Rams 2012 NFL Draft

[libertadrocks]

Very interest tweet from Evan Silva, from Rotoworld:

Mapped out an NFL mock draft with @JoshNorris last night. Both of us think Justin Blackmon will be available in the teens.

 

[DR RAM]

Very interest tweet from Evan Silva, from Rotoworld:

Mapped out an NFL mock draft with @JoshNorris last night. Both of us think Justin Blackmon will be available in the teens.

Not sure I believe it, but very interesting. There are a lot of 1st round offensive lineman, which may push some other positions down, but I don't see a lot of other positions of strength. It's debatable that Blackmon is the #1 receiver, and his 40 time may determine that.

 

[DR RAM]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct_e2wz2BC8[/youtube]

I really like this guy after watching him practice and play in the Senior Bowl. Early on I was hoping for him in the 2nd round, but I think he raised his stock to a mid 1st rounder. I think he could play 4 positions in a pinch, but would excel at Guard or Right Tackle.

 

[Ramhusker]

Ok, so after a little passage of time, how has everybody's preferences for this draft changed if any? Do you want the Rams to keep the 2nd overall pick or trade down? If they stay put, do you want Kalil, Blackmon, or somebody else? Who is your preferred trade partner? Cleveland, Washington, Miami or is their a scenario that the Rams can afford to trade any further down and still get that impact player/s?


I have to say I'm leaning for the perfect situation to be trading down with Cleveland for their 4th and 22nd first rounders and maybe a 4th or 5th round pick. Pick who is left between Kalil and Blackmon which would most likely be Blackmon with the 4th, BPA at the 22nd pick, being a OL, DT, OLB, or RB, Same thing with the rest of the Rams picks until those needs are filled. Maybe even giving up future picks to move back into the 1st or 2nd rounds to nab "that guy" if he happens to be there at the right time.

 

[JdashSTL]

Ok, so after a little passage of time, how has everybody's preferences for this draft changed if any? Do you want the Rams to keep the 2nd overall pick or trade down? If they stay put, do you want Kalil, Blackmon, or somebody else? Who is your preferred trade partner? Cleveland, Washington, Miami or is their a scenario that the Rams can afford to trade any further down and still get that impact player/s?


I have to say I'm leaning for the perfect situation to be trading down with Cleveland for their 4th and 22nd first rounders and maybe a 4th or 5th round pick. Pick who is left between Kalil and Blackmon which would most likely be Blackmon with the 4th, BPA at the 22nd pick, being a OL, DT, OLB, or RB, Same thing with the rest of the Rams picks until those needs are filled. Maybe even giving up future picks to move back into the 1st or 2nd rounds to nab "that guy" if he happens to be there at the right time.

I like that scenario. Blackmons gotta be the guy at #4. Minnesota would take Kalil at #3. I also would not rule out Trent Richardson at #4.

Is anyone gonna be upset if we dont trade down and take Kalil?

 

[Ramhusker]

Ok, so after a little passage of time, how has everybody's preferences for this draft changed if any? Do you want the Rams to keep the 2nd overall pick or trade down? If they stay put, do you want Kalil, Blackmon, or somebody else? Who is your preferred trade partner? Cleveland, Washington, Miami or is their a scenario that the Rams can afford to trade any further down and still get that impact player/s?


I have to say I'm leaning for the perfect situation to be trading down with Cleveland for their 4th and 22nd first rounders and maybe a 4th or 5th round pick. Pick who is left between Kalil and Blackmon which would most likely be Blackmon with the 4th, BPA at the 22nd pick, being a OL, DT, OLB, or RB, Same thing with the rest of the Rams picks until those needs are filled. Maybe even giving up future picks to move back into the 1st or 2nd rounds to nab "that guy" if he happens to be there at the right time.

I like that scenario. Blackmons gotta be the guy at #4. Minnesota would take Kalil at #3. I also would not rule out Trent Richardson at #4.

Is anyone gonna be upset if we dont trade down and take Kalil?

You know there will be upset people if the Rams remain at #2 and pick Kalil. They will say the Rams didn't learn from the Smith pick. But I can't argue with picking Kalil especially if he is what they say. I guess you could call it the "safe pick". But I'm feeling a bit glitzy! I'm wanting a playmaker! Of course, people don't ever describe an OL as a playmaker but the great ones are every bit the part. So I don't know what the hell I want. :huh:

 

[JdashSTL]

Ok, so after a little passage of time, how has everybody's preferences for this draft changed if any? Do you want the Rams to keep the 2nd overall pick or trade down? If they stay put, do you want Kalil, Blackmon, or somebody else? Who is your preferred trade partner? Cleveland, Washington, Miami or is their a scenario that the Rams can afford to trade any further down and still get that impact player/s?


