now that the dust has settled a bit, how do you feel about this draft?

I’m even more excited than before.

The harmonics on this draft are crazy.

And when you think about how the College game just isn’t feeding QBs to the Pros, the direction we’re heading, which seems counter now, is actually very forward thinking.

If the pendulum swings back and forth, then we’re just ahead of the pendulum swinging back… And the last two SB winners won in the playoffs with the kind of ball that we’re looking to take to the next level.

I could be more excited, but I need to be able to sleep and I can only take so much melatonin…

Mackeyser wrote:

I’m even more excited than before.

The harmonics on this draft are crazy.

And when you think about how the College game just isn’t feeding QBs to the Pros, the direction we’re heading, which seems counter now, is actually very forward thinking.

If the pendulum swings back and forth, then we’re just ahead of the pendulum swinging back… And the last two SB winners won in the playoffs with the kind of ball that we’re looking to take to the next level.

I could be more excited, but I need to be able to sleep and I can only take so much melatonin…

I always feel encouraged by your optimism, Mac. And, as I indicate in my post, I really appreciate the theory, including the stuff about leading the cycle back toward running the football.

I’m just not wowed by any single one of these OL guys. I hope some work out.

PA Ram wrote:

This is definitely a throwback to the old Rams teams.

They’ve done it with the GSOT.

This is more of a ground and pound.

It should be fun. Can’t wait.

Of course, the ideal would be a balanced blend of the 2.

All of us old farts remember how frustrating the 70s and 80s Rams were with everything but a QB. I used to be so proud of our lines, our running game, our defenses … and so frustrated that we had to settle for Dieter Brock or aging has beens at QB.

Actually, of course, with Marshall, the GSOT was far more about running than people remember.

I was surprised at the Gurley pick. Running backs are no longer precious commodities according to recent prevailing wisdom. Our RB unit is deep and good, if Mason is what he appeared to be last year.

Going in, the Oline was the unit most in need of reinforcements. After abstaining from the pre-draft FA market, the need for quality Olinemen in the draft gained a sense of urgency.

After about five seconds of pondering, I was on board. I didn’t want an OL with the number ten pick in the first round, especially not the (probably) third-best OL, with Scherff and Flowers already off the board (not that Peat wasn’t commonly considered on par with those two).

I learn more about college players in the weeks leading up to the draft than I do during the season. I read a bunch of articles and reports and evaluations. Gurley was revered by many commenters as being a potential superstar, a clear cut above the others in this draft and most other drafts. With the injury, he was projected in mock drafts much later than the number ten, so I pretty much just dismissed the possibility and didn’t think about Gurley as a potential selection for the Rams.

But I love getting a playmaker with a top-ten pick. That’s what I want from a number ten. Also, they didn’t succumb to the temptation of taking a player farther down their board just because it would fill a need, or reject a player almost at the top of their board because they don’t have a glaring need at that position.

But really, I am most pleased because Snead and Fisher appear to be pleased with the way they addressed their Oline in this draft. They sound like they got three they really wanted. They sound like they did a ton of homework and had a clear idea of what they wanted.

I am an optimist and I am inclined to trust Snead and Fisher that Gurley’s knee will be fine, and that a couple of the linemen will be quality starters. I feel good about this draft.

To me, it’s not about being a running team or a passing team. It’s about doing something so well, that the defense has to account for it ALL the time. GSOT had that with it’s passing. The pass set up the run. This team wants to do it the other way around. We should find ourselves with 8 in the box all the time. And that will open up the passing game like we haven’t seen in a while. We had that with S.J., but only b/c we had NOBODY at wideout. Interestingly, this could make Givens very useful again. If we stop trying to make him anything other than what he is, a one trick pony. He could really be effective in that one trick.

