11 Personnel w/ Rodrigue & Hammond on the draft … a lot here

Rodrigue and Hammond

Avila one of the best picks of any team in the draft. After the pick unprompted a number of current and former NFL lineman Rodrigue knows reached out to her unprompted to say what a good pick it was. They “love love love” this guy. The understanding of football, the awareness, the communication, the leadership qualities–all very high with this guy. He was the #1 guy on their board at the start of day 2–that is, the #1 player (not lineman or offensive guy, player). She sees him as their longterm center but for now he’s a plug and play guard.

Raiders traded up before the Rams in round 2 because they believed Rams would take a tight end. But–Rams while the liked the tight ends that were going early in round 2, they absolutely had Avila ranked higher and sweated out him falling to them.

Young pick is from Rams being sick to death of the quick passing game getting to the defense. Speed is no joke with this guy. Rotation guy early on as a rookie until he learns to be a complete NFL LB.

Turner–they had to replace Greg Gaines, who they wanted to keep. They need an inside pass rusher next to Donald. They needed someone smart who knows the game to complement AD, and Turner is one of the smartest guys in the entire draft.

Bennett? Don’t know what his 4 year future is…is he an NFL starter? But right now he is the #2. No other qb had the same consensus they did with SB. In terms round 4, they had intel indicating other teams wanted him. Didn’t want to risk. Stafford is healthier and better than he has been in years. Last year was so bad with OL injuries that even if Stafford didn’t get  hurt they should have just sat his ass down. They didn’t like their other qbs last year and they saw what it was like if Stafford misses games. So size is an issue with SB but he has a lot of traits they like–accuracy, timing, getting it out quick (he has a very quick release), throwing guys open, can handle play action, can escape and play outside the structure, has played on big stages. Huge personality. Teammates loved him. One of the biggest things was the way he competes. In terms of what the Rams liked about him he has that Baker Mayfield quality where he just has moxy and leads. A cheap option where even if everything implodes they still have a chance. They also want a rookie qb capable of leading the scout team in a way that actually helps the defense grow. They need a guy competitive enough at heart to challenge the #1 defense as a scout qb–so when they picked him, the defensive coaches cheered too.

5th round. Hampton, McClendon, Allen, Nakua. Nakua is a dart throw because he has an injury history. He has great run after catch and football knowledge. Allen is developmental but has good traits as a blocker as a pass catcher. Hampton has good tape, he destroyed North Carolina, speed power guy, but a rotation. McClendon could surprise people early in his career. Player got lost on a loaded up roster. Has played all over the line. Huge upgrade in their swing lineman, and he might factor in behind Havenstein for the future.

6th round. Hodges-Tomlinson had a fantasic season. Rams corners have issues with size and he doesn’t help with that. But, Hodges-Tomlinson needs to be underneath/inside jumping routes–he’s very smart, he’s very aggressive, and has great ball skills. He can identify tendencies. He reminds Rodrigue of what Darious Wms. used to do (like anticipate and pick screens). He’s the perfect player for that role.

Zach Evans. He dropped far. Jason Taylor also dropped far. Very good value on both picks. Evans is probably the #2 back. Taylor very aggressive and will compete to get some rotation time early on. He they didn’t want him to fall to UDFA free agency. And Evans the punter, great leg and real passion for the game.

She didn’t say anything about Mathis or Johnson. There were just too many picks to talk about.