articles: Rams on day 1 past, day 2 coming

Rams feel good about their second-round options

Alden Gonzalez

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/33640/rams-feel-good-about-their-second-round-options

Within the first nine picks, the three best receivers came off the board. From selections 19 to 29, the top three tight ends were gone, too. And by the end of Thursday’s first round, eight defensive backs had been taken.

But Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead insists that the player he’s targeted for the 37th overall pick, whomever that is, remains on the board.

“He’s still there,” Snead told reporters from the team facility on Thursday night. “That’s part of trying to handicap who will be gone in the first. We weren’t playing fantasy football and had a certain player up there that wasn’t going to be there.”

With the No. 5 pick — acquired in the deal last year that prompted the Rams’ selection of Jared Goff at No. 1 overall — the Titans reached for Western Michigan receiver Corey Davis, who was nothing more than a pipe dream for the Rams. With the 18th pick, they reached for USC corner Adoree’ Jackson, who grew up near St. Louis and remained — until that night — an ardent Rams fan.

Clemson receiver Mike Williams went to the Rams’ new crosstown rival, the now-L.A. Chargers, at No. 7, and Washington speedster John Ross followed at No. 9 to the Bengals. Alabama tight end O.J. Howard then went to the Buccaneers at 19 and Miami tight end David Njoku was selected by the Browns with their third first-round pick, No. 29. In between, Ole Miss tight end Evan Engram — linked frequently to the Rams over the last few weeks — was scooped up by the Giants at 23.

The Rams also waved goodbye to LSU safety Jamal Adams (Jets), Ohio State corner Marshon Lattimore (Saints), Ohio State safety Malik Hooker (Colts), Alabama corner Marlon Humphrey (Ravens), Ohio State corner Gareon Conley (Raiders), Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers (Browns), LSU corner Tre’Davious White (Bills) and Jackson.

They remain hopeful.

“The thing that you do feel good about when you look at the depth of this draft,” first-year Rams coach Sean McVay said, “there’s a lot of good players at different positions that we feel really good about, and that kind of gives us some flexibility in terms of what we’ll want to do at 37 that’s going to help us get better as a football team.”

The best receiver remaining is East Carolina’s Zay Jones, who’s 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and sure-handed. If either of the four teams ahead of them — the Packers, Seahawks, Jaguars and Bears — draft Jones, the Rams can turn to USC’s JuJu Smith-Schuster or Ohio State’s Curtis Samuel if they still crave a receiver. But that would mean disregarding more talented players at other positions. Like Western Kentucky guard Forrest Lamp, Washington corner Kevin King, Alabama tackle Cam Robinson, Florida State defensive end DeMarcus Walker and Washington safety Budda Baker.

“We’re five picks away, so we have got to have five players that we would take,” Snead said of stacking his draft board for Day 2. “And then, from there, you decide whether you go up and get one of the five, or you take one, or you move back from there and grab another pick.”

The Rams were surprised no cornerback was taken within the first 10 picks and only two offensive linemen went within the top 32. They noted the bevy of trades, particularly from the division-rival 49ers and Seahawks, who moved back to acquire additional picks. The 49ers picked up Stanford defensive tackle Solomon Thomas and Alabama inside linebacker Reuben Foster, while the Cardinals added Temple inside linebacker Haason Reddick.

The Rams, without a first-round pick for the first time since 1987, had no intentions of trading into the first round.

“We knew this was the year probably not to give up picks to go get a player late,” Snead said. “We had done a lot of work on who we felt would fall, and we were very comfortable with those players. So we felt that it might be the best strategy to stay put this year.”

The Rams have a lot of ways they can go in this draft. They’re thin at receiver and tight end, but would also like to identify their center and left tackle of the future. They need to replenish depth in their secondary, but also need to beef up at linebacker.

The player they want is “still there,” Snead assured.

“Players,” McVay said, chiming in. “He’s got a lot of guys.”

Agamemnon wrote:

I just listened to the day one press conference. It is obvious, to me, that McVay is just a spectator. Snead is running this draft. McVay sort of gave away that at 30, Snead had 8 players listed in order that, the Rams top players at that time. I expect Snead will sit there and pick whoever is his top player left at 37.

We have the transcript too if anyone is interested: http://theramshuddle.com/topic/snead-mcvay-post-draft-day-1-427-transcript/

Inside the Draft Room: All Quiet on Day One

By Myles Simmons

http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/article-1/Inside-the-Draft-Room-All-Quiet-on-Day-One/0b8a7bc2-a8b4-4a80-af6c-bda2b6183be5

Throughout the 2017 NFL Draft, Rams insider Myles Simmons will be seated in the team’s draft room to give you an inside look at the process of picking Los Angeles’ 2017 rookie class.

Thursday night was a quiet one in the Rams draft room.

As general manager Les Snead said in his press conference with Sean McVay after the conclusion of the first round, “We knew this was the year probably not to give up picks to go get a player late” — meaning the club’s higher ups knew they’d likely be observers on Day 1.

Still, there’s a buzz in the room as the clock strikes five o’clock pacific and the NFL Draft begins. To set the scene, Sead, head coach Sean McVay, EVP of football operations Kevin Demoff, and senior assistant Tony Pastoors are seated at the front of the room. Ahead of them are four screens* — two in the middle displaying the club’s draft board, one on the left showing the NFL Network, and one on the right showing ESPN. Above the big-screen TVs is the club’s official selection clock, displaying the time left for each pick.

It’s not silent, with conversations going on throughout the room between the personnel and football operations staff. But it is quiet enough to hear commissioner Roger Goodell say on television, “The Cleveland Browns are on the clock.”

Scouting assistant Michael Pierce is on headset with the Rams representatives in Philadelphia. When they find out what’s happening in Pennsylvania — be it a selection or a trade — they relay the information to Pierce, who then announces it to the room.

It’s 5:12 when Pierce tells the Rams draft room Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett is the Browns’ No. 1 overall pick — two minutes before the two TVs show Goodell making that same announcement to the public.

Two minutes after that, at 5:16, Pierce tells the room what is perhaps the biggest surprise of the night: The Bears have traded the No. 3, No. 67, No. 111, and a third-round pick in 2018 to move up to No. 2 overall. It’s a move met with some “Ooos” and “Ahhs” but not much else as Chicago picks North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

And so it goes for the rest of the first round, which takes three hours and 34 minutes. As McVay said in his press conference, he and Snead had their heads together as the end of the first round approached, with the pair going over possible plans for the No. 37 selection on Friday. Snead also acknowledged that there are plenty of possibilities for the second round, be it trade up, select a player at No. 37, or trade down to acquire an extra pick.

But once Pierce tells the room the Saints have selected Wisconsin offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk, McVay enthusiastically proclaims, “The fun starts tomorrow now, baby.”

And so it will, with Friday’s Round 2 beginning at four o’clock