Per Tony Pauline the Rams number one draft target was Byron Murphy

[OldSchool]

The alleged trade up was for Bowers wasn't it? So seemingly Murphy didn't enter the equation anyway. As far as deconstructing the draft, manufacturing an imaginary one and calling it "better"....well let's just say, that's fantasy.

The Rams picked at #19. So there's a chance they had 15-16 guys ranked above Verse. The reality is, even if they only had 9 ranked higher on their board that makes him their 10th choice. They don't have to say that though. Realistically, they do what the 'mockers' do and target guys they believe will be available when they pick. When #19 came around they jumped on Verse, a guy many thought we wouldn't get. When the DTs started coming off the board at the top of the 2nd, they moved up to get Fiske.

What amazed me is they did EXACTLY what many Ram fans wanted them to do but couldn't figure a way it would happen. Get Edge help AND a quality DT. Yet this draft is being picked apart and alternatives are given with the comment, "this would have been better"? Go figure.

There have been multiple people that tell us the Rams allegedly wanted to trade up and there are a handful of players we allegedly were wanting to trade up for. If memory serves right Peniz, Murphy, Bowers, Latu and Odunze were all players different experts in air quotes say we wanted to trade up for. In the end we traded up in the 2nd but we didn't really want that guy according to some.

 

[Londoner]

There have been multiple people that tell us…

It’s all clickbait.

That’s how modern “journalism” works.

 

[OldSchool]

This is where you lost me. How do you know?

An "Insider" reported it? OK. So What?



How do you know that? Another "Insider" said it was Murphy.


Still ANOTHER "Insider" reported the targeted trade-up was for an O-Lineman. One of ROD's good posters was ... for some reason ... sure THAT particular "Insider" knew and was correct.

Still other "Insiders" claimed the trade-up was for a QB but those "Insiders" disagreed over which QB.

I can't figure-out Why any poster Thinks or Believes any of these "Insiders" really has "Inside" information.

Hell man, if one is correct, that means 90% were wrong.

You're 100% corrrct.

 

[OldSchool]

It’s all clickbait.

That’s how modern “journalism” works.

I agree but the discussion here is some believe the clickbait but only some of the click bait. They also say the Rams are lying and they really didn't want t the first two picks we made.

 

[Allen2McVay]

You're 100% corrrct.

Yes but I only knew that because an Insider told me.

It’s Ironic.

 

[Londoner]

They also say the Rams are lying

All teams lie; nobody gets the exact draft they actually wanted.

All we can do is hope that the players we got do not let us down.

 

[dieterbrock]

IMO, this is a byproduct of lazy reporting.
Donald retires, automatically "insiders" say they want DT
Like Buffalo who trades away Diggs right before the draft, and the "insiders" say they want to trade up for WR
Instead they trade back, TWICE before drafting one
I dont know or care anything about this Pauline fella, but I imagine he had mocked Murphy going to the Rams at some point, and this is just his way of saying he was right

 

[Merlin]

I think it is likely the Rams were high on Murphy. Iirc Les referenced him in one of the interviews. DT was a huge need. So I imagine there was a scenario where he was there and they take him.

What do they do if he and Verse are there. Hmm. Who knows. But clearly they were in love with Fiske. Les let it slip they were going to move up for him regardless in that interview. I presume that changes if Murphy is there at 19 instead of Verse.

But my take on this is Verse & Fiske were a scenario they really thought unlikely. Les said that and I believe him. So my guess is once Bowers went off the way it fell for them was their preferred ending.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

I think it is likely the Rams were high on Murphy. Iirc Les referenced him in one of the interviews. DT was a huge need. So I imagine there was a scenario where he was there and they take him.

What do they do if he and Verse are there. Hmm. Who knows. But clearly they were in love with Fiske. Les let it slip they were going to move up for him regardless in that interview. I presume that changes if Murphy is there at 19 instead of Verse.

But my take on this is Verse & Fiske were a scenario they really thought unlikely. Les said that and I believe him. So my guess is once Bowers went off the way it fell for them was their preferred ending.

Les mentioned they had pairings in mind, and Verse/Fiske was only one of them.

 

[So Ram]

I don't know, hence the word "allegedly". You don't know either. Neither does any other Ram fan. Which is exactly the point right? Or are we to just accept, Murphy was their target because so many Ram fans wanted him (and somebody wrote an article to that end)? Not Verse, the guy they actually picked (filling the biggest need for the Rams the last few years) and were said to be thrilled he lasted to #19. Or does the fact they traded up for Fiske get the Hercule Poirot juices going? That might suggest Murphy was their guy and they had to recover in the 2nd? I don't know. You don't know. Nobody but the Rams know. But the second best part of the year has passed, creating a huge void for many fans and it's a long wait for camp to start so let the rumors, conspiracy theories, innuendos, criticisms and suppositions fly! We may not know a damn thing but don't let that stop us!!!