I have to say I'm leaning for the perfect situation to be trading down with Cleveland for their 4th and 22nd first rounders and maybe a 4th or 5th round pick. Pick who is left between Kalil and Blackmon which would most likely be Blackmon with the 4th, BPA at the 22nd pick, being a OL, DT, OLB, or RB, Same thing with the rest of the Rams picks until those needs are filled. Maybe even giving up future picks to move back into the 1st or 2nd rounds to nab "that guy" if he happens to be there at the right time.

I like that scenario. Blackmons gotta be the guy at #4. Minnesota would take Kalil at #3. I also would not rule out Trent Richardson at #4.

Is anyone gonna be upset if we dont trade down and take Kalil?

You know there will be upset people if the Rams remain at #2 and pick Kalil. They will say the Rams didn't learn from the Smith pick. But I can't argue with picking Kalil especially if he is what they say. I guess you could call it the "safe pick". But I'm feeling a bit glitzy! I'm wanting a playmaker! Of course, people don't ever describe an OL as a playmaker but the great ones are every bit the part. So I don't know what the hell I want. :huh:

I wonder if people are gonna look at a trade down scenario as the type of move this franchise needs the most. I can understand that argument. It would be awesome to have those extra picks.

 

[libertadrocks]

Ok, so after a little passage of time, how has everybody's preferences for this draft changed if any? Do you want the Rams to keep the 2nd overall pick or trade down? If they stay put, do you want Kalil, Blackmon, or somebody else? Who is your preferred trade partner? Cleveland, Washington, Miami or is their a scenario that the Rams can afford to trade any further down and still get that impact player/s?


I have to say I'm leaning for the perfect situation to be trading down with Cleveland for their 4th and 22nd first rounders and maybe a 4th or 5th round pick. Pick who is left between Kalil and Blackmon which would most likely be Blackmon with the 4th, BPA at the 22nd pick, being a OL, DT, OLB, or RB, Same thing with the rest of the Rams picks until those needs are filled. Maybe even giving up future picks to move back into the 1st or 2nd rounds to nab "that guy" if he happens to be there at the right time.

I like that scenario. Blackmons gotta be the guy at #4. Minnesota would take Kalil at #3. I also would not rule out Trent Richardson at #4.

Is anyone gonna be upset if we dont trade down and take Kalil?

You know there will be upset people if the Rams remain at #2 and pick Kalil. They will say the Rams didn't learn from the Smith pick. But I can't argue with picking Kalil especially if he is what they say. I guess you could call it the "safe pick". But I'm feeling a bit glitzy! I'm wanting a playmaker! Of course, people don't ever describe an OL as a playmaker but the great ones are every bit the part. So I don't know what the hell I want. :huh:

Smith was a mistake. They tried to go for the "glitzy" OT. The OT with the highest potential rather than a proven talent. That was stupid IMO. Although hindsight is 20/20.

Kalil is a proven talent, he is my favorite if we stay at #2. I havent heard one talent evaluator say Blackmon isnt overvalued.

If trade down to 5th, which I think is more likely given the Shanahan Fisher relationship, I wouldnt rule out the OG, Decastro, out of Stanford. I have heard talent evaluators say he is the best lineman, regardless of position, they graded in years. With the new pay scale its now feasible to take an OG that early. Then target a WR at the top of round 2(Browns would take Blackmon at 4).

 

[DR RAM]

I still want to trade down. I like a lot of players at the top of the draft. At #2 right now, my pick would be Kalil.

 

[JdashSTL]

Ok, so after a little passage of time, how has everybody's preferences for this draft changed if any? Do you want the Rams to keep the 2nd overall pick or trade down? If they stay put, do you want Kalil, Blackmon, or somebody else? Who is your preferred trade partner? Cleveland, Washington, Miami or is their a scenario that the Rams can afford to trade any further down and still get that impact player/s?


I have to say I'm leaning for the perfect situation to be trading down with Cleveland for their 4th and 22nd first rounders and maybe a 4th or 5th round pick. Pick who is left between Kalil and Blackmon which would most likely be Blackmon with the 4th, BPA at the 22nd pick, being a OL, DT, OLB, or RB, Same thing with the rest of the Rams picks until those needs are filled. Maybe even giving up future picks to move back into the 1st or 2nd rounds to nab "that guy" if he happens to be there at the right time.

I like that scenario. Blackmons gotta be the guy at #4. Minnesota would take Kalil at #3. I also would not rule out Trent Richardson at #4.

Is anyone gonna be upset if we dont trade down and take Kalil?

You know there will be upset people if the Rams remain at #2 and pick Kalil. They will say the Rams didn't learn from the Smith pick. But I can't argue with picking Kalil especially if he is what they say. I guess you could call it the "safe pick". But I'm feeling a bit glitzy! I'm wanting a playmaker! Of course, people don't ever describe an OL as a playmaker but the great ones are every bit the part. So I don't know what the hell I want. :huh:

Smith was a mistake. They tried to go for the "glitzy" OT. The OT with the highest potential rather than a proven talent. That was stupid IMO. Although hindsight is 20/20.

