234 – Clay Johnston LB, 248 – Sam Sloman K, and 250 – Tremayne Anchrum G

Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
Rams draft ILB Clay Johnston, Baylor, at No. 234 in seventh round.

from https://www.nfl.com/prospects/clay-johnston?id=32194a4f-4880-4643-e839-9677436ad230

Overview

Detail-oriented inside linebacker who needs a clean bill of health after suffering a season-ending knee injury in October. Johnston plays with a nice blend of physicality and instincts that help rack up tackles. He rarely stays blocked and does an impressive job of sifting through bodies to find the ball-carrier. He’s instinctive and active in zone coverage, but speed limitations hinder his man-cover ability. The football intelligence and instincts help mitigate average athleticism and speed. Johnston could become a special-teams standout with average, three-down-backup ability.

Sources Tell Us

“He’s just different — kind of a goofy guy. His teammates like him. I had him as a free agent before this year but he was balling before he got hurt. Maybe a (special) teams guy.” — Area scout for AFC team

Gary Klein@LATimesklein
Clay Johnston’s father, Kent, was NFL strength and conditioning coach for more than two decades, including with Chargers.

Ourlands on Tremayne Anchrum

Three-year starter, Powder Springs, GA. Earned first-team All ACC honours in 2019 after being named second-team in 2018. A college right tackle who will make the move to guard in the NFL. Has a lot of power potential if he can simply get more aggressive with his hands at the start. He too often trusted his ability to anchor in college, which did work most of the time. He will be a project, as he is changing positions and has plenty to clean up, but there is still a chance he can evolve into a starter. Very stout and strong from top to bottom. Has a powerful anchor and heavy hands. Gets out of his stance assertively but under control. Usually stays in phase and won’t abandon his lower body techniques. Maintains a wide base. Can play with a low centre of gravity, creating good balance against power. Effective against linebackers in space, stays patient. Will struggle to re-establish good hand position if a defender swipes them away. Loses against speed and quickness too often. Will wait too long to attack a defender at times, needs to be more aggressive with his hands. Gets top heavy during engagement. OSR: 30/41. Fifth/sixth round. (A-33 5/8, H-9 5/8, BP-26, 10-1.83).

• This reply was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by canadaram.

Energy goals. New Rams LB Clay Johnston. Watch it. pic.twitter.com/BJmIu4ZePt

— LindseyThiry (@LindseyThiry) April 26, 2020

18. CLAY JOHNSTON | Baylor 6010 | 227 lbs. | rSR. Abilene, Texas (Wylie) #4

BACKGROUND: Clay Johnston was a two-way player at Wylie High School, earning all-state honors as both a linebacker and running back as a senior. After 138 tackles, 34.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks as a junior, he collected a number of accolades in 2014, leading Wylie to a 10-3 record. On defense, Johnston finished with 85 tackles, 17.0 tackles for loss, 6.0 sacks and three forced fumbles, adding three blocked kicks on special teams. On offense, he took over the starting running back duties midway through the season and rushed for over 1,000 yards and 19 touchdowns. A three-star linebacker recruit out of high school, Johnston was the No. 74 outside linebacker in the class and the No. 145 recruit in Texas. He committed to Baylor over offers from Duke and Texas Tech. His father (Kent) spent 24 seasons in the NFL as a strength and conditioning coach, working with Tampa Bay, Green Bay, Seattle, Cleveland and San Diego. Both of his older brothers played college football: Kody (Texas A&M) and Kole (Tarleton State). Johnston graduated with his degree in health, kinesiology and leisure studies (December 2018) and is working on his master’s in sports pedagogy.

STRENGTHS: Plays full-speed ahead and doesn’t have a passive bone in his body…strings runs outside with his maniacal pursuit effort…instinctive player who is always in hunting mode…transfers his momentum into his tackles, wrapping to finish…flips his hips to turn and run the seam with tight ends…disciplined and didn’t commit a penalty as a senior…grew up around NFL weight rooms with zero questions about his work ethic…considered the heart and soul of the defense and a “great leader,” according to Matt Rhule…high-volume tackler, averaging 8.7 tackles per game the last two seasons.

