One Thought About the Next Left Tackle.

[Loyal]

Well I suppose they could draft an OG who could back up Saff with Saff backin up LT.

Just don't think the Rams are in position to fix LT. And that's not the worst thing in the world. Most teams' seasons are done if they lose their LT. And the rush to replace their old LT is why Cincinnati let Big Whit get away.

Rams might just need to roll the dice there, while they upgrade other positions that are strong in the draft where they pick.

My idea was to have him stay a year starting as the new kid learned how to be a legit LT from one of the best. Cinci was stupid.

 

[SteveBrown]

I think no doubt we need to get our next LT in here ASAP to start learning from Whitworth.

But I also think Whitworth's decline was much less than people think. I think Jared got really used to holding onto the ball for longer than he should due mainly to the Lines great protection and also to Jared's ability to get confident in the pocket and fearless to an extent.nt

I am not sure that I remember any quarter backs over the last 40 years to be so untouched as Goff was. He was rarely every knocked to the ground hard more than once (Vikings and Saints game, Eagles game a few times)...but really he was as clean as it gets. I remember Everett was pretty clean in 88-89 while throwing off his back foot at any sign of pressure...and of course Brady in 2007 to 2015-ish; even Manning was knockec down quite a bit while he was all pro. Even Goff said after the season he felt great....

Pretty amazing job by McVay and Kromer putting all of that together with our 5 healthy starters!

 

[Todd59]

I know a lot of people have us taking a corner in the 1st this year, but with the surprising play of Troy Hill, and the ability to find decent corners in later rounds, I'd love to get Mike McGlinchey out of Notre Dame. I seriously doubt he falls all the way to #23, but having him learn behind Whitworth would be my ideal situation.

 

[BonifayRam]

I think the Rams should absolutely draft some tackle prospects for the future. Early (Rd 1-4) they should go for BPA so if a tackle is somehow the BPA, by all means take him. Note: I doubt the value will be there in the early rounds as tackles often get over drafted especially left tackles.

Reading about Whitworth's career path just reinforces to me that the Rams need to start looking/planning for a young LT candidate to groom now.

Notes about Whitworth's career:
Whitworth was a 2nd round pick (#55) that started from day one at LG in 2006. One primary reason he lasted until round 2 was that he was a 24/25 (old for the draft) rookie.
His first three years were primarily at left guard with spot duty at left tackle to fill in for injuries.
He did not become a starting LT until his fourth season when he was 27/28 years old.
He did no make the pro bowl until 2012 when was 30/31 years old.

Current Rams Roster LT Alternatives:

Darryl Williams 24 years old: He was the primary back up this past season but with his limited experience, in-game performances, and smaller size (6-5 305lbs) I doubt he is viewed as a long-term replacement. Best role - cost effective depth rotational player. Contract Note: He will also be a restricted restricted FA in 2018.

Cornelius Lucas 26 years old: He has played 36 games in his four year career but was cut from Detroit who opted for Greg Robinson.
His impressive size and frame (6-9 330lbs) is intriguing. I have read he has good feet for his size but he may actually be too tall to be effective in the NFL. Contract Note: He will be a FA in 2018 so if he is resigned that will tell me if the Rams see something in him worth developing.

Rob Havenstein 25 years old: Many may laugh at me writing this but I think he is the best option of all the Rams tackles on the current roster. Under Kromer (and Whitworth's) tutelage he played well for the most part and showed a lot of growth. Some claim he does not have the ideal feet for a LT but he has the desired size (6-8 335lbs) and with Kromer as his position coach he may actually have a chance to do well on the left side. Contract Note: He only has one year left on his four year rookie contract.

Rodger Saffold 29 years old: For me he is only an emergency option at this point in his career especially since he had pro bowl caliber season at LG in 2017. Contract Note: Saffold only has 1 year left on his contract and I think he can actually opt out of his final year and become a free agent.

Rodger Saffold will have a cap hit of 7.5 million in 2018. I have been suggesting for a long period now that the Rams offer up a real good pay raise & extension for Saffold ASAP. IMO far more worthy than a over 12 mil Rob Quinn or 13 to 14 million Trumaine Johnson. Rams need Saffold more now than ever.

UFA OT Lucas appears to be a swing OT 2 post player prospect where Williams is not. RFA Williams is a easy econo priced salary not sure what Lucas will demand. If Rams do not sign either of these OT's they will need to draft a few OT's with the upper half of their 7 draft selections in order to have back up to the two OT posts. Not sure which of these OT's is the best to secure? I would never utilize Rob Havenstien @ LT unless its an emergency.

Saffold might be the only real starting LT alternative available to the Rams. I would bet that Rodger would start @ LT for half the NFL teams today. If Whitworth is not here in 2018 then Saffold is our starting LT for Goff. Snead & the Rams better prepare for it & not get caught with their pants down. Its much easier to sign a excellent UFA LG in this 2018 Free Agency than to find a decent LT. If you do find a average LT UFA you will pay big $$$ for basically trash. Best try to sign both Williams & Lucas for good measure.

