Draft guru gives Rams a 'very good' grade in 2015 NFL Draft
Elisabeth Meinecke
FOX Sports Midwest
MAY 05, 2015 5:45p ET
http://www.foxsports.com/midwest/st...ms-a-very-good-grade-in-2015-nfl-draft-050515
"They've got some nastiness in them."
Dan Shonka of Ourlads' NFL Scouting Services is going through the list of offensive linemen drafted by the St. Louis Rams over the weekend -- four players, taken in four different rounds, yet united by their ability to play with an edge.
"That's one thing that I made a note of on all these different guys -- they've all got a nasty streak to them," Shonka says. The scouting term he uses to describe such a tendency among offensive linemen, admittedly, is unfit for print.
But Shonka finds other ways to say it.
"They have their head on a swivel, and they're looking for somebody to hit," he explains. "All these guys kind of have the same type of personality, so I guess that's why they (the Rams) went after them."
This edgy group of offensive linemen consists of second-rounder Rob Havenstein from Wisconsin, third-rounder Jamon Brown from Louisville, fourth-rounder Andrew Donnal from Iowa and sixth-rounder Cody Wichmann from Fresno State. They were among seven offensive players the Rams selected in the 2015 NFL Draft, along with two defensive guys: linebacker Bryce Hager and defensive end Martin Ifedi, both in the seventh round.
Shonka prefers to rate drafts in verbiage such as "average," "good" and "very good," as opposed to letter grades. For the Rams this year, he gives an overall mark of "very good."
"There's an 'excellent' -- I don't know if we've ever given an excellent," Shonka says. "Very good is, I guess if you're putting a letter grade, you'd say it was a B+, because there are a lot of choices that we certainly like, and I don't know that we ever give an A anyway. 'Very good' is about as top as we go."
More on the Rams' "very good" performance in the 2015 draft:
• Surprise RB pick. The Rams' selection of running back Todd Gurley at 10th overall came as a surprise to Shonka -- but a good surprise. There was some risk with the pick because Gurley is still recovering from ACL surgery, but the upside could be huge, especially because Rams coach Jeff Fisher, who coached Eddie George in Tennessee, hasn't had a dominant running back during his tenure in St. Louis.
"Steven Jackson was OK, but he was getting toward the end of his career," Shonka points out. A big-time running back "will help your defense, will help your receiving game, will help everything."
• Later-than-expected O-line help. The Rams' decision to trade their No. 41 pick to Carolina meant they delayed selecting an offensive lineman, which many had speculated they'd do in the first round, until 57th overall. The benefit was gaining two additional picks, which the Rams used in the third round on a quarterback (Oregon State's Sean Mannion) and in the sixth on a wide receiver (Missouri's Bud Sasser). Another break for the Rams was that only three offensive linemen went off the board in Round 2 before they got to select Havenstein.
"You could argue that you might be able to get a little bit better lineman, but the way it turns out, the linemen that the Rams took -- three out of (the) second four picks -- got a lot of talent, and have the ability to start, and certainly bring competition," Shonka says. "Havenstein, to me, he was a second-round tackle. I like the guy. He's a tough guy. He's consistent."
Shonka highlights Havenstein's 6-foot-7, 321-pound frame -- "he just has to keep working to bend his knees because he is so tall" -- and hip flexibility for his size, along with his lateral quickness and foot movement.
"If anybody's got any question about him, throw on that film against Nebraska," Shonka says. "He blocks (outside linebacker Randy) Gregory. He gets his mitts on Gregory, and everybody thinks Gregory (a second-round pick by Dallas) is the second coming of Lawrence Taylor or something. Havenstein handles him pretty good."
• Guard rather than tackle. Shonka thinks Jamon Brown, the Rams' first selection in the third round and 72nd overall, will end up being a guard, though he's listed as an offensive tackle. It is that versatility, Shonka believes, that makes him a good selection.
"We had him late third, fourth round, so that's where they got him, so I can't argue that," Shonka says. "He could play all the positions, because he played left tackle and he's got some experience at guard, and so really, he's a four-for-one player, which, in the NFL anymore, that's what you want -- a versatile guy. And that's certainly Jamon."
• Mannion reminiscent of Brady. Shonka is a huge fan of Mannion, the quarterback the Rams selected in the third round, and thinks that among the second tier of quarterbacks in the 2015 draft (those who follow top two picks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota), Mannion might be the eventual starter.
"He has one of the strongest arms in this draft, he's very smart, he's a four-year starter, he's a three-year captain, he's your classic, your NFL drop-back quarterback -- he's built like a Tom Brady or a Peyton Manning," says Shonka, who researched Brady for the Philadelphia Eagles when Brady was in college and graded him two rounds higher than where the Patriots took him. "(Mannion) reminds me a lot of Brady when Brady came out."
• Donnal went higher than expected. Shonka says he had Donnal as a sixth-round selection and St. Louis took him in the fourth, but he understands the pick from the Rams' perspective.
"The buzzword, obviously, with the Rams, they want versatile guys, and I think he can kick inside to play guard," he says.
Donnal will need to work on his strength, Shonka says, but his technique is solid, and he's well thought of by offensive line coaches around the league.
• Long wait for a wideout. The Rams waited until the sixth round to select a wide receiver, another position that, going into the draft, was thought to be a consideration with their top selection overall. Top prospects Amari Cooper and Kevin White were off the board when the Rams went on the clock, but Louisville's DeVante Parker was still there.
Overall, the strategy to go with Gurley over a wide receiver doesn't bother Shonka, who points out Sasser had a good senior year at Mizzou, though he'll have to make the Rams by playing special teams.
"That sixth round, you wanted some guy that could run, catch the ball and make your team, and that's what he'll be competing to do," Shonka says.
• Seventh-rounders could exceed expectations. Shonka says the Rams' last two picks, Hager and Ifedi at 224 and 227, respectively, have a solid chance to outperform their draft spots. His list of Hager's attributes is extensive: He plays well in space, he hustles, he's fast, he plays with great instincts. Ifedi, meanwhile, has "really strong hands," long arms and lateral quickness.
"Great value picks," Shonka says.