WEAKNESSES: Only average size with below average length…doesn’t properly use his hands when taking on blocks…needs to improve his extend and shed skills to stay detached from climbing blockers…too many fly-by tackle attempts on his tape and needs to fix bad habits, often dropping his eyes and leaving his feet…bad habit of flowing with the action at times instead of reading the ball…coverage awareness is a work in progress…medicals are a red flag, suffering a torn ACL in his left knee (October 2019) that required surgery and ended his final college season; needed surgery to repair a broken hand (October 2017) and suffered a foot injury later that month, ending his 2017 season; missed playing time in high school after a serious ATV accident that required plastic surgery.

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Baylor, Johnston lined up as the mike linebacker in former defensive coordinator Phil Snow’s 3-3-5 scheme. He earned his single-digit jersey prior to his senior season and was in the midst of an All-American caliber season before his ACL injury. Johnston competes with nonstop hustle and loves to chase the football, quickly regaining his course after a misstep and closing the gap. While he moves with fluidity, he needs to temper his aggressive nature when breaking down to be a more reliable finisher. Overall, Johnston doesn’t have an indestructible body type and needs to clean up his bad habits as a tackler, but he is a heat-seeking missile with NFL toughness, projecting as a special teams ace who will compete for defensive reps if he stays healthy.

I think my favorite pick is ANCHR-UM,

I like’em short and stout/powerful. Like Aaron Donald.

Plus, He might end up at center someday.

w
v

wv wrote:

I think my favorite pick is ANCHR-UM,

Do you mean favorite in the 7th round, or favorite overall? I like Anchrum too. A very intriguing pick. Sounds like a Tom Newberry type.

…

Dane Brugler, from https://theathletic.com/1775537/2020/04/26/brugler-ranking-my-favorite-nfl-draft-classes-from-1-to-32/?source=twittered

Day three pick who could surprise: Clay Johnston, LB, Baylor
Coming off an ACL injury, Johnston’s health will be important, but he was in the midst of an All-American type of season before the injury. He is a heat-seeking missile who will earn his paycheck on special teams while he fights for a role on defense.

Tremayne Anchrum bringing versatility, winning mentality to Rams

Stu Jackson

https://www.therams.com/news/tremayne-anchrum-clemson-versatility-winning-mentality

Tremayne Anchrum was preparing to find the best opportunity for himself as an undrafted free agent during the final round of the NFL Draft when he received a surprising phone call from Rams head coach Sean McVay.

“Honestly, we didn’t really know where our future kind of lied,” Anchrum said on a video conference Saturday. “I knew I was going to be a day three kind of guy. Getting to those later rounds, we started getting calls about, ‘Hey, we’d love to have you as a free agent.’ I got a couple of head coaches that called me talking about, ‘Hey, we want you now.’ Me and my father were kind of making arrangements for that. But, then Coach McVay called and said, ‘Hey, are you ready to be a Ram?’ At that moment, we all kind of figured I was going to be a free agent, but with the news, we were all really excited.”

Both his skillset and college background will fit well into the Rams’ culture.

Anchrum was Clemson’s full-time starting right tackle in 2018 and 2019, with the Tigers compiling a 29-1 record across each of those two seasons. They also appeared in each of the last two college football playoff national championships, winning it all in 2018.

Though he was primarily a right tackle, he would spend time at guard during the practices leading into the playoff games and championship games in order to give teammates rest and also work on his technique at other positions. That cross-training is an approach run game coordinator and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer takes with young players in his position group.

“I’m comfortable on the right side of the line, mostly, right tackle, right guard,” Anchrum said. “But again, I am open to playing any spot on the line.”

Including this year’s selections, Anchrum played alongside 30 future NFL draft picks at Clemson, according to Pro-Football-Reference.com. He said being around and competing with that talent helped prepare him for the next level.

“Playing for a high-level team like Clemson is a way, way advantage that you can never really underestimate,” Anchrum said. “When you have a competition level that high where you play with the Clemsons, the Alabamas, the Ohio States of the world, you know what an authentic mindset looks like. You know what a championship effort looks like from a backend, on the front end, what it feels like, and the day-in day-out commitment that it takes to win. Knowing that, playing with a lot of great players, which I don’t think there’s a negative to, but it really holds you accountable, staying at that level of competition, staying on your A-game every single day, taking that into the next level is going to be invaluable.”

He’ll take that mindset with him, no longer worried about having to prepare for free agency.

“It’s a little relief, I guess. It takes the hard part out, which is the decision making,” Anchrum said. “Now the only decision right now is just to go out and play, and dominate.”