Kalil is a proven talent, he is my favorite if we stay at #2. I havent heard one talent evaluator say Blackmon isnt overvalued.

If trade down to 5th, which I think is more likely given the Shanahan Fisher relationship, I wouldnt rule out the OG, Decastro, out of Stanford. I have heard talent evaluators say he is the best lineman, regardless of position, they graded in years. With the new pay scale its now feasible to take an OG that early. Then target a WR at the top of round 2(Browns would take Blackmon at 4).

To add to that, just look at his family. His dad was an OL in college, his brother plays OL for the Panthers.

Smith started out as a TE at Baylor, and was eventually moved to OT. Kalil has always been an OT.

 

[-X-]

Smith started out as a TE at Baylor, and was eventually moved to OT. Kalil has always been an OT.

Take 40 mil and 40 lbs away from Smith, and make him a TE again. How about that? :hehe:

 

[JdashSTL]

Smith started out as a TE at Baylor, and was eventually moved to OT. Kalil has always been an OT.

Take 40 mil and 40 lbs away from Smith, and make him a TE again. How about that? :hehe:

Wow. Call Fisher. Make it happen captain! :lmao:

 

[Memento]

Ok, so after a little passage of time, how has everybody's preferences for this draft changed if any? Do you want the Rams to keep the 2nd overall pick or trade down? If they stay put, do you want Kalil, Blackmon, or somebody else? Who is your preferred trade partner? Cleveland, Washington, Miami or is their a scenario that the Rams can afford to trade any further down and still get that impact player/s?

Okay, here's my dream mock draft scenario (as a warning, it's going to be very long, and it probably won't happen. Still, it's fun to dream):

First, the Rams trade down to the Browns spot. They get their franchise quarterback in RG3, and we get their two first round picks and their third. We can afford to be greedy; the Browns know that either Washington or Miami will give up a lot for a franchise quarterback.

After that, the Rams trade down even further. This time, Miami is the trade partner. Their owner is a wannabe Dan Snyder, and he's desperately trying to obtain a franchise quarterback. They'd hate it if Washington took the only first-round caliber quarterback in Tannehill (unless Osweiler makes a Christian Ponder-esque jump into the first round, which I seriously doubt). In this scenario, they'd get the chance to take Tannehill. In return, we'd get their first and second round picks this year and a first round pick next year.

With the ninth overall pick, the Saint Louis Rams would select Jonathan Martin. In my opinion, he fits Fisher's ideal for offensive tackles more than Reiff or even Kalil; he's a big guy with room to grow, he's a dominant run-blocking tackle (the best in the draft, in my opinion), and he has a controlled nasty streak. He would be a reach, even at that spot, but offensive tackles are usually taken higher than they should be. Besides, guys like Chris Johnson and Michael Roos were considered huge reaches when Fisher took them. Look at them now.

The twenty-second pick is much harder to figure out. Guys like Kendall Wright, Mike Adams, Cordy Glenn, and Peter Konz are all options. However, I think that Wright will be off the board; his game-breaking speed and quickness reminds me of a bigger Desean Jackson. I don't like Adams as a prospect at all; he's strictly a right tackle, and I don't want to take a right tackle in the first round, especially not after it failed the first two times.

That leaves Glenn and Konz. I realize that DR likes Glenn. I like his versatility myself, and I have to admit that we will need a right tackle or left guard (Saffold will take one position). However, I don't think that he's an ideal fit for guard in our system. From what I can tell, Fisher prefers guys like Benji Olson and Jake Scott - guards that can pull and get to the second level are instrumental in his offense. Glenn isn't athletic enough to do that, and I don't want a plodder at right tackle. That means that Peter Konz is the selection. He'd be an immediate upgrade over Brown or Wragge, and it's highly doubtful that he'll be selected before that pick.

Our first second round pick is rather easy in comparison to the first two. I absolutely love Mohamed Sanu as a player. He's been a monster at Rutgers; in fact, I believe that he shattered Kenny Britt's records. Think Hakeem Nicks.

The second round pick we got from the Dolphins would be used to choose another favorite prospect of mine. You guys don't need to know how much I like Alameda Ta'amu. We need young blood at defensive tackle. Jason Jones is a possibility in free agency, but we're going to need two.

Our first third round pick will be used to select Marvin McNutt. His stock has fallen since he measured two inches shorter than his listed height of 6'4". I don't care about that. He still put on a show at the Senior Bowl. I'm also going into this thinking that we might need two wideouts; Lloyd might not be here next year, and it's no guarantee that we'll sign anyone at the wideout position to replace him.