What we know is what Les Snead has said all a long.Weather this Seacock was on The Rams list or not ?

How many players did The Rams want at 19(or earlier ?) Which in some senses doesn’t matter,because it is what it is.

The easiest part of the equation is The Rams wanted Fiske the whole time.He had The most value & maybe the Biggest need.

In theory though Byron Murphy might have been rated higher than
Verse ? The FACT Jared Verse was still on the board(others) was why The Rams stayed put.

The first question is what players were The Rams willing to trade up for ? — Who knows besides The Rams.

What Les said though is with Fiske The Rams were willing(going) to trade back for,but once they drafted Jared Verse they needed to trade back up to get there guy(DEFENSIVE TACKLE) Fiske.

What The Rams gave up to trade up shows a lot of what The Rams were thinking & did.

 

[CoachAllred]

That's the 6th player I've heard some expert say we wanted. Next thing you know @Loyal is going to tell us it was actually @Merlin who was our target to trade up for.

The only info that leaks out of Rams front office is info that Rams want to leak out.
So when I hear these things I give them 0 weight

 

[Mackeyser]

1) teams we wanted to trade with probably asked who we wanted. I think we lied to different teams

2) McVay was “in love” with the actual target and the ONLY name associated with that was Bowers. That aligns as we’ve moved to a power duo blocking scheme mostly and we don’t have a TE remotely like Bowers.

3) I’d wager the Rams had multiple plans depending on how the draft played out

4) the draft actually played out in one of the less likely projections according to literally everyone who tracks these things. No meaningful trades until pick 17??? That wasn’t something you’d expect even with this draft being a rarity

5) based on both the run on DTs and the synergy McSnead were looking for as well as Fiske’s own measurables, we didn’t overpay. Using charts without trading context is a recipe for disaster

I think we NAILED this draft and I’m on board as both initially wanting us to trade up for Bowers, but realizing that we got the best draft iteration… our DL is gonna be young and hungry and WILL surprise!

I learned my lesson on the rookie Kupp bet (I wagered on here that Kupp would get 60 catches and 800 yards or I’d post a pic of me in a Tim Brady Patriots jersey… I was right, but too close for comfort. That said, IF… if I were to bet, I’d bet that Verse has 8 sacks as a rook, Fiske has 6, Turner has 10 and Young has 12, so the young DL will have a combined 36 sacks and tons of pressures. That’s my take.

TL;dr Bowers was the target, the rest was almost certainly misdirection. We had a great draft and our new look DL/Edge group will have 36 combined sacks this year.

Go Rams!!!

 

[OldSchool]

All teams lie; nobody gets the exact draft they actually wanted.

All we can do is hope that the players we got do not let us down.

I never said they don't like or said they got/get what they wanted. Not sure how you got that I said that at all TBH.

 

[20hrswk]

"All teams lie; nobody gets the exact draft they actually wanted."

I never said they don't like or said they got/get what they wanted. Not sure how you got that I said that at all TBH.

Because the biggest need was ED/DT and in this draft the Edges were most likely to go before the DTs, it makes sense to me their wish at 19 (or a trade up) was:

1. Latu
2. Verse/Turner
3. Murphy

They tried to trade up for Latu and found no takers so drafted Verse at 19.

When the run on DTs came, they had to trade up for one of the "top tier" DTs or lose out waiting
until 52 and that would have been a "disaster" - no Fiske, no Jenkins, no Hall . . .
. . . ending up with Jackson, Carter, Dorlus, etc. who they had ranked much lower.
Therefore they had to give up what most thought was too much to move up and get either 1. Fiske 2. Jenkins/Hall.

Other teams/Panthers saw this and asked a good ransom accordingly.

That's what makes sense to me. We will probably never know.

 

[OntarioRam]

I am not so sure the Rams would go Latu after getting burned so recently with Terrell Lewis in terms of talent-hyped pass rusher falling in the draft due to injuries. Remember how Lewis was apparently an easy 1st round pick based on talent? Well, the Rams got him in the 3rd, but that knee never recovered, and the pick proved to be a waste. His knee always led to his reps being managed, both in practice and in games. He never really developed. Or go into a rhythm. Unsurprisingly, the team eventually moved on.

I'll always remember Lewis for completely destroying Gronk though! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xemQDLzJB48&ab_channel=HighlightHeaven

I'd say Latu's situation is even more concerning, considering it literally ended his career once already. And there isn't really precedent for a defensive player ever coming back from this procedure to have a long career (Peyton Manning did at QB, but that is a very different position).

 

[PARAM]

Some fans wanted us to go Newton. He's scheduled for surgery in a weeks time. May be why he lasted as long as he did.

 

[20hrswk]

Some fans wanted us to go Newton. He's scheduled for surgery in a weeks time. May be why he lasted as long as he did.

