very important Swing OT position while Noteboom gets healthier.

Snead had some prosperity with McVay/Kromer with developing UDFA/WWC's OL'ers i.e. OC-OG Blythe/ OT-OG Brewer/ OC-OG Shelton. All three should have no issues making the 9 OL unit this season.

Will see ??
Corbett could bring a comp pick ?

As far as Snead goes - Fisher played a big role in begin,more so than now.

Developing ? A guy like Roger Saffold never totally solidified himself as a Ram,until Whitworth & Sullivan.He needed that locker room leadership those guys brought.

—Rob Havenstien needs to reestablish himself in 2020. He is the only Snisher gUy that has lasted.