A possibility for the third round pick received from the Browns is Danny Trevathan, an outside linebacker out of Kentucky. Chamberlain wasn't bad at all, but he is a free agent, and if the Rams decide to move in a different direction (for example, resigning Long, Laurinaitis, and Stewart to long-term deals), we could potentially lose him. We also need depth at the outside linebacker position as a whole; I don't think that Elimimian is anything more than a camp body, and the new regime will likely part ways with Kehl, seeing as he's a Spagnuolo-type of player. As much as I like Poppinga (and I do want to retain him), the Rams might not look at resigning him either.

You also have to consider that Trevathan is likely the best player available. He's a true sideline-to-sideline linebacker, and he hits hard. This guy made play after play for his defense, and he would be a perfect compliment to Laurinaitis. In my opinion, he's the most underrated prospect in this entire draft, and he should definitely be rated higher than his fourth round listing.

The fourth round is where things get interesting. We desperately need a backup for Steven Jackson. That's no secret. Besides, Schottenheimer wants to go to a two-back system. I'd love to take Vick Ballard out of Mississippi State. He's one of the few large running backs in this draft (5'11" 215 lbs.), and he was the only offensive weapon for his team. I like him a lot as a player, and I think that with a better offensive line, he'd be able to dominate a football field. When he had an elite tackle in Sherrod blocking for him, Ballard was able to win football games for his team. We need players like that.

The sixth round and seventh rounds aren't as important as the other rounds, but I'll try to give it a shot. We could look at a tight end to give Hoomanawanui competition (although this class is utterly dreadful when you compare it to last years) or another defensive tackle if we don't sign Jason Jones.

So, for the too long, didn't read portion, my mock draft is this:

#9 overall (from Dolphins, first round) - Jonathan Martin, offensive tackle, Stanford.

#22 overall (from Browns, first round) - Peter Konz, center, Wisconsin.

#33 overall (second round) - Mohamed Sanu, wide receiver, Rutgers.

#42 overall (from Miami, second round) - Alameda Ta'amu, defensive tackle, Washington.

#66 overall (third round) - Marvin McNutt, wide receiver, Iowa.

#68 overall (from Browns, third round) - Danny Trevathan, linebacker, Kentucky.

#96 overall (fourth round) - Vick Ballard, running back, Mississippi State.

Sixth and seventh rounds - defensive tackle/tight end depth.

Edit: Oh, but if they do stay put, I want them to draft Kalil.

 

[-X-]

Whew, what a dream scenario, Mem. I would be STOKED if the Rams were able to wheel and deal that much on draft day. Absolutely stoked. And I do like the Sanu pick. I've been watching a lot of video on him lately. I like his size, his physicality, and he apparently has great character. I'll be keeping an eye on him too.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE2bWR0uRxg[/youtube]

 

[Anonymous]

Whew, what a dream scenario, Mem. I would be STOKED if the Rams were able to wheel and deal that much on draft day. Absolutely stoked. And I do like the Sanu pick. I've been watching a lot of video on him lately. I like his size, his physicality, and he apparently has great character. I'll be keeping an eye on him too.

Plus of course, he's a Cignetti guy.

 

[-X-]

Whew, what a dream scenario, Mem. I would be STOKED if the Rams were able to wheel and deal that much on draft day. Absolutely stoked. And I do like the Sanu pick. I've been watching a lot of video on him lately. I like his size, his physicality, and he apparently has great character. I'll be keeping an eye on him too.

Plus of course, he's a Cignetti guy.

Who's not a Cignetti guy?

 

[-X-]

Mel Kiper Jr. discusses how confident he is that Andrew Luck will be picked first in the draft, who could trade up to draft Robert Griffin III and what the Patriots will do with their picks.

[espn]7557964[/espn]

 

[Angry Ram]

Mel Kiper Jr. discusses how confident he is that Andrew Luck will be picked first in the draft, who could trade up to draft Robert Griffin III and what the Patriots will do with their picks.

[espn]7557964[/espn]

Of course, can't forget about what the awesome Patriots, the Super Bowl....losers will do. :roll:

 

[-X-]

Mel Kiper Jr. discusses how confident he is that Andrew Luck will be picked first in the draft, who could trade up to draft Robert Griffin III and what the Patriots will do with their picks.

[espn]7557964[/espn]

Of course, can't forget about what the awesome Patriots, the Super Bowl....losers will do. :roll:

I know, right? WGAS?

 

[RamFan503]

Mel Kiper Jr. discusses how confident he is that Andrew Luck will be picked first in the draft, who could trade up to draft Robert Griffin III and what the Patriots will do with their picks.

[espn]7557964[/espn]

Chryst!!! What the hell would an NFL discussion be without the obligatory "what would NE do"? I really want the patsies to just die already.