River's post Stafford/Senior Bowl Mock 2.0 ...

[Riverumbbq]

A wild off season for Rams fans so far, we've gotten a new starting QB and lost a 2021 3'rd round draft pick, to say nothing of our not receiving another 1'st round draft pick until at least 2024. Our CAP is tight, but media pundits have explained how restructuring contracts belonging to Aaron Donald & Jalen Ramsey, as well as extending Stafford can get us near breaking even. My next goals revolve around re-signing Leonard Floyd to a long term contract and keeping Whitworth at LT for at least one more year, and this will require trading both Brockers & Havenstein. Brockers will go to Dallas for a 3'rd round pick (#75) and Havenstein will go to Carolina for their 4'th. (#103), giving the Rams a total of three 3'rd round draft picks and two 4'th round picks once you include the compensation picks for Fowler, Holmes and Littleton. Upon re-signing Floyd, retaining Whitworth, offering a 1'st round tender to Darious Williams and signing our new draft class, i'm uncertain there will be anything left to participate much in free agency. If the Rams should find an extra draft pick thru Snead's dealings or an extra couple bucks available for a free agent, i'd be looking at a speedy WR/Return Specialist and someone to compete with Jackson & Koski for that #5/6 WR spot. 7 of the named players in this draft mock performed well & stood out at the Senior Bowl and/or the practices.

Re-Sign :

OLB Leonard Floyd
LS Jake McQuaide
CB Darious Williams
TE Johnny Mundt
ILB Travin Howard
OL Coleman Shelton


Departing Free Agents :

SS John Johnson III
CB Troy Hill
OL Austin Blythe
HB Malcolm Brown
TE Gerald Everett
DL Morgan Fox
WR Josh Reynolds
OLB Samson Ebukam
QB Blake Bortles


Trade :

DT Brockers to Dallas Cowboys for 3'rd round pick. (#75 overall)
RT Havenstein for Carolina Panthers 4'th round pick. (#103 overall)


2021 NFL Draft * :

1) n/a
2.57) OT - Dillon Radunz, ND St. or Walker Little, Stan.
3.75) ILB - Baron Browning, Oh.St.
3b) DL - Osa Odighizua, UCLA
3c) C - Quinn Meinerz, W.W.
4a) CB - Benjamin St-Juste, Mn.
4b) Edge - Emerson Smith, N.Ia.
5) n/a
6) FB/TE - Ben Mason, Mi.
7) OT/OG - Larry Borom, Mo.


Rams 2021 53 Roster :

OFFENSE (25)

QB :
Stafford
Wolford

OL :
Whitworth
Noteboom
Little* or Radunz*
Edwards
Corbett
Brewer or Anchrum
Evans
Meinerz*
Borom*



RB's :
Akers
Henderson
Xavier Jones or Raymond Calais
FB - Mason*

TE's :
Higbee
Mundt
Blanton
Hopkins


WR's :
Woods
Kupp
Van Jefferson
Webster
Jackson
Koski


DEFENCE (25)

DL :
Donald
Odighizua*
Robinson
Gaines
Joseph
Copeland or Lawler

ILB's :
Browning*
Howard
Kiser
Reeder
Young

OLB's :
Floyd
Lewis
Hollins
Okoronkwo
Smith*

CB's :
Ramsey
St-Juste*
Long
Williams
Deayon

Safeties :
Fuller
Burgess
Rapp
Gervase or Scott or Hughes


Special Teams (3) :

Hekker
Gay
McQuaide


Starting & Back-up O-Line :

LT) Whitworth, Radunz or Little
LG) Edwards, Anchrum/Borom
C) Corbett, Meinerz
RG) Brewer, Anchrum/Borom
RT) Noteboom, Evans/Radunz or Little



* Denotes drafted rookie

 

[Riverumbbq]

All 5 players I have mocked in the 3'rd & 4'th rounds could be mixed and matched as they all performed quite well at the Senior Bowl.

 

[Dz1]

Man I hope the owners add a few bucks to the cap this year and then push some back in 2022.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Man I hope the owners add a few bucks to the cap this year and then push some back in 2022.

Well, there is this bit of slightly better news, it has the overall CAP rising to $185 mil., about $5 mil. more than what Sportrac has been projecting.

Report: 2021 salary cap could settle near $185M, which is great news for Saints

NFL Network reports that the 2021 salary cap could land around $185 million, which would be great news for the New Orleans Saints.

www.yahoo.com

 

[iamme33]

seems like the rams in the past have picked a lot of players from the senior bowl. so who knows this could hit on sevral

 

[Riverumbbq]

seems like the rams in the past have picked a lot of players from the senior bowl. so who knows this could hit on sevral

With no 2021 Combine this year because of Covid19, seems all teams may have to rely far more than usual on the Senior Bowl game & practices.