I love it, but keep in mind we aren’t going to be that team at first. I’m just hoping for 3-3 at the beginning of the season. After that I’ll expect this team to go on a tear. At least that’s my fantasy.

i want to say that while i like the ol prospects, i really only expect one starter from that group in year 1. havenstein at right tackle. center will come from one of their three prospects – jones, rhaney, or barnes. the right guard spot will be barksdale or some other free agent they sign or possibly jones.

the other rookies are developmental. no way they start them immediately unless they just absolutely knock he socks off the coaches, but that’s highly unlikely.

and again. i think the gurley pick was brilliant. they needed that type of talent on offense. absolutely needed it. now he just needs to fulfill his potential… no pressure…

InvaderRam wrote:

i want to say that while i like the ol prospects, i really only expect one starter from that group in year 1. havenstein at right tackle. center will come from one of their three prospects – jones, rhaney, or barnes. the right guard spot will be barksdale or some other free agent they sign or possibly jones.

the other rookies are developmental. no way they start them immediately unless they just absolutely knock he socks off the coaches, but that’s highly unlikely.

and again. i think the gurley pick was brilliant. they needed that type of talent on offense. absolutely needed it. now he just needs to fulfill his potential… no pressure…

I think they want Saffold at RG.

Zooey wrote:

InvaderRam wrote:

i want to say that while i like the ol prospects, i really only expect one starter from that group in year 1. havenstein at right tackle. center will come from one of their three prospects – jones, rhaney, or barnes. the right guard spot will be barksdale or some other free agent they sign or possibly jones.

the other rookies are developmental. no way they start them immediately unless they just absolutely knock he socks off the coaches, but that’s highly unlikely.

and again. i think the gurley pick was brilliant. they needed that type of talent on offense. absolutely needed it. now he just needs to fulfill his potential… no pressure…

I think they want Saffold at RG.

that sounds good. saffold and havenstein blowing open holes for mason and gurley.

center position is going to come from within too. we aren’t privy to that info, but they must feel confident with what they have there.

the big question then i guess is left guard.

but the oline is going along further than many of the experts seem to think. there’s a really solid nucleus forming there. robinson, saffold, and havenstein. there’s a lot of athleticism, power, and intangibles right there. the coaches and front office should be able to do enough development and roster churning to fill those two areas in. but it also comes down to chemistry. the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. and i think guys like robinson, saffold, and havenstein can affect that too. all are said to have good intangibles. leadership qualities. can they get this group to perform as a cohesive unit? they’re young, and they should all have something to prove. they’ll also be looking to get after defenses knowing they’ve got mason and gurley running behind them. they should be taking pride in that. how far can that take them?

I like the draft. I’ve liked all the Snisher drafts. They shine on draft day.

Just hope all that draft success finally starts to translate into wins.

The draft is going to hinge on whether Gurley is truly great, Havenstein is your starting RT, and on how many of other O-line picks pan out.

Gurley is a potentially great back, but it’s all potential because he’s had trouble staying on the field. Looking back, though, there wasn’t a lot of options at No. 10 that made sense for the Rams. I’m OK with the Gurley pick. It’s a risk, but could pay off big.

You have to hit on Havenstein as a starting right tackle in order for this to be a good draft.

If the Rams miss on Havenstein, and if Gurley isn’t the great back they think he will be, it’s an awful draft. If Gurley pans out, and Havenstein doesn’t, it’s a mixed bag.

For this draft to get an A, you need Gurley to be an All-Pro back, Havenstein to man the RT position for years to come, and for at least one of the other O-linemen to step forward as a starter on the interior at some point in the next few years, and one of the other linemen to be a worthy backup.

Even if the Rams get these O-linemen to play well, and even if Gurley is really good, I still wonder about the passing game. Can the O-linemen pass block? Can this team throw when it needs to throw? You better not get too far behind in a playoff game, because I doubt the Rams will be built to come from behind.

I guess the big question is whether this team is being built for a Super Bowl run. Fisher’s only been there once as a coach, and he didn’t quite have the offensive firepower to pull it off. This feels like it could be that type of team. A future playoff contender that will rely very heavily on defense to win a title.

Count me as one who was shocked how well the Rams draft played out, better than I could have hoped.

Here was my thinking heading into the draft:

1. Everything we heard this spring was that the Rams FO was “aware” of the shortcomings on the offensive line. After signing only two defensive players in free agency, people questioned what the Rams were going to do for blockers. At every opportunity, Fisher and Snead simply nodded reassuringly and said that they were keenly aware of the issues.

