Rams Looking for OL Improvement

Rams Leaning OL in Round 2, WR in Round 3

Charlie Campbell.

http://walterfootball.com/nfldraftrumormill

In many recent years, the Rams were a power player in the NFL Draft, as they had a boat load of picks from their 2012 trade with the Redskins. Last year, the Rams went the opposite direction, giving up a huge haul to move from 15th to first overall in order to select quarterback Jared Goff. The 2016 season was ugly as Goff played horribly behind a weak offensive line and a receiving corps that lacked talent. Los Angeles changed out its coaching staff, but the roster weaknesses remain. Los Angeles is without its first-round pick, and one of its third-round choices went to the Titans, so the Rams are lacking resources to improve. In speaking with sources with the Rams, upgrading the offensive line and wide receivers are the goals for the offseason and 2017 NFL Draft.

Between the offensive line and wide receivers, it sounds like the line is the priority in the second round. The Rams selected left tackle Greg Robinson with the second-overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, and Robinson has been a massive disappointment. He is approaching bust category and could be moved to guard or right tackle if the Rams are able to land an upgrade at left tackle. Utah tackle Garett Bolles could be an option if he slips to the second round. Western Kentucky guard Forrest Lamp is another blocker who could land in Los Angeles. The offensive line prospects are less talented than the wide receivers – check out our 2017 NFL Draft Offensive Tackle Rankings – and the Rams could land a quality wide receiver in the third round.

The Rams put a ton of resources into Goff, so the organization hierarchy of Les Snead and Kevin Demoff needs Goff to show significant improvement in 2016. Giving him better blocking and more receiving talent could improve the chances of Goff making a big jump in year two.

sanbagger wrote:

I don’t get the thought of moving GRob to possibly RT…what do they do with Hav then? Move him inside? Personally I think GRob would be better than Hav at Guard and Hav would be better than GRob at RT.

If they do go O-line, and I;m gonna include TE because they are on the line too, I like Elfein, Engram, and Lamp…probably in that order.

As always this is subject to change.

Yeah that view in that article is a little “outsider superficial.”

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COVERAGE OF BOTH RAMS & CHARGERS

NFL teams must plan for ‘dearth’ of offensive line prospects

Jack Wang

http://www.dailynews.com/sports/20170303/nfl-teams-must-plan-for-dearth-of-offensive-line-prospects

INDIANAPOLIS >> Antonio Garcia was greeted by a table full of playing cards.

The former Troy offensive tackle was about to talk to an NFL team, but this one had prepared something for him. After he glanced down, the cards were flipped over. A memory test — he was told to recite the numbers.

“They said I got the highest score in two days,” Garcia said, “so I’m pretty proud of that.”

Anything that helps. Garcia is one of nearly four dozen offensive linemen at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine, a group that — as a whole — isn’t highly regarded. Earlier this week, NFL Network analyst said that offensive tackle “is one of the few groups that isn’t really strong this year.” Seahawks general manager John Schneider described it as “a dearth at the position.”

Even offensive tackle Roderick Johnson, who earned All-American honors in his junior year at Florida State, said the perceived weakness of his position group was “a little factor” in his decision to leave early.

This presents a tricky scenario for teams who could use an upgrade to their offensive lines — such as the two in Los Angeles.

The Rams allowed Jared Goff to take 26 sacks in just seven appearances, including seven in his last game. The Chargers could elect to replace either left tackle King Dunlap — an aging lineman who was arrested two weeks ago — or guard D.J. Fluker, who is due more than $8 million in 2017. (On Thursday, head coach Anthony Lynn spoke positively about Dunlap, and said he did not want to “make any judgments on him” before his legal proceedings are resolved.)

Neither is in ideal position to select premier talents up front. The Rams don’t have any picks among the top 36 selections, and only hold two in the top 111. The Chargers will draft No. 7 overall — which is likely too high to take an offensive lineman this year.

Trying to pick out talent in the middle to late rounds might also be challenging, with supply and demand inflating the value of even lesser-known names. Garcia may have played in the Sun Belt Conference, but that makes him exactly the type of player who could more dramatically improve his stock at the combine and at his own pro day. In Indianapolis, he recorded a 31-inch vertical, second-best among offensive linemen — and 2.5 inches more than running back Leonard Fournette.

“In a normal year, he’d probably be a third-round pick at best,” Mayock said of Garcia. “He’s a really gifted, athletic kid. But this year he’s going to be bumped up into the second round, and who knows from there?”

Even some of the top prospects have question marks. Cam Robinson, who started at left tackle at Alabama and won the Outland Trophy, could be asked to switch to right tackle or guard as a pro. Mayock’s top two offensive tackle prospects are Wisconsin’s Ryan Ramczyk and Utah’s Garett Bolles — both of whom only started one year of major college football.

“I think that’s a positive thing for me, because that’s just less wear and tear on my body,” said Bolles, a 24-year-old who began his football career at Snow College “I’ve never been cut open, I’ve never had a surgery, I’ve never had a major injury.

“You’ve got to knock on wood because football is rough game. But I’m here to compete.”