Blythe signing w/ Vikings? (Chiefs actually). So who’s the center?

2018 NFL Draft: Coleman Shelton Scouting Report

* https://withthefirstpick.com/2018/03/27/2018-nfl-draft-coleman-shelton-scouting-report/

Washington’s Coleman Shelton is an athletic 2018 NFL Draft center prospect with starter potential.

Shelton heads into the 2018 NFL Draft having gained a ton of experience at Washington. He has done a good job when facing top-level competition and performed in high-pressure situations. Shelton has the potential to develop into a starter at the next level, but may need some time.

He features a solid frame for the position with a thick build and long arms. Shelton’s best attribute is his overall athleticism and movement skills. He is someone who can work in the screen game, block on the edges and reach the second level.

His balance and measured approach when in space helps him avoid missing blocks.

Shelton’s quickness out of his stance gives him the ability to seal defenders from the play. However, his lack of strength is a cause for concern. He is able to gain inside hands, but lacks the power to latch and control the action.

This allows the defender to easily disengage and work his way to the ball carrier. Shelton’s inability to press the defender off his frame results in him getting pushed back into the pocket.

His lack of power also limits his ability to generate a push off the line of scrimmage. He’s more of a finesse blocker who uses angles and does his best work on the move. However, Shelton can become a more versatile player by putting more time in the weight room.

Look for an NFL strength coach to focus on improving Shelton’s upper body strength. This will be key for his ability to potentially crack the starting lineup.

The lack of strength also shows up in the passing game where Shelton can be overwhelmed by powerful defenders. However, he does have the foot speed and balance to mirror the rush and protect the gaps.

Overall, Shelton has the potential to be a starter in the NFL. The key will be for him to add strength and become a more physical player. Until he’s able to improve this part of his game he is likely to spend time on the bench.

Austin Blythe (Chiefs) one year, $990K salary (gtd), $760K playtime, team performance incentive

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 31, 2021

Rodrigue: Rams need a new plan at center as starter Austin Blythe signs with the Chiefs

Jourdan Rodrigue

https://theathletic.com/2487517/2021/03/30/rodrigue-rams-need-a-new-plan-at-center-as-starter-austin-blythe-signs-with-the-chiefs/?source=emp_shared_article

he Rams entered free agency this spring walking a thin line at center: They knew they needed a plan (and preferably one that featured a proven player) after pushing so many resources into the acquisition of veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford.

But, limited financially and backed against a shrunken salary cap, they also knew they needed to settle on team-friendly contract terms, and stick with them. That led to 2020 starter Austin Blythe exploring the market, and ultimately finding a new home and one-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday afternoon, according to The Athletic’s Nate Taylor.

Correctly, the Rams predicted that the center market would cycle around a bit before bottoming out. It took until what we can consider to be free agency’s “third wave” for Blythe to find a deal, and all the while, they sat in a staring contest with the center and his agent, optimistic when free agency began in mid-March that he’d eventually find his way back to Los Angeles.

All it takes is one other team to blink first. Now, the Rams find themselves in a tough spot at one of the offense’s most key positions.

No, Blythe was not going to be a long-term answer at the position. The fact that he signed a one-year deal showed where his market timeline stood, and that’s likely where the Rams wanted him, too. He was Pro Football Focus’ ninth-best center in 2020, so while he played at a top-10 level he also wasn’t exactly in Pro Bowl conversations year over year.

But his value to the Rams was large this offseason, because he lent stability, continuity and was a “proven entity” at a position where now, there are only questions without immediate answers.

Without Blythe, the Rams have few possibilities for a “Plan B”. They can still sign a veteran center to a short deal — ironically, former Chiefs center Austin Reiter, 29, is still available. They’ve got about $7 million in workable cap space at the moment, with a safety-valve option of restructuring some or all of Stafford’s $9.5 million base salary in 2021 to free up a bit more, if needed. The fact that they didn’t move from their number for Blythe, however, indicates an unwillingness to sign the players left in free agency to the kind of deal required to exercise that safety valve.

General manager Les Snead, while praising Blythe in early March, also discussed the difficulty of matching even a veteran player into the Rams’ scheme.

“It’s even hard just to project a player that may be with another NFL team (and whether they) can do it,” he said, “just because they will still have to learn our system and still at that point have to quickly process football within our system.”

Snead pointed toward currently-rostered center Brian Allen, a fourth-round pick in 2018, as a possibility for replacing Blythe. But Allen spent the entire 2020 season rehabbing what Snead called a “serious” leg injury. How well he will return from that injury is still unproven, even though he does have prior starting experience. Coleman Shelton, who was recently tendered by the Rams as an exclusive rights free agent, also could have potential — but has never started a game. Former second-round pick (Cleveland) Austin Corbett, who plays guard for the Rams, also has center experience — and any movement of Corbett would possibly signal moving Tremayne Anchrum, a 2020 seventh-rounder, into the guard spot.

Even if they sign a veteran, or start either Allen or Shelton in 2021 — or shuffle around their line even further — the Rams still absolutely must draft a center this April. The class is promising and deep, and full of players with potential ranging from ready (or nearly-ready) starters to developmental guys with big upside. But any rookie will still need time to develop physically and mentally, to learn the Rams’ offense and blocking schemes and to establish a partnership with Stafford — all the while, we don’t even know how much time teams will be able to spend together this spring. A best-case scenario (and the Rams’ “Plan A”) would have been re-signing Blythe for a year and also drafting a young center/guard, then allowing the rookie to develop for a year and get some practice snaps in with Stafford before taking over full-time.

