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Howard Balzer
http://www.101espn.com/category/hbalzer ... the-Draft/
[wrapimg=left]http://www.101espn.com/images/authors/medium/hbalzer.jpg[/wrapimg]In the next month, in advance of the start of the NFL league year on March 13, there will be countless words written and said about free agency.
There will be numerous lists of top players available and breathless analysis of what the Rams and all teams should do when the signing period begins.
However, one thing is known: teams like the Packers will avoid free agency as if it was a communicative disease and other teams like the Redskins will likely go all in and eventually regret the money they spent.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from numerous years of the process it’s that free agency isn’t the be-all and end-all of building a team.
That’s not to say that all teams should avoid like the Packers. But, it’s important to understand value and not overpay for questionable talent.
The reality is that the draft remains the lifeblood for teams trying to build a foundation as well as depth on a roster.
We all know generally how miserably the Rams have failed in the draft in recent years. Certainly, some of the issues have been injuries.
However, the key for teams is having a corps of players that they have developed that are in their fifth through eighth years in the NFL. That means hitting on picks as well as some undrafted players and then ensuring that they return for their second contract.
The latter is truly where the Rams bottomed out prior to the arrival of Billy Devaney and Steve Spagnuolo.
The team’s 2006 draft will forever go down as perhaps one of the worst in franchise history, especially considering the Rams ended up with five choices in the first three rounds and none are even in the NFL, much less with the Rams.
Those five were cornerback Tye Hill (first round), tight end Joe Klopfenstein (second) and three third-round picks, defensive tackle Claude Wroten, linebacker Jon Alston and tight end Dominique Byrd. Remarkably, the Rams actually traded up to get Byrd. After those picks, the Rams drafted defensive end Victor Adeyanju, wide receiver Marques Hagans, linebacker Tim McGarigle and guards Mark Setterstrom and Tony Palmer.
Six years later, none of those players is on an NFL roster.
The Rams also have no players on their roster from the 2007 draft. Two, first-round defensive lineman Adam Carriker (Redskins) and second-round running back Brian Leonard (Bengals) are in the league. The other six are out of the league.
In 2011, the Rams had two of their own players on the roster that were in their second contracts: running back Steven Jackson and cornerback Ron Bartell. And Bartell missed most of the season because of a neck injury.
With Les Snead about to be the team’s new general manager, his goal will be to add to the base of talent that does exist, and finding a way to hit on late-round picks.
It’s noteworthy to compare the Atlanta Falcons’ draft record over the last five years to the Rams.
The Falcons had 43 choices from 2007-2011, and 12 are starters with 17 backups. That’s 29 of 43 draft picks on the roster. Four are with other teams and 10 are out of the NFL.
By contrast, the Rams had 42 picks with just eight starters and 10 backups for a total of 18 on the roster. Ten are with other teams and 14 are out of the NFL.
It’s also eye-opening to compare the last three years. Those coincide with Devaney being named general manager and Snead becoming Atlanta’s director of player personnel.
The Falcons had 21 picks from 2009-2011 and a whopping 19 remain on the roster (seven starters, 12 backups). One pick is with another team and one is out of the NFL.
The Rams had 26 choices in those three years, but just six start and nine are backups. Five are with other teams and six weren’t on a roster at the end of the 2011 season.
It will be Snead’s job to reverse those trends and have the Rams start experiencing Falcons-like success.
http://www.101espn.com/category/hbalzer ... the-Draft/
[wrapimg=left]http://www.101espn.com/images/authors/medium/hbalzer.jpg[/wrapimg]In the next month, in advance of the start of the NFL league year on March 13, there will be countless words written and said about free agency.
There will be numerous lists of top players available and breathless analysis of what the Rams and all teams should do when the signing period begins.
However, one thing is known: teams like the Packers will avoid free agency as if it was a communicative disease and other teams like the Redskins will likely go all in and eventually regret the money they spent.
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from numerous years of the process it’s that free agency isn’t the be-all and end-all of building a team.
That’s not to say that all teams should avoid like the Packers. But, it’s important to understand value and not overpay for questionable talent.
The reality is that the draft remains the lifeblood for teams trying to build a foundation as well as depth on a roster.
We all know generally how miserably the Rams have failed in the draft in recent years. Certainly, some of the issues have been injuries.
However, the key for teams is having a corps of players that they have developed that are in their fifth through eighth years in the NFL. That means hitting on picks as well as some undrafted players and then ensuring that they return for their second contract.
The latter is truly where the Rams bottomed out prior to the arrival of Billy Devaney and Steve Spagnuolo.
The team’s 2006 draft will forever go down as perhaps one of the worst in franchise history, especially considering the Rams ended up with five choices in the first three rounds and none are even in the NFL, much less with the Rams.
Those five were cornerback Tye Hill (first round), tight end Joe Klopfenstein (second) and three third-round picks, defensive tackle Claude Wroten, linebacker Jon Alston and tight end Dominique Byrd. Remarkably, the Rams actually traded up to get Byrd. After those picks, the Rams drafted defensive end Victor Adeyanju, wide receiver Marques Hagans, linebacker Tim McGarigle and guards Mark Setterstrom and Tony Palmer.
Six years later, none of those players is on an NFL roster.
The Rams also have no players on their roster from the 2007 draft. Two, first-round defensive lineman Adam Carriker (Redskins) and second-round running back Brian Leonard (Bengals) are in the league. The other six are out of the league.
In 2011, the Rams had two of their own players on the roster that were in their second contracts: running back Steven Jackson and cornerback Ron Bartell. And Bartell missed most of the season because of a neck injury.
With Les Snead about to be the team’s new general manager, his goal will be to add to the base of talent that does exist, and finding a way to hit on late-round picks.
It’s noteworthy to compare the Atlanta Falcons’ draft record over the last five years to the Rams.
The Falcons had 43 choices from 2007-2011, and 12 are starters with 17 backups. That’s 29 of 43 draft picks on the roster. Four are with other teams and 10 are out of the NFL.
By contrast, the Rams had 42 picks with just eight starters and 10 backups for a total of 18 on the roster. Ten are with other teams and 14 are out of the NFL.
It’s also eye-opening to compare the last three years. Those coincide with Devaney being named general manager and Snead becoming Atlanta’s director of player personnel.
The Falcons had 21 picks from 2009-2011 and a whopping 19 remain on the roster (seven starters, 12 backups). One pick is with another team and one is out of the NFL.
The Rams had 26 choices in those three years, but just six start and nine are backups. Five are with other teams and six weren’t on a roster at the end of the 2011 season.
It will be Snead’s job to reverse those trends and have the Rams start experiencing Falcons-like success.
). Damn it hurts to think of all of the missed picks.