I hear what you're saying regarding Lewis and Latu.

I'm just going by what I read on the always truthful internet (lol) saying the Ram's doctors had cleared Latu as good to go.
If they had thoughts of Latu being another Lewis, their doctors would not have given him the "clearance"?

Also, I think Latu's production in college was much better than Lewis'.

In fact, from the PFF stuff I have looked up, the only recent edge numbers (I like to look at the last 2 years of a college career) that compare to Latu are Bosa, Parsons, Myles Garrett, Hutchinson, Crosby and Chase Young - his last 2 years have been that dominant when talking college production.

Whether he will be that good in the NFL, we will see. But even if he's anywhere close to those guys, he will be a potent weapon at ED.

His production in college
The Ram's doctors OKing him medically
The Ram's need of an edge rusher

. . . lead me to think he would have been their #1 choice in the 13? - 19 range of the draft??

I also could see Bowers if McVay saw him as the next Gronk / a game changer.
The problem with that would be the draft capital needed to move up and get Bowers would have kept the Rams from getting either a top end ED or a top end DT - their greatest areas of need.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

@Loyal in 92' we went Gilbert & Marc Boutte both Pitt (AD) back-to-back then LSU back-to-back with top 4 picks and like you stated in 01' Lewis & Pickett in the first with AA sandwiched between them. now Verse & Fiske with top 2 from FSU

Kinda peculiar

Considering it was different GMs and different decades, I don't find it peculiar

This is where you lost me. How do you know?

An "Insider" reported it? OK. So What?



How do you know that? Another "Insider" said it was Murphy.


Still ANOTHER "Insider" reported the targeted trade-up was for an O-Lineman. One of ROD's good posters was ... for some reason ... sure THAT particular "Insider" knew and was correct.

Still other "Insiders" claimed the trade-up was for a QB but those "Insiders" disagreed over which QB.

I can't figure-out Why any poster Thinks or Believes any of these "Insiders" really has "Inside" information.

Hell man, if one is correct, that means 90% were wrong.

This is where I'm at. These so called journalists are trying to get clicks. They think up something plausible and claim to habe a source. I believe some do have sources with many other teams, but after listening to Ahead and McVay, and reading Jordan's article, I don't think they or anyone in the Rams building are telling any reporters anything real.

They don't do any of the 30 visits. The Chop Robinson visit was leaked by them, because Snead and McVay weren't even there as reported. They sent someone else. That person also visited Verse, along with a few others, which wasn't leaked. They seem to have total control of what they want and don't want other teams to know and to leak to the press.

 

[PARAM]

I hear what you're saying regarding Lewis and Latu.

I'm just going by what I read on the always truthful internet (lol) saying the Ram's doctors had cleared Latu as good to go.
If they had thoughts of Latu being another Lewis, their doctors would not have given him the "clearance"?

Also, I think Latu's production in college was much better than Lewis'.

In fact, from the PFF stuff I have looked up, the only recent edge numbers (I like to look at the last 2 years of a college career) that compare to Latu are Bosa, Parsons, Myles Garrett, Hutchinson, Crosby and Chase Young - his last 2 years have been that dominant when talking college production.

Whether he will be that good in the NFL, we will see. But even if he's anywhere close to those guys, he will be a potent weapon at ED.

His production in college
The Ram's doctors OKing him medically
The Ram's need of an edge rusher

. . . lead me to think he would have been their #1 choice in the 13? - 19 range of the draft??

I also could see Bowers if McVay saw him as the next Gronk / a game changer.
The problem with that would be the draft capital needed to move up and get Bowers would have kept the Rams from getting either a top end ED or a top end DT - their greatest areas of need.

Didn't the doctors clear Lewis?

Verse had excellent production at FSU, didn't need to be cleared by doctors and fit the Rams need at Edge.

And Latu played in the PAC12. From what I saw of the senior bowl he was manhandled. What will happen in the NFL?

 

[20hrswk]

Didn't the doctors clear Lewis?

Verse had excellent production at FSU, didn't need to be cleared by doctors and fit the Rams need at Edge.

And Latu played in the PAC12. From what I saw of the senior bowl he was manhandled. What will happen in the NFL?

I think both will do well in the NFL and as a Ram fan, I hope Verse dominates at ED.

As a football fan, I see Latu as the most talented pass rusher to come along in the last few years.

Time will tell.

Latu won the Lombardi, won the Hendricks and went #15 first ED off the board, so at least nationwide
award pickers and one NFL team think highly of his ability.

I watched SB practices and he beat guys over and over again. "Experts" wrote very well of him at the SB.

As far as the PAC-12, it was pretty good this year - 8 first rounders picked and . . .

2024 NFL Draft picks by conference​

• SEC -- 59
• Pac-12 -- 43
• Big Ten -- 42
• ACC -- 41
• Big 12 -- 31