Without Blythe, the Rams have now also telegraphed their hand across the league, showing other teams their biggest need entering the draft. Their first pick is late in the second round, at No. 57, so not only will the Rams depend on the draft boards of all other 31 teams falling in their favor so they can get “their guy” (whether it’s at No. 57 or later), but also on that player being the right guy long-term.

Projecting centers, especially, is really tough. Doing so out of need, while relying on the luck and game theory of the draft itself, is never a position a team wants to be in. Free agency exists to fill immediate needs; the draft is better-served as a tool for the future.

Any of the Rams’ current options — from incoming veteran, to rookie, to currently-rostered player — rely on what Snead would call “unknown entities”. As unknown variables increase, so does risk.

One argument some have even made throughout the spring, as we collectively waited on Blythe to either re-sign, or sign elsewhere, is that with a veteran set of eyes diagnosing defenses at quarterback such as Stafford, the Rams can afford to make riskier decisions at center — or even start a rookie.

Sure, Stafford is gifted in many areas, including moving his pocket, escaping pressure, reading and re-setting coverages and keeping plays alive in order to freestyle downfield a bit.

But calling plays and helping to align the offense is far from the only job a center has — and, in dominant center/quarterback tandems, this action is very much a partnership. Any dependency on one or the other reflects poorly on the dependent player, and makes him a weak spot against whom teams will find an edge.

Among many other positional nuances, a center must also be an anchor point for the run game and work to help prevent the interior push and pressure that “Pac-mans” a quarterback’s pocket and forces him to flush outside into the radius of the often faster, more dangerous players on the perimeter. He is an extension of the quarterback — a partnership that takes time and experience to build. The less “risk” that is involved in doing so, the better it is for an offense as a whole. It’s not that Blythe was the key to the Rams’ entire offense; re-signing him was simply the least-risky option.

After all, why would a team invest major resources into bringing in a veteran quarterback, with whom they adamantly believe they can win a Super Bowl, and not equip him with all of the proper tools to do his job with as little stress — as little risk — as possible?

That would be like commissioning a famous artist to paint your portrait, and then handing them a crayon. They could still perhaps create something beautiful, but you’re still the guy who handed them a freaking crayon.

Whitewater Drafting —

OL Quinn Meinerz boosts stock with impressive pro day; should Rams try to secure one of the top iOL prospects in the draft? https://t.co/nEum5ubLsv

— TurfShowTimes (@TurfShowTimes) April 1, 2021

from https://www.si.com/nfl/rams/news/la-rams-options-at-center-with-austin-blythe-in-kansas-city
Here are some options at center for the Rams now that Blythe is in Kansas City.

CURRENTLY ON THE ROSTER

Brian Allen — A fourth-round selection in the 2018 draft by the Rams, Allen started center for nine games in 2019 before suffering a season-ending knee injury that required surgery. Allen was on the active roster last season, but never played as he worked his way back from a torn MCL, torn meniscus and fractured tibia. The Michigan State product is only 25 years; proving that he’s healthy will be a priority for the upcoming season.

Coleman Shelton — The University of Washington product was an All-Pac 12, first team performer his final season with the Huskies two years ago. Shelton was active for all but one game last year, playing exclusively on special teams. It’s interesting that the Rams kept Shelton on the active roster in 2020, perhaps an indication of how they value the versatile offensive lineman moving forward.

Tremayne Anchrum Jr. — A seventh-round selection last season, Anchrum mostly worked at tackle last season, but was viewed by some draft analysts as a candidate to kick inside and play guard in the NFL. Other tackle prospects like Justin Britt of the Houston Texans have moved inside to play center during their NFL careers. If the Rams want to get the team’s best five lineman on the field, it could make sense to move Anchrum. The Rams like the Clemson product and he could be groomed as a developmental center prospect to create more versatility up front.

FREE AGENCY

Austin Reiter — With the Chiefs signing Austin Blythe, Kansas City’s starting center from last season in Reiter is available and could be an inexpensive option for the Rams if they want to add veteran experience in free agency.

James Ferentz — A part-time starter at center for the New England Patriots last season, the Iowa product could be a training camp body that adds experienced competition at a position of need for the Rams.

DRAFT

Quinn Meinerz — One of the top-rated interior offensive linemen in the draft, it’s possible the small-school product out of Wisconsin-Whitewater could be around when the Rams select at the end of the second round. And it appears the Rams are doing their homework on the interior offensive line prospect, reportedly holding a virtual meeting with him in February.

Drew Dalman – Rams new offensive line coach Kevin Carberry coached Dalman at Stanford las year, so he’ll have an intimate knowledge of his skill set. At 6-3 and 300 pounds, Dalman was a two-year starter at center and guard. He played in a pro-style offense for the Cardinal.

Dick84

The Corbett at center thing…I’ve been adamant that they wouldn’t do it… one reason is that I don’t like the idea of moving around multiple positions.

But what Snead said on the 11 personnel pod makes me think he really is in the running. He didn’t single out Corbett by name but he did mention the centers they have, Allen and Shelton, along with some other guys who’ve “snapped the ball before”, is what I think his wording was.

We’ve also heard Rodrigue mention Anchrum more than once as a player who may be ascending.. so.. maybe he’s developed into a solid guard candidate and they’d put him in next to Corbett. He’s got a little more beef in a more compact frame with long arms.. could be interesting.

The clear implication was that the starting center is on the roster, though.