Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › Rams rounds 2 & 3 (w/ “best players left” list)
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Billy_T.
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April 28, 2023 at 9:05 am #143568Billy_TParticipant
Good listing from Draftwire.
After a fun first round, here are the 87 best players still available for the Rams heading into Day 2 – headlined by Joey Porter Jr. https://t.co/qT60sdu5az
— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) April 28, 2023
87 best prospects available for the Rams on Day 2 of the draft
Cameron DaSilva
April 27, 2023The Los Angeles Rams sat out the first round of the draft again this year, opting not to trade up from the 36th overall pick. That’s not surprising given all the needs this team has, even as tempting as it may have been to go up and get Nolan Smith at the end of the first.
It’s perfectly fine that they stood pat because the board fell nicely for the Rams heading into Day 2. There are still a lot of great prospects available, including a top cornerback, a do-it-all tight end and a versatile defensive back from Alabama.
Looking ahead to Round 2, which is when the Rams get to join the fun, many prospects from our original top 100 big board are still available. Here are the best ones left heading into Day 2, which begins on Friday night.
1. CB Joey Porter Jr., Penn State
2. DB Brian Branch, Alabama
3. TE Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
4. G O’Cyrus Torrence, Florida
5. DL Keion White, Georgia Tech
6. DL Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern
7. TE Darnell Washington, Georgia
8. TE Luke Musgrave, Oregon State
9. G Steve Avila, TCU
10. LB Drew Sanders, Arkansas11. CB D.J. Turner, Michigan
12. OLB B.J. Ojulari, LSU
13. OT/G Cody Mauch, North Dakota State
14. C John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota
15. CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia
16. CB Cam Smith, South Carolina
17. CB Julius Brents, Kansas State
18. OLB Derick Hall, Auburn
19. C Joe Tippman, Wisconsin
20. OT/G Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse21. WR Cedric Tillman, Tennessee
22. CB Tyrique Stevenson, Miami
23. CB Clark Phillips III, Utah
24. WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
25. DT Keeanu Benton, Wisconsin
26. LB Trenton Simpson, Clemson
27. OT Dawand Jones, Ohio State
28. DB Jartavius Martin, Illinois
29. OLB Byron Young, Tennessee
30. WR Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss31. S Antonio Johnson, Texas A&M
32. WR Tyler Scott, Cincinnati
33. OLB Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame
34. TE Sam LaPorta, Iowa
35. OLB Zach Harrison, Ohio State
36. S Ji’Ayir Brown, Penn State
37. CB Riley Moss, Iowa
38. G Chandler Zavala, NC State
39. QB Will Levis, Kentucky
40. QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee41. WR Marvin Mims, Oklahoma
42. TE Tucker Kraft, South Dakota State
43. LB Daiyan Henley, Washington State
44. CB Darius Rush, South Carolina
45. RB Zach Charbonnet, UCLA
46. WR Rashee Rice, SMU
47. C Luke Wypler, Ohio State
48. OLB/DE Tuli Tuipulotu, USC
49. OLB/LB Nick Herbig, Wisconsin
50. OLB Isaiah McGuire, Missouri51. RB Devon Achane, Texas A&M
52. NT Siaki Ika, Baylor
53. WR A.T. Perry, Wake Forest
54. TE Luke Schoonmaker, Michigan
55. TE Brenton Strange, Penn State
56. NT Gervon Dexter Jr., Florida
57. DT Zacch Pickens, South Carolina
58. S Sydney Brown, Illinois
59. OT Jaelyn Duncan, Maryland
60. CB Cory Trice, Purdue61. WR Tank Dell, Houston
62. S JL Skinner, Boise State
63. S Jordan Battle, Alabama
64. RB Tyjae Spears, Tulane
65. LB Henry To’oTo’o, Alabama
66. OT Blake Freeland, BYU
67. RB Roschon Johnson, Texas
68. CB Garrett Williams, Syracuse
69. CB Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU
70. CB Kyu Blu Kelly, Stanford71. OLB YaYa Diaby, Louisville
72. LB DeMarvion Overshown, Texas
73. LB Dorian Williams, Tulane
74. CB Jaylon Jones, Texas A&M
75. G Andrew Vorhees, USC
76. CB Jakorian Bennett, Maryland
77. DE/OLB Karl Brooks, Bowling Green
78. OLB Viliami Fehoko, San Jose State
79. OLB Yasir Abdullah, Louisville
80. CB Eli Ricks, Alabama81. DT Moro Ojomo, Texas
82. OT Nick Saldiveri, Old Dominion
83. TE Davis Allen, Clemson
84. LB Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati
85. RB Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State
86. WR Josh Downs, North Carolina
87. TE Will Mallory, MiamiOne can argue with the relative order of these picks, but it’s a solid list. It tells me the Rams can and should trade down, collect more early picks, and they’ll still end up with major upgrades/starters.
