Will Rams take the QB plunge this year?/PD

[RamBill]

Will Rams take the QB plunge this year?
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_e6c868ec-cc34-5e28-b900-c4d333ca4188.html

Last year at this time, the Rams spanned the country evaluating quarterbacks in a private workout setting. They looked at all of them, or at least most of them — from Johnny Manziel to Aaron Murray and A.J. McCarron to Tom Savage — in what was regarded as a deep quarterback class.

The team planned to take a quarterback in the middle rounds. Some thought it could happen as early as Round 2 — in range for Derek Carr or Jimmy Garoppolo — if they picked up an extra second-rounder via trade.

Then the draft came and they did next to nothing. They made SMU’s Garrett Gilbert the 14th — and final — quarterback picked in the draft, selecting him late in the sixth round, No. 214 overall.

Gilbert didn’t make it out of training camp, spending part of the season on the practice squad before getting released from the practice squad Oct. 28. He’s now on New England’s offseason roster.

So as a Rams contingent headed by coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead fanned out on another quarterback workout tour this weekend, one question came to mind:

Do they mean it this year?

In other words, will they actually draft a quarterback with starter’s potential? From the Senior Bowl to the NFL Scouting Combine and on through the pro days and private workouts, the Rams once again have looked at just about every quarterback prospect who could walk and chew gum simultaneously this offseason.

At the NFC coaches breakfast last month in Phoenix, Fisher went on record as saying the team planned to draft a quarterback this year.

We’ve heard that before. After last year, seeing will be believing. Waiting until the 214th pick to select a QB makes it an afterthought. As a result the Rams missed out on a chance to groom a young quarterback behind injury-prone Sam Bradford.

With Bradford traded to Philadelphia in March, after an offseason of bluster from Fisher and Snead about how important he was to the team’s plans, the quarterback dynamic has changed at Rams Park. But the need to draft a quarterback with a future seems just as urgent.

Trouble is, the quarterback pool isn’t nearly as deep this year as in recent seasons. Not even close, actually, especially when you compare it to the 2014 draft.

“It’s just not a very good year — it just isn’t,” said former Rams assistant coach Rick Venturi, currently an NFL radio analyst based in Indianapolis. “It’s kind of swing and miss on that position.”

One thing seems obvious: If the Rams are going to dip into the quarterback pool this year, they better do it early.

If the Rams don’t take a QB in Round 2, they’re in danger of missing out on Bryce Petty of Baylor and Brett Hundley of UCLA. If they wait until Round 4 to go quarterback, they could miss out on Garrett Grayson of Colorado State and Sean Mannion of Oregon State.

When you add headliners Jameis Winston of Florida State and Marcus Mariota of Oregon, that makes six — and only six — quarterbacks worth getting even moderately excited about in this year’s draft.

The most interesting thing about this year’s Rams quarterback caravan is that it included both Winston and Mariota, who are expected to go 1-2, respectively, in the draft April 30.

Is this just a case of due diligence by the Rams in case one — or both — slides in the draft? Or are the Rams actually willing to trade up for one of the two? History tells us to expect just about anything from Fisher and Snead on draft day.

Headed by the blockbuster trade of the No. 2 overall pick in 2012 to Washington, the so-called RGIII trade, the Rams have made seven draft trades in their three previous drafts under Fisher and Snead.

Besides the deal that landed Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III, three other draft trades under Fisher and Snead have involved first-round picks:

• They traded down with Dallas in 2012, ending up with defensive tackle Michael Brockers and an extra second-rounder.

• They traded up with Buffalo for wide receiver Tavon Austin in 2013.

• They traded down with Atlanta, ending up with linebacker Alec Ogletree late in the first round and getting wide receiver Stedman Bailey in the third round, also in 2013.

It’s always difficult to know what’s truth or smokescreen, but it now appears likely this time around that Mariota will either be taken No. 2 overall by Tennessee, or someone will trade up to that spot for Mariota.

Could that team possibly be the Rams?

At various times this offseason, neither Snead nor Fisher have discounted that possibility even though the Rams don’t have many bargaining chips with just six picks this year.

“It’d probably take future picks,” Snead said way back in January.

At the owners meetings in March, Fisher called such a move-up for Mariota “highly unlikely,” but didn’t rule it out.

At a minimum it would probably take this year’s first-rounder, next year’s first-rounder and more to even reach the grown-up’s table for Mariota. One thing to keep in mind: Thanks to the Bradford trade, the Rams have an extra second-rounder in 2016 that they could use to sweeten the pot.

But more likely than not, the Rams will be deciding between Petty, Hundley, Grayson and Mannion. If they take the quarterback plunge, that is.

 

[bomebadeeda]

What's hilarious is everyone in the media is still hyping the QB class of 2014. And it really sucked. Bortles was the top guy and it's reported that Mariotta (not to mention Winston...) was rated higher. Carr ended up pretty solid but Manziel was a flop. No one really knows what NE has w/ Garapollo. Tenn is still trying to convince us of the abilities of Mettenberger but the truth was. Last year just wasn't that good.
Will this one be better? Who knows? But more than likely we will grab up one of the 2nd tier guys. But until draft day comes and goes, media will try to keep everyone interested by hyping up guys only a few actually know the real story on.