Seasoned good starting UFA OG's are much more plentiful like Spencer Long, Justin Pugh or a Ryan Jensen to name a few compare that with UFA LT's...then follow up in May by drafting a rookie LT. One that Kromer would want to invest his time in @ OT. It takes many seasons & precarious starts to get a young LT on par with starting NFL LT's.

True that Saffold may not be @ his best, playing & starting @ LT, especially since he just had his best season @ LG since his rookie 2011 season when he started a complete season as starting LT. However if you sign a well seasoned OL'er like Spencer Long or Justin Pugh & put them in next to Saffold it would help big!

Rams had the best OL health this past season something missing for over 2 decades. Ram fans thinking that will continue are fooling themselves badly. Not addressing this OL in 2018 & securing its starters for the future will send this team back to the bottom of the NFC west again.

 

[Memento]

Outside of of maybe one, I am not crazy about any OTs in this draft. I will be tough to get a good one where the Rams draft this year. There will be better players at other positions of need IMO.

Which OT do you like in the draft?

 

[Riverumbbq]

I know a lot of people have us taking a corner in the 1st this year, but with the surprising play of Troy Hill, and the ability to find decent corners in later rounds, I'd love to get Mike McGlinchey out of Notre Dame. I seriously doubt he falls all the way to #23, but having him learn behind Whitworth would be my ideal situation.

It's going to be tough getting any of these preferred players with the 23'rd overall draft pick. Some want Payne, some like myself want Joshua Jackson, others want Mclinchey or Hubbard, and then there are those inclined to trade down because all these guys may be gone before our team is called to the podium. The QB's & LT's are going early, so there may be some hope one of these players falls, but don't hold your breath in the mean-time. Without a 2'nd rounder our hopes of moving up are also somewhat diminished. jmo.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Which OT do you like in the draft?

The obvious one.. Orlando Brown.

There are several that may end up being good but I don’t see a Whitworth level talent after Brown

 

[OregonRamsFan]

Yeah, and if you remember he didn't have any sacks or even hardly any QB hits the first 5 or 6 games or so. So that means that all of those sacks happened in the second half of the season which corroborates the opinion that he was wearing down as the season progressed.
Look I am not down on Andrew Whitworth of anything, but I do think that it is prudent to address the LOT position ASAP. And this year's draft is as good a time as any.........

~ArkyRamsFan~

True, Whit did decline a bit. Of course the opposing DLs were tougher in the latter part of our season, weren’t they?Vikings, Eagles, Saints, etc. Either way I do agree we probably won’t get more than one more good year out of Whit.

 

[Mackeyser]

Outside of of maybe one, I am not crazy about any OTs in this draft. I will be tough to get a good one where the Rams draft this year. There will be better players at other positions of need IMO.

Actually, I like Kolton Miller OT UCLA.

And he's someone we should be able to get in the 3rd. I know some have him as a late round pick but the more people watch the film and the other hyped guys are off the board and teams load up on DEs and OLBs to rush the passer, I think he's going to def be a 3rd-4th rounder.

Only prob is there are likely 3-4 guys we could really use at that 3rd round spot.

But yeah, I'd def work out Miller and see if we could red-shirt him.

 

[Riverumbbq]

The best of the big school left tackles will be history by the time the Rams pick imo, so let me attempt to address this with an extraordinary small school (Humboldt St.) talent, 6'6" - 305lb. Alex Cappa, my mock's 3'rd round selection :


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuNKeXXTbp4

 

[Memento]

The obvious one.. Orlando Brown.

There are several that may end up being good but I don’t see a Whitworth level talent after Brown

Orlando Brown is another good one. I don't think he'll be there when we pick.

Either way, we need an heir apparent to Whitworth.

 

[Merlin]

Seasoned good starting UFA OG's are much more plentiful like Spencer Long, Justin Pugh or a Ryan Jensen to name a few compare that with UFA LT's...then follow up in May by drafting a rookie LT. One that Kromer would want to invest his time in @ OT. It takes many seasons & precarious starts to get a young LT on par with starting NFL LT's.

Boni I do think the attractiveness of the OG market is that they should be cheap. Outside of the kid from Carolina, who's gonna get paid, I wouldn't want to throw money at any of them. But I could see the Rams inking one of them for depth, and that goes for a lot of positions tbh.

That said, the Rams OL did use some depth players this season, notably Blythe, with very good result. And while I'm not going to convince myself that Williams is anything special, the group as a whole played quite well vs SF in the final weekend.

If I were the GM, my main concern would be drafting a young OC/OG type. You can usually squeeze those guys in somewhere middle rounds, which doesn't interfere too much with what I pray will be a heavy defense draft at the top. Then go get a LT next year, even if you gotta trade up to do it.

And lastly, we haven't talked trade-up too much around here due to nobody wanting to give away more picks, but if the Rams absolutely love a LT in this draft it's a possibility. And it would be hard to argue with, I wouldn't complain.