Stay put, they’ll get three of ’em. Trade down, and they should increase that to five or so. And the talent is thick enough that they really shouldn’t lose “quality” as they increase quantity.
April 28, 2023 at 9:24 am #143569Billy_TParticipantI think it’s pretty obvious that the Rams need edges, corners, DT, and O-line help. But they also really, really need another TE, a running mate for Kupp, two safeties, a punter, and a kicker . . . though some may think the latter two positions are best handled via Priority Free Agents. That’s definitely the case with long snapper.
A luxury pick, of sorts, but one that could pay major dividends, would be another running back. Would love if they could land Israel Abanikanda, Tank Bigsby, or Roschon Johnson.
As for the top section: Joey Porter would be a major, positive surprise at DB. He was supposed to go early in Round One. But I’d be very happy with Tyrique Stevenson if Porter is gone, and they can get him later, after a trade down. Darius Rush would probably be my second choice after Stevenson. Both players are big, fast, athletic. At Edge, I think they can get Isaiah Foskey or Zack Harrison later too, and fix that issue. Major upgrades for the Rams. Most rate Keion White, BJ Olujari, and Derick Hall before them, but they’d all be upgrades.
Jonathan Mingo is my pick for Kupp’s running mate, and he’s flown up draft boards in the last month. Rashee Rice is another option. Later, perhaps on Day Three, the Rams should try to snag Andrei Iosovas. Height, size, speed guy who has flown up draft boards.
More later . . .
April 28, 2023 at 9:48 am #143570Billy_TParticipantI like Jourdan’s Best Available list, too. Has brief analysis on key players.
https://theathletic.com/4462849/2023/04/28/nfl-draft-best-available-rams/
Subscription necessary. Will copy and paste a couple:
Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
Many were surprised Porter fell out of the first round. The Athletic’s lead draft analyst Dane Brugler noted in his report on Porter that at times, he can be undisciplined and it’s not totally clear whether the Rams are even looking for a press corner. He’s hugely gifted and among the best available players left, so he is listed here.
Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia
Again, not sure Ringo would fall into the second round. He matches a great combination of athletic traits at a position of huge need.
Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina
The Rams have previously dipped successfully into their South Carolina pipeline (Ernest Jones). Smith is athletic, smart, coverage-versatile and projects well into ideally a more aggressive match zone.
Julius Brents, CB, Kansas State
I’ll be interested to see which round Brents is selected in, as the buzz on him has been all over the place. While Brents’ length and short-area speed projects well into a predominantly man-coverage cornerback, I’d be intrigued by what that skill set could mean in tightening up what is supposed to be an aggressive route-matching predominantly zone defense.
Cameron Mitchell, CB, Northwestern
Mitchell’s competitiveness and scheme versatility seem like a good fit for what will be a young Rams defense.
go-deeperApril 28, 2023 at 9:51 am #143571Billy_TParticipantMichael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
Mayer skews at the moment as a pass-catching tight end who could use a little more development but has a lot of potential in that phase that will be hard for a team to pass on early in the second round.
Tucker Kraft, TE, South Dakota State
Kraft’s size, versatility and ability to create yards after the catch all fit a major Rams position need, even if he’s still in need of development.
Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa
LaPorta has picked up just about every job a skill player can do on the field (including wildcat snaps) and is quick to create space in the short and intermediate layers of the field.
Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
Washington is still raw as a prospect but has all the versatile traits a team could want out of a do-it-all tight end.
Luke Schoonmaker, TE, Michigan
Schoonmaker isn’t the flashiest of the tight end class (he does many things fine instead of a few things at an elite level) but has enough size and speed to project as a steady contributor.
BJ Ojulari, edge, LSU
Ojulari’s length and speed are a good match for a defense that needs at least one pass rusher to help take attention off of Aaron Donald.
Keion White, edge, Georgia Tech
Brugler calls White “scheme-proof” and solid against the run as well as a player with high upside as a pass rusher.
Derick Hall, edge, Auburn
Analysts say Hall is a high-character player, which would be a great fit for a defense that will be super young and untested in 2023. He may be more of a “power” rusher, which is fine if the Rams are married to the combination of Daniel Hardy and Michael Hoecht as speed rushers on the other side.
Isaiah Foskey, edge, Notre Dame
Foskey was a popular match for the Rams from another of our draft analysts, Diante Lee, because he could plug in immediately even while still developing (and he wouldn’t be a reach, so the Rams could still trade back and grab him).
YaYa Diaby, edge, Louisville
Diaby has a great speed/power combination but, per Brugler, definitely needs to develop more setup strategies for breaking down blockers.
Zach Harrison, edge, Ohio State
Harrison is Brugler’s No. 74-ranked prospect because he plays with some stiffness but has a ton of power and linear speed.