….

On Tremayne Anchrum, from https://www.therams.com/news/tremayne-anchrum-clemson-five-things-to-know

As Rams Director of College Scouting Brad Holmes was gathering information on Anchrum, one quote from one of his sources stood out among the rest about his background.

“One of the guys says that he was like 18 going on 28 when he first arrived there (at Clemson) as a freshman,” Holmes said on a Rams post-draft show. “I just thought that spoke volumes about his maturity and his intangibles.”
…

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney called Anchrum “a very underrated guy in this draft,” also praising those same intangibles Holmes brought up.

“He’s incredibly smart, very athletic, strong, and has a great football I.Q.,” Swinney said in a statement posted to the program’s Twitter account. “He is another guy that’s going to change a locker room from a leadership standpoint.”

2020 rookie profile: Clemson OL Tremayne Anchrum

link http://ramstalk.net/2020-rookie-profile-clemson-ol-tremayne-anchrum/

Although it was late in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Rams finally addressed their offensive line needs in the seventh round. The Rams picked Clemson offensive tackle Tremayne Anchrum for their 250th overall pick, and their final pick in the draft.

Anchrum started as a right tackle for the Tigers, but practiced and played along the entire line during his collegiate career. He played for four years with Clemson, helping win two National Titles in 2016 and 2018 and making it to the National Championship in 2019. He started in all 30 games in the last two seasons.

…Anchrum hopes to bring his own competitive spirit to the Rams. Here is how he matches up.

STATS AND HONORS:
2019: Played 842 snaps over 15 games.

Career: Played 2,516 snaps over 55 games (37 starts).

Honors: 2016 and 2018 National Champion, 2019 First-Team All-ACC selection, 2019 permanent team captain, four-time ACC Champion (2016-2019), 2018 Second-Team All-ACC selection, two-time ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week (2018, 2019).

STRENGTHS:

Anchrum is quick, strong and uses leverage well. He is agile in running plays and has a strong pushback against defenders. His pass blocking is solid, and he is great at mirroring opponents, using strong lateral movement. At right tackle, he had much success in protecting Clemson’s mobile quarterback Trevor Lawrence. He can roll with the play and uses good peripheral vision to eye defenders coming into the pocket from the edge. He has a quick strike and decent hand placement along with moving his feet constantly to gain the advantage. Most importantly he concentrates on his assignment.

WEAKNESSES:

At 6’2,” 314 pounds, Anchrum is smaller in height than the average NFL tackle. He has shorter arms, which will make his extension hard at the next level but moving him inside to guard is not a bad move. Anchrum does have trouble redirecting his blocking when defenders move inside. His technique is also inconsistent from play-to-play. Often, he is playing off balance, too far forward. He will need to work on core strength.

EXPECTATIONS IN 2020:

Anchrum may not have the ideal size for an NFL tackle, but he may make a decent guard. Moving him inside may shore up the inside holes the Rams have had trouble with in 2019 and would certainly put him in a strong backup position. The Rams offensive line coaches can work on his fundamentals in the offseason to strengthen his core along with his hand and footwork. He will continue to learn behind the other veterans and will also bring a good skillset at the line.

Anchrum’s one advantage is playing across both tackle positions and practicing at both guard position throughout his time at Clemson. This is a welcome trait of an offensive linemen coming into the organization. The Rams would benefit from a player of his experience and talent. There’s no reason the Rams couldn’t ask Anchrum to practice at center too. Sean McVay has emphasized versatility from his linemen. It did work for Edwards after all.

from https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2020/05/25/nfl-rams-tremayne-anchrum-offensive-line/

Anchrum played right tackle at Clemson, and played at a high level against some of the nation’s best edge rushers, but he projects better at guard in the NFL. Regardless of where the Rams ask him to play, he’ll be ready.

“I see myself being able to support a number of positions across the board. Right now, I just want to kind of learn, understand the system, understand how we do things around here so I can apply what I do and come in and raise that level that this offensive line has already set,” he said in an interview with TheRams.com. “Bring my agility, my skills and be able to play whatever position is being asked. I feel like that’s one of the best things I’ve had going for me the last four years is playing at a championship level and bringing that competitive edge to wherever I might step into. Whatever position I play, I’m ready to bring that edge.”