2. The rebuilding of the offensive line began last year. The cornerstone of the offensive line is the left tackle. Robinson solved that big puzzle piece last year. As Snead and Fisher said, and as Zack has often reminded us, the rest of the line can be made up of less highly regarded players. The Rams also drafted a center last year, and for all we know they have hopes for him still. I think only one rookie will start this year, but the other starters may not come from a free agent but a player already waiting in the wings.

3. The Rams scouted QBs significantly last year, but failed to get one of the second level quarterbacks in the draft and they were roundly criticized for failing to pick up a QB. This year they once again held a quarterback tour, and I felt very confident that they were going to try to get a QB in the first two days of the draft. My questions was whether they would reach in the second round, or wait until the 3rd round to take the QB.

4. Snead has always sought to draft a “special” player in the first round – a game changer. It doesn’t always work, but it isn’t too hard to discern his philosophy when it comes to the physical anomalies. He likes to bring attention to the physical traits of the Tavons and Robinsons as physical outliers who can become great. Again, when you swing for the fences there are going to be some strike outs, but their philosophy seems clear.

5. There were very few players in this draft that would start in ’15 for the Rams. I don’t believe any defensive player would have started on this team. I am not sure any wide receiver would have started over Quick and Britt this year. I think this is a product of the Rams having rebuilt their whole team with young players over the last three years, and 2015 being a relatively weak draft class. Thus, the impact that we could expect from a rookie was going to be minimal to the success of the team in 2015, with the possible exception of an offensive lineman having a season similar to Zack Martin last year.

6. I believe, and I think that the Rams believe, that your first round pick should never be used as a solution to fill a glaring hole. If that is the case, you have messed up as an organization somewhere along the way. You have to have the flexibility as an organization to use your first round pick to take the best player you can. The only exception to this should be taking a QB where the value approximately approaches pick and the team is desperately in need of a QB.

Ok, given all of that, I thought that the Rams would probably prefer to take a playmaker in round 1, take offensive linemen in rounds 2 & 3, and take their developmental QB in round 3. That was my “best case scenario” plan for them going in. But of course, they didn’t have two third round choices, so I held little hope for my plan coming to fruition.

Yet, in Round 1, they took probably one of the two or three players in this draft who could rise to greatness. I loved Tre Mason, but I was overjoyed they took TG because he represented that philosophy and ideal that I had been espousing since the beginning. Go for greatness in Round 1, and hit singles and doubles the rest of the way. It was the perfect pick, and if it works out it can be the offset to lacking one of the elite quarterbacks. Everyone says that you cannot win a Superbowl without a Rogers, Brees, Manning, Brady, or Luck. Well, there are 32 teams and only 5 or 6 of those guys, and by the way their numbers are diminishing. The Wilsons and the Lucks are not coming into the league as fast as the Bradys, Mannings, and Brees are starting to decline. College football is not producing these guys any more at an output that remotely meets the demand. So then what? Well, if you are the Rams, you need something that takes that guy’s place, like a running back who can touch the ball 25 times a game. This is the only choice you have if you don’t have one of the elites. So Fisher/Snead are trying to play the hand they are dealt.

In the second round, as we now know, they traded down and they took the only offer that yielded them a 3rd rounder. Why? I believe so they could go OL,OL in the second and third and still not miss out on the developmental QB. Lo and behold, lineman/lineman/QB. Just like they scripted it! The plan could not have worked out any better than it did.

Day 3 is for looking for depth and players that they like, but the first 3 rounds are for reinforcing the core. As everyone else mentioned, their success will solely depend on whether the identified the right guys. But as far as implementing a plan, I think they carried out their vision for this draft as well as they could have expected.

Yeah, Isaiah does a great job laying out how the Rams were able to carry out their plan. As far as working the draft to meet their needs and philosophy, Snisher did a really good job.

Is it too soon to grade ‘next’ year’s draft?

I’m just askin.

w
v

I liked the draft as well. Mostly for all the reasons stated already. They clearly had a plan and they stayed the course. I’ve never been one of the “a team needs a specific identity in order to be successful crowd,” but with this draft it would seem that Fisher is really try to build a clear identity.

The thing that pleased me most about this draft is that the Rams did not feel any pressure to pick an average-to-good G, OT or G/OT with their first pick. A line can be built in the later rounds.