April 28, 2023 at 9:56 am #143572Billy_TParticipantJalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
Hyatt is often described by analysts as a “home run hitter,” but do you draft that player in the second round with so many needs elsewhere? If you’re the Rams, you might consider it if you’re still unsure about Tutu Atwell, plus No. 2 receiver Van Jefferson is in a contract year.
Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina
The Rams have struggled to find a place for Atwell, another undersized prospect (though Downs has almost 20 more pounds on his 5-foot-8 frame), but the intriguing aspect of Downs’ game is his utter control of all his gears, which helps him get very, very open even in the crowded middle of the field. The Rams don’t need to find a replacement for Cooper Kupp’s slot production just yet, but eventually they will.
Cedric Tillman, WR, Tennessee
Tillman is a big, friendly quarterback target with great hands but he may be more suited for downfield (or as Brugler puts it) “linear” concepts.
Trey Palmer, WR, Nebraska
Palmer is a deep threat with blazing speed but a longer, larger frame. His skill set is the type I keep an eye on with Jefferson entering a contract year.
Adetomiwa Adebawore, DL, Northwestern
I love Adebawore’s versatility and potential in the NFL. He seems like an ideal rushing partner for Donald, plus he could really develop into a unique pass-rushing threat himself. I think scouts will look more at the projection of what he can become (Adebawore totaled a 9.83 raw athletic score, which puts him No. 46 among all defensive linemen since 1983 in terms of athletic traits) than what his numbers were at Northwestern. Analysts say he’s a high-character guy, too. Adebawore is “my guy” in this draft class and a player I don’t think the Rams can miss out on if he’s anywhere near a pick point.
Keeanu Benton, DL, Wisconsin
Benton plays with a ton of power and maneuvers space, which is what the Rams need on the interior alongside Donald.
Siaki Ika, DL, Baylor
The Rams do not have a space-eating nose tackle, and Ika could plug into their defensive line pretty early in his career.
Zacch Pickens, DL, South Carolina
Pickens blends strength and quickness at the position and could develop into a steady pass rusher.
Cody Mauch, G/T, North Dakota State
Brugler notes that Mauch has above-average hands and competitiveness, two hard-to-come-by traits for a prospect who could start early in his NFL career.
Steve Avila, G/C, TCU
Avila is less of the mold of undersized centers that the Rams have gravitated toward in recent years but can also be a stout guard if need be.
Joe Tippmann, C, Wisconsin
Tippmann’s range as a blocker seems like an ideal fit for the offensive system (especially the run game) traditionally run by Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. But does his skill set translate into the Rams’ offensive plan in 2023? If he’s a true target, that tells us a lot about the schematic direction of that offense.
John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
Ya da da da da da da … (let me know in the comments if you get this one). Schmitz’s tenacity and wrestling background remind me of Rams center Brian Allen, whose injury history has created a need to explore more depth at the position.
April 28, 2023 at 10:09 am #143573Billy_TParticipantBig clusters of talent this year make it logical for trade downs, if the Rams can find partners. They may not be able to. But if they do, it’s key that they maximize the value. They shouldn’t be easy marks in those trades. Just keep the pick if they’re gonna be overly generous to other teams.
Tie breakers for me: Size/speed/athleticism, age, and leadership, etc. If the cluster has a bunch of guys rated in a similar way, I’m giving extra points to players with better size and athletic traits, then younger players, and intangibles. That’s not set in concrete, of course. The Rams should be flexible. As in, if the intangibles just fly off the charts . . . move them up. But, I think athleticism is a priority, and younger players typically give you a better window of time for peak performance, plus have room to grow, etc. etc.
Conversely, I’m going to ding ratings if a player is 25, has documented “character” issues, and a lack of athletic traits, etc.
I know. It’s kinda crazy to obsess about the Draft. There are worse vices, right?
;>)
April 28, 2023 at 12:31 pm #143576
znModeratorApril 28, 2023 at 4:28 pm #143580Billy_TParticipantThis mock gives the Rams Keion White, Nick Saldiveri, and Jonathan Mingo, with no trade downs. It also has Seattle taking
Adetomiwa Adebawore one pick later, after White. I’d much rather have Adebawore, but White will be a serious upgrade at edge.Adebawore is potentially an even more athletic Aaron Donald — who could also play edge — with roughly the same height/weight profile. But his testing, for what that’s worth, was otherwordly.
HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
6015 282 33 7/8 10 1/2 81 5/8 4.49 2.62 1.55 37 1/2 10’5” – – 27
It’s a bonus that he’s just 22. White will turn 25 as a rookie, if the Rams make the playoffs.
Would be very happy with both 3rd round picks. Potential starter at offensive tackle, and a great running mate for Kupp, with #1 upside.
But I’d rather they trade down at #36.
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