 

[ArkyRamsFan]

River,
Not sure we'll be able to get a 3rd for Brockers but I like the direction of your mock
Would be pretty happy if something similar to this happens in April.
Keep 'em coming!!

~ArkyRamsFan~

 

[Merlin]

Interesting approach River and nice job. Lot of risk on that right side of the OL. But they're gonna need to roll the dice somewhere most likely. Appreciate the read.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Interesting approach River and nice job. Lot of risk on that right side of the OL. But they're gonna need to roll the dice somewhere most likely. Appreciate the read.

I can appreciate your apprehension with the right side of the OL, but my counter is that Corbett will be vastly superior at Center, especially so in the run game, his skills in pass pro should accelerate under Kromer, even at a new position, and 2020 was his first full season at one position, and that without much of a pre-season camp experience ... and, of course, Stafford will read defenses better than Goff.
Brewer is the crapshoot being out a season, but he looked like a stud during the 2019 pre-season, and when he was surprisingly called in to play LT in 2019, he held his own. If the hype is true that the team definitely sees a future with him, i'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He's a big strong kid that may be as good at pass pro as he is supporting the rush. He'll really be the only 'rookie' starter on the OL.
I see Noteboom as basically a 2021 'push' when comparing him to Havenstein, Boom should be an improvement in pass pro while giving up a little to Hav with the run game. Noteboom will be a free agent following the 2021 season, and since I don't really see him as the logical replacement for Whitworth at LT any longer, i'd like to see him get an entire season at RT to see if he might be worth an extension or whether we just let him go.
Akers and even a slightly improved running game backed by an improved OL will help Stafford immensely with our passing game, and on paper at least, I like this line-up better than what we presented in 2020. Other than young Chandler Brewer, ... our equally young Edwards, Noteboom & Corbett will have another years worth of experience, and we should also have great depth if we draft a couple guys who will potentially replace offensive linemen who are lost to 2022 free agency.
This may be a lot of optimism on my part, but i'll stand by it for now. jmo.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Well, it's been just over 3 weeks since presenting this mock, and I don't have any significant alterations to make. Knowing what we now know about our current CAP situation, I would allow LS Jake McQuaide to leave in free agency as every million $ counts when you are strapped. As I mentioned before, those players chosen in the 3'rd and 4'th rounds could really come in any order, most of whom came out of nowhere while performing brilliantly at the Senior Bowl. A little more information for each player is being added ...


OT Dillon Radunz :

Dillon Radunz, OT, NDSU - NFL Draft Player Profile

There's a lot of upside in the 2021 tackle class, and one NFL Draft prospect who embodies this is NDSU offensive tackle Dillon Radunz.

www.profootballnetwork.com

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UwdAeBwGZY



OT Walker Little :

2021 NFL Draft Scouting Profile: OL Walker Little | The Draft Network

PROSPECT SUMMARY - WALKER LITTLEWalker Little aligned at left tackle for the Cardinal offense. He is...

thedraftnetwork.com

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPNzLZp4rSo



ILB Baron Browning :

Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State - NFL Draft Player Profile

Ohio State linebacker Baron Browning returned to school to solidify his 2021 NFL Draft profile in 2020. Did he succeed in doing so?

www.profootballnetwork.com

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF_aVb0Qj6M



DT/DE Osa Odighizuwa :

Osa Odighizuwa, DT, UCLA - NFL Draft Player Profile

UCLA defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa is a massive NFL Draft sleeper. What makes him such an exciting prospect, and how high can he go?

www.profootballnetwork.com

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



C/OG Quinn Meinerz :

NFL draft: Meet the D-III prospect (with exposed belly and broken hand) stealing the Senior Bowl show

Quinn Meinerz entered Senior Bowl week a relative unknown. But after dominating practices and flashing his oversized gut, he's becoming a fan favorite.

sports.yahoo.com

The Draft Network

TDN

thedraftnetwork.com

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvGv36ecl-w



CB Benjamin St Juste :

Senior Bowl Performance Pushing Benjamin St-Juste Up NFL Draft Boards

Benjamin St-Juste has all of the measurables to be a nice pick in the NFL Draft and he'll be climbing up boards around the league after a big Senior Bowl week.

www.minnesotasportsfan.com

Benjamin St-Juste, CB, Minnesota

RS Senior, 6'3", 200 lbs

thedraftnetwork.com

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTGFqYn1LwY



Edge Elerson Smith :

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

2021 NFL Draft prospect profile: Elerson Smith, EDGE, Northern Iowa

The Draft Network

TDN

thedraftnetwork.com

FB/TE Ben Mason :

The Draft Network

TDN

thedraftnetwork.com

Michigan Football: Ben Mason kills it in Senior Bowl

Michigan football had five former players taking part in the Senior Bowl on Saturday but the only one who really made an impact was Ben Mason.

gbmwolverine.com

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



OT/OG Larry Borom :

Missouri OL Larry Borom on decision to declare for NFL Draft

Borom talks about his decision to miss the Music City Bowl, where he'll prepare for the NFL combine and his favorite wins as a Tiger.

theathletic.com

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1b677b0t80g

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I like it. Oline, Oline, Oline

 

[iamme33]

two things i am most in favor of is ol and fb so to me this is a great draft

 

[Riverumbbq]

Holy crap you Spanos loving shits ... back-off you Charger mf'ing pricks, three of these 5 are in my mock, so take a flying fuck ...