 

[Riverumbbq]

I'm only mocking two mid-round offensive players for our next draft, both OT's who might start out as either reserve OG's or ...

If we land a top LT in the upcoming draft we'll have to find a starting position for him, and that OL of ours looks like it has all the starters covered for the time being.
Two mid-round OT's would receive training from Whitworth and a decision following next season could answer whether they have the right stuff to eventually replace Whitworth in 2020. If the answer is no, hopefully they pan out as OG's or as swingmen and we look again to the 2019 draft for a potential Whitworth replacement.
jmo

 

[Classic Rams]

Either get a younger FA <33 or draft a guy that can start right away, no more projects.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Either get a younger FA <33 or draft a guy that can start right away, no more projects.

Unfortunately, it's not always that easy. What happened with Whitworth last season is a rarity.

What happens when all the top LT prospects are off the board when we pick at #23 ?

Here is your list of potential 2018 LT free agents, some of which are likely to be re-signed by their old teams. Tell us who you think can replace Whitworth :

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/free-agents/left-tackle/

 

[Memento]

One of the next big questions for McVay/Snead/Demoff is whether to offer the 5'th year option to either or both Havenstein & Brown. This decision is coming up quite soon. While I might not offer the option to Brown, Havenstein is a fairly likely recipient, although neither are McVay/Kromer picks and it's difficult to say what they think of those two. The same draft produced Donnal & Wichmann, and we know how McVay/Kromer disposed of them. Gurley will get a 2019 5'th year option, likely not for Hager and definitely not for Mannion. I believe the 2019 options must be announced in May of 2018. jmo

Since Havenstein and Brown were second round and third round prospects respectively, they can't be offered a fifth year option. Only Gurley can, since he was a first round pick.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Since Havenstein and Brown were second round and third round prospects respectively, they can't be offered a fifth year option. Only Gurley can, since he was a first round pick.

Oh Yeah, ... thanks for that.

Removed via edit. Must be the senility kicking in.

 

[Rmfnlt]

Drafting an o-lineman early is high risk. I believe Snead and Kromer will scoure free-agency. They came close with a Buffalo guy last year, but Buffalo gave him a contract. Think the safe thing for the Rams is free-agency where they get more of a book on the guy. Drafting a college guy just proposes too much risk. I don't know who their pro-scouting director is.

RDK,

I have much more faith in Snead, McVay and Kromer than I did with Snead, Fisher and Boudreau.
Remember when lots of Rams fans thought "Boo" was the "bomb"? :eek:.
Question Boudreau and you'd have thought you were denouncing the USA

As you know, good Olinemen comes from both... FA and the draft.

I'm gonna put trust in those three men to know what they need and go get them... whichever way they need to.

 

[fearsomefour]

I know a lot of people have us taking a corner in the 1st this year, but with the surprising play of Troy Hill, and the ability to find decent corners in later rounds, I'd love to get Mike McGlinchey out of Notre Dame. I seriously doubt he falls all the way to #23, but having him learn behind Whitworth would be my ideal situation.

I would have or two guys dogeared....if they fall to 23 I would grab them. Outside of that I am going CB. I would go CB even if Tru is retained. If Tru leaves there is no choice really.
Even if Coleman comes back who knows how Websters recovery goes? Tru is easily....and it ain't close....the best CB on the roster. Hill had some good games and I think has proven himself as a depth guy. Peterson made some plays but the jury is still out.
The drop off after Tru and Coleman is significant. Best case gives us Tru, Coleman, 1st round pick, Hill as our top four.

 

[BonifayRam]

I would have or two guys dogeared....if they fall to 23 I would grab them. Outside of that I am going CB. I would go CB even if Tru is retained. If Tru leaves there is no choice really.
Even if Coleman comes back who knows how Websters recovery goes? Tru is easily....and it ain't close....the best CB on the roster. Hill had some good games and I think has proven himself as a depth guy. Peterson made some plays but the jury is still out.
The drop off after Tru and Coleman is significant. Best case gives us Tru, Coleman, 1st round pick, Hill as our top four.

The Rams must come out of this 2018 draft with a starting caliber outside CB nothing could be so clear.

Starting corner Kayvon Webster is damaged & has two Serious rehabbing events going into the off season (Shoulder Reconstruction & Achilles surgery). Plus KW will be a UFA this time next year. NR-C best skills & talents are @ the Nickle/Dime Corner not outside starting corner. Rams other CB's Troy Hill/ Kevin Peterson/ Dom Hatfield are UDFA's who may be good 4th & 5th corners but have holes in their skills & talents that will cause any team starting them Heartburn. You better get some corner talent infusion ASAP!

On the plus side here in the 2018 Draft it has been said by professionals who earn a living in knowing NFL drafts.....its a good year for excellent corners & the overall corner prospect amounts is good just as well. Snead has a well proven track record on drafting DB starters. Time to take advantage of Snead's scout team talents & refrain from purchasing over priced & heavy baggage'd & cap busting veteran UFA corners & take some of these low hanging fruit Bargains in this draft.