 

[RamBill]

Rams making the rounds on quarterbacks
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17737/rams-making-the-rounds-on-quarterbacks

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The St. Louis Rams have made little secret about their interest in quarterbacks in this year's NFL draft. At last month's NFL owners meetings, coach Jeff Fisher acknowledged that his team very well could still be in the market for a signal caller despite the additions of Nick Foles and Case Keenum via trades.

"As we’ve said, we could potentially draft one," Fisher said then. "No, the Nick trade will have no bearing over what we do in the draft.”

To that end, the Rams are certainly doing their due diligence when it comes to this year's crop of quarterbacks. On Thursday, a Rams contingent that includes Fisher, general manager Les Snead, offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti and others set out on a tour of college campuses all over the country in an effort to work out the nation's best quarterbacks.

It started on Thursday with a trip to Eugene, Oregon, to see Marcus Mariota and continued Friday with a stop in Corvallis, Oregon, to see Oregon State's Sean Mannion. The agenda also includes weekend stops at UCLA to see Brett Hundley, Colorado State's Garrett Grayson, Baylor's Bryce Petty and apparently even Florida State's Jameis Winston.

With Mariota and Winston, it's hard to see how the Rams could land either player without making a drastic move up the board from their current spot at No. 10 in the first round. At this point, Winston appears to be a lock to go No. 1 to Tampa Bay. Mariota's situation is a little less clear. He could go No. 2 after a trade or Tennessee could surprise and just draft him. Either way, a move up to No. 2 would seem too steep for the Rams.

If, however, Mariota lasted into the five-to-seven range, the Rams might be more inclined to check on his price.

The more likely scenario, however, involves the Rams looking at the next tier of quarterbacks. Depending on whom you ask, that tier includes Hundley, Grayson, Petty and Mannion. Opinions around the league vary on that group, with some believing that at least a couple (likely Hundley and Petty) will be selected in the second round because of the need for quarterbacks in the league. But they all come with various questions about their NFL future and all will need some time before being ready to contribute, which might be true for all but Winston.

Because the Rams have taken their show on the road, none of the quarterbacks will count against their list of 30 draft visitors. They have used most of those visits on offensive linemen while mixing in some receivers.

It's also worth noting that just because the Rams are spending so much time looking at quarterbacks, it guarantees nothing in terms of the draft. They did plenty of legwork on quarterbacks last year and didn't draft one until selecting Garrett Gilbert in the sixth round.

 

[RamBill]

Rams draft preview: Quarterback
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17757/rams-draft-preview-quarterback-2

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- The NFL draft is set to begin April 30 and the St. Louis Rams hold six picks in this year's selection process. For the next week and a half, we'll take a look at a different position every day with what the Rams have in place at a position, what they need, when they might address it and some possible fits.

We begin the countdown with a look at this year's crop of quarterbacks.

In place: Nick Foles, Austin Davis, Case Keenum

What's needed: The Rams have made major moves this offseason to change their outlook at the position, starting with the Sam Bradford trade that netted Foles and draft picks. Foles is the starter with Keenum and Davis likely vying for backup spots, assuming Davis doesn't get an outside restricted free-agent offer before Friday's deadline. Even with this trio in place, there's no guarantee that the long-term franchise quarterback is already on the roster. Foles flashed that ability in 2013 but regressed before injury in 2014. If nothing else, Foles and Davis are both scheduled to be unrestricted free agents after the season and Keenum is set to be restricted. The Rams would do well to find themselves a possible franchise centerpiece or at least a genuine prospect who they could develop into a starter in time.

Possible fits: Florida State's Jameis Winston and Oregon's Marcus Mariota represent the cream of the crop in this year's class and the Rams have expressed interest in both. Of course, the Rams have expressed interest in just about any quarterback with a pulse in the pre-draft process (and well they should). It's awfully unlikely either Winston or Mariota would fall to the Rams' pick at No. 10 but we can't rule out a trade up should either drop into the middle half of the top 10. Beyond that duo, the Rams have been linked to Baylor's Bryce Petty, UCLA's Brett Hundley, Colorado State's Garrett Grayson and Oregon State's Sean Mannion. There are other quarterbacks out there but none that would qualify as much beyond the type the Rams took in Garrett Gilbert in the sixth round last year.

Verdict: Do the Rams need to find a quarterback? Probably. Should they feel like they have to do it no matter what? Not necessarily. The bottom line is this quarterback class just isn't that good and, after Winston and Mariota, it's a major crapshoot on whether any of the others will turn into NFL starters. And, really, even Winston (off-field issues) and Mariota (transition away from Oregon offense) come with questions. If the Rams see value in a quarterback on the second day and think they can develop a guy there, great. But they shouldn't feel the need to force the issue solely because they didn't address it properly last year. Although the Rams have been all over this quarterback class on the scouting trail, they did the same thing a year ago and didn't take one until the sixth round. It wouldn't be a surprise if they went all-in and traded up for one or decided not to draft one altogether this time around.