No Secret Rams going young on the OL

[BonifayRam]

Nick Wagoner ✔ @nwagoner Follow
A couple more things from Fisher on the OL: He acknowledged that there are "some things" they could still do in FA, not just Barksdale.

I sure hope Fisher goes this route for attaining a starter @ OLG.

Nick Wagoner ✔ @nwagoner Follow
Fisher again expresses confidence in Barrett Jones and mentions second-year Demetrius Rhaney as an option at center.

I have been in full agreement with this for a long time now. Glad to hear this.

Nick Wagoner ✔ @nwagoner Follow
Fisher said initial asking price for Barksdale was a little surprising but that has settled some and now "it makes sense to get Joe back."

No Like ! Sure hope Fisher does not break the Ram Cap Bank here on a below average starting ORT Barksdale.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Great post....A few you missed...
Ali Marpet, kid looked like he could play at senior bowl. Confirmed it with a solid combine.
Laken Thomlinson, dude is intelligent and stout. No problems with drafting this guy in the 3rd.
AJ Cann, handled the SEC with class & power. I don't want another Larry Warford to slip away. Get this guy in horns.
Jamil Douglas, another low round athlete to develop for Boo. Moves well.
Jeremiah Poutasi, last OG in my list...Guards can be found in the 3rd round...and can start...I like to convert powerful college tackles to guards. Hence Collins & Scherff are the best prospects to start, day one at OG next to?????
My tackles
Laurence Gibson, OT from Va. Tech. Great combine numbers. Film says he can be coached up. I would love for Coach Boo to get his hands on him.
Andrew Donnal, I have been keeping my eyes on this guy too. Played opposite of Scherff. Sneaky tough, solid guy.
Chaz Green & DJ Humphries...more finesse types. Tools are there...Humphries is a pass pro ready guy, but needs some run blocking umph....Later round tackles, but my #1 run-blocking monster is Ereck Flowers, plug and play in my book. Trade back and make this happen.
oh yea, my please draft Hundley for QB break...
Centers
Can we get Cam Irving? Can we....Lets see Snisher make this magic happen...but if not
B.J. Finney, centers are different. This guy is a engineering major. I like that in centers...I don't want a 2 Wonderlic checking line calls...seriously. Powerful & large, this would be an excellent add.
Shaquille Mason guy can play...a lil small, and an ex-guard...but he can play. He is the total opposite of Barrett "I can't play" Jones. Is he smart, I don't know, the guy can PLAY.....
Max Garcia, I know, he's hurt...Huge no no in the Champs assessments...HUGE...I'm scared of hurt people...but again, the games I saw on him...he can play...

 

[Memphis Ram]

Yes your 100% true with other 31 NFL teams.

But I have been busy trying to find or discover any factual evidence to indicate that the above statement can be applied to the Rams with Fisher & Snead duo?

I sure hope Fisher does not pass on a chance to greatly improve the non functioning OL unit in order to secure another talented WR.

Not including the early pick on Robinson, they've only drafted 5 Olinemen with the highest pick being a 4th rounder (Jones). To date, 3 are still with the team. And 2 of those guys have been injured with one just coming off his rookie season. And there's a chance that 1 or both may very well be starting in 2015.

The way O-Lineman have tended to go in the 1st and 2nd rounds, over the past few years, I doubt seriously any of the Plug and Play / Day one starters will make it to the 3rd and 4th rounds. JMO!

Can't simply go by what's happened in the past as each draft class is different. While this draft class isn't loaded with top tier talent, it is deep with average to good talent.

 

[DaveFan'51]

While this draft class isn't loaded with top tier talent, it is deep with average to good talent.

Which is exactly my point. there are not that many STARTERS.

 

[Memphis Ram]

Which is exactly my point. there are not that many STARTERS.

But, average to good talent can be starters in the right scheme/system. Most of the starting Olinemen in the league right now are merely average to good players.

 

[BonifayRam]

Hopefully we are able to trade down twice in Rd 1 and build an OL that can be equal to the talent we have on our DL.. Simply put we gotta win in the trenches.
trade down to approx 15, then again into early 20's. In the 20's is the sweet spot for OL value imho

I agree with you & trade down is what I want. Yes I also agree with you here too, we have seen for a long long long LONG time now what happens when the Ram consistently lose in the OL trenches. A trade down from #10 to #15 would demand at least a lower 1/3 second round selection.

 

[fearsomefour]

I sure hope Fisher goes this route for attaining a starter @ OLG.

I have been in full agreement with this for a long time now. Glad to hear this.

No Like ! Sure hope Fisher does not break the Ram Cap Bank here on a below average starting ORT Barksdale.

The current regime has exercised good discipline (mostly) with spending. Even the Long and Wells signings made sense at the time give the shape of the roster and the risk/reward.
I think Barksdale returns now that he has not had any big money offers to leave. A bit surprising, but, I will take it.
Rhaney is the guy I am excited to see. Showed so much potential last PS. Jumped off the screen sometimes with his ability to move, pull and get to the LBs.

 

[BonifayRam]

The current regime has exercised good discipline (mostly) with spending. Even the Long and Wells signings made sense at the time give the shape of the roster and the risk/reward.
I think Barksdale returns now that he has not had any big money offers to leave. A bit surprising, but, I will take it.
Rhaney is the guy I am excited to see. Showed so much potential last PS. Jumped off the screen sometimes with his ability to move, pull and get to the LBs.

Yes they have done an outstanding job in handling the Cap! Joe Barksdale contract should be a two yr or less & under 3 mil a yr at most. I am very positive about Rhaney being a good back up center for us this season.