5 small-school targets Chargers should consider in 2021 NFL draft

The 2021 NFL draft presents plenty of talent from small schools that should intrigue the Los Angeles Chargers.

www.yahoo.com

 

[BonifayRam]

A very large question mark upcoming in this 2021 Draft is on LT Walker Little, Stanford, he will basically enter the NFL having missed two straight seasons of football. Little was injured in the fourth quarter of the season opener in 2019.

His OL coach is now our OL coach. No one will know better than Coach Carberry on how much quality is inside this LT. Many teams will not want to gamble on an Ol'er with so many questions. Rams have the opportunity to groom him in 2021 with Whitworth & Noteboom both available.

The 6-7/305 pass protector Little has been projected to go anywhere between the 3rd to 5th rounds. If Little is sitting there when the Rams #88 selection in the 3rd rd comes up this might be a steal!.

WalterFootball.com: 2021 NFL Draft Player Preview: Walker Little

Then there's a dandy Center who also well known by Carberry too named Drew Dalman. The trick is to draft Dalman before the 9ers get their hands on him. Dalman would make a good 6th round selection with our #184th pick on Saturday afternoon.

CardinalSportsReport - Drew Dalman decides the time is right to go to the NFL (rivals.com)
Drew Dalman, Stanford center and son of former 49ers lineman, declares for NFL draft (mercurynews.com)

 

[Riverumbbq]

A very large question mark upcoming in this 2021 Draft is on LT Walker Little, Stanford, he will basically enter the NFL having missed two straight seasons of football. Little was injured in the fourth quarter of the season opener in 2019.

His OL coach is now our OL coach. No one will know better than Coach Carberry on how much quality is inside this LT. Many teams will not want to gamble on an Ol'er with so many questions. Rams have the opportunity to groom him in 2021 with Whitworth & Noteboom both available.

The 6-7/305 pass protector Little has been projected to go anywhere between the 3rd to 5th rounds. If Little is sitting there when the Rams #88 selection in the 3rd rd comes up this might be a steal!.

WalterFootball.com: 2021 NFL Draft Player Preview: Walker Little

Then there's a dandy Center who also well known by Carberry too named Drew Dalman. The trick is to draft Dalman before the 9ers get their hands on him. Dalman would make a good 6th round selection with our #184th pick on Saturday afternoon.

CardinalSportsReport - Drew Dalman decides the time is right to go to the NFL (rivals.com)
Drew Dalman, Stanford center and son of former 49ers lineman, declares for NFL draft (mercurynews.com)

I don't believe the Rams have the luxury to wait until the 6'th round to consider a future Center, whether eventual starting material or a cross-trained back-up C/OG.

If Walker Little does indeed slip into our 3'rd round, i'm likely to approach that 2'nd round pick of ours very differently.
I'd probably key on someone like Carlos Basham, Jr. to replace the loss of Morgan Fox as our new 5T DE. Walker Little would become pick 3A, then Center Quinn Meinerz, CB Benjamin St Juste, and Edge OLB Elerson Smith fighting it out for 3B & 3C. The last of these 3 could still be around for our 4'th round pick. I still trade Brockers to reduce CAP debt as well as for another draft pick, making our front 3 starting DL Donald, SJD & Basham.
jmo.

 

[Riverumbbq]

River,
Not sure we'll be able to get a 3rd for Brockers but I like the direction of your mock
Would be pretty happy if something similar to this happens in April.
Keep 'em coming!!

~ArkyRamsFan~

As we draw closer to the opening day for free agency, i'm finding your statement may be somewhat prophetic. The Rams need to get under the CAP soon, and the two vets (Brockers, Havenstein) who might otherwise project in trades may no longer be capable of garnering much or anything when considering just how many teams lack CAP space to make meaningful offers. Those fewer teams than normal with lots of available CAP space can just sit back and wait it out while other teams are forced to cut valuable players. Seems a bit of an injustice to be affected this way by what is hopefully a one year only plague, but I guess some teams will have to pay the price, and we may be one of them should we find it necessary to outright cut these guys. jmo.