 

[DR RAM]

The Rams passed on some of the bigger names on OL in FA like Iupati and Franklin and signed lower level FA Garrett Reynolds, not sure if Blalock is still in play and not if sure Rams are bringing back Barksdale, it appears the writing might be on the wall that the Rams will finally invest higher draft choices on premium OL prospects which would be the smart way to go knowing the depth of the OL prospects this year and the success of Zack Martin and Joel Bitinio last year. Also, we have quite a bit of our young talent on offense and defense will be coming up for FA in 2016 and 2017 so we can't be weighed down with high salaries at multiple positions, plus we have thrown a lot of money at the OL in past 3 years and it hasn't panned out for us, so why not invest in OL in draft. Another thing that is important for us this year is getting tough and physical lineman as we have been man handled by the interior lines of 49ers, Seahawks, and Cardinals, remember the final Cardinals game last year, the DT were in our backfield all game we can't continue to have that happen if we want to get out of the basement of the NFC West and make playoffs.

If we do not bring back Barksdale then we will need to find day one starters for LG and RT and we can accomplish that out of our selections in Rounds 1 - 2. I wouldn't be surprised if we dipped into OL with at least three of our 6 selections this year.

1st Round

G/T
Schreff - Cignetti had Mankins at Fresno State so this would be no surprise
L. Collins - people are forgetting about this guy, he could be better than Schreff overall

T
Flowers - mean and nasty, technique is an issue but we have Boudreau
Clemmings - this guy has great potential but is not ready to start, he is at least year away
Peat - not in love with this guy, but has tree trunks for thighs, view him more as left tackle

2nd Round

G/T
Arie Kouandijo - he will be way better than his brother, very intelligent, very good in support of his center and left tackle, he is day 1 plug an play player
AJ Cann - tough and solid, not All Pro, could be just a younger Justin Blalock
Laken Tomlinson - tough kid who handled Shelton at Senior Bowl and would great for us to handle the tough interior DT we face in NFC West
Donovan Smith - really like this kid, tough and nasty and had solid Senior Bowl week
Daryl Williams - tough and solid, just gets the job done, maybe a little smaller version of Phil Loadholt

I am sure my Rams brothers/sisters have some more on your lists but these are just a few I like and think we should target.

Collins is better, there is no debate from me. Flowers and Peat can both play right now. Humphries is probably a 1st rounder.

I like all of your G/T, except Kouandijo. Smith and Williams, might be able to play a little swing OT too. They are both people movers, and both nasty, strong players.

Oregon's, Fisher seems to be somebody no one is talking about, and he might be a 1st rounder, 2nd rounder at worst.

Chaz Green is better than Kouandijo, IMO, and is also a combo guy. I have a couple sleepers too, at RT.

 

[DR RAM]

IMO, the Rams could find day one starters for LG & RT in rounds 3 & 4, too.

I think the draft is deep here.
@BonifayRam , Snead, please don't overpay Joe. I like him, but you have to save cap money somewhere, and if you can't save it at ORT, where do you save it? Of course there are exceptions, but he is not one of them, not a Pro Bowl caliber player.

 

[Demand n 1]

Great post and great responses. You people know your stuff.
I would echo support for two OL not much mentioned.
I mock Jake Fisher @ 2-41. I know too early or too late, better prospects can be debated but JF is incredibly athletic. Best in cones and 20 yd. shuffle in 15 yrs. Needs upper body strength but that can be grown. Eventually push Grob at LOT. Compares to Anthony Costanzo and Jake Mathews.
I mock Ali Marpet @ 3-74 May be early for DivIII` player but unquestionable athletics. Dominate run block. Effective pass pro. Serious knee bender and ankle flex. Projects to OG in NFL. Compares to Joel Bitonio and Mark Glowinski
It is easy to argue that neither is plug and play. (very few truly are)
I know I am in the deep minority here, but I think our OC is already on the team Rhaney or B. Jones can't be a bigger gamble than a rookie. ROT Barksdale WILL be back. Trust me on this. I have "sources" where I get my hair cut. Washington and F/A give us serviceable OG play. My 2 cents.

 

[FrankenRam]

'No Secret Rams going young on the OL'

IMO, there is TOO much being read into the Rams' FA activity (or maybe more appropriately, the lack thereof) thus far to reach any conclusions re: this thread's title. It may well be they will go OL hot & heavy in the early rounds, but the only thing we can truly surmise from their activity thus far is that they don't like the available FA OL currently available at their current asking price(s).

At this point, I am beginning to be a little surprised that none of the trio of Barksdale/Blalock/Wiz have signed with someone. I may be wrong, but it seems to me the longer they hold out, the less leverage they have and the less their eventual contract $$ are likely to be. I guess the reality of having overpriced themselves hasn't set in yet.

 

[Merlin]

I have changed in my take a bit with the FA options out there in that I don't think they're going to affect the Rams draft too much. Barks for example is probably not seen as a long term answer by the Rams so while they'll try to get him back for depth and flexibility in the event the rookie RT needs some time to learn he's not going to preclude them drafting that RT.

I still think 2 OL in the first four rounds is likely. What I don't know is whether they're gonna pounce on Scherff or Flowers at the top. Still seeing it something along the lines of:

1. Scherff/Flowers/etc whether at 10 or after small trade down
2. QB or OG
3. QB or OG
4. BPA

Really wish I knew which QB they are high on...

 

[Speedr@m]

man the Rams have made a continuous effort to upgrade their oline over the last decade or more. I'm all for gong all oline in this draft but more importantly it just needs to work... because their efforts previously just haven't