Draft guru gives Rams a 'very good' grade in 2015 NFL Draft

It would be a stretch to say the Los Angeles Rams are settled into their new digs in Oxnard, California, especially considering they have two more moves to make before they land in their temporary training facility in Thousand Oaks.

But for the Rams, as for the rest of the NFL, the offseason clock never stops ticking. So while most teams around the league have been hosting draft prospects and working toward setting their boards, the Rams have been preparing to prepare.

Now that the Rams are out of St. Louis, the time has come for the personnel staff and coaches to congregate in Oxnard to begin draft meetings Tuesday. Those meetings will run right up until the draft at the end of the month. The Rams will then move their draft room south to a hotel near L.A. Live for the three-day process.

“I think we’ll get going on the fifth, Tuesday,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “And we’ll go right to it.”

In going right to it, the Rams have a lot to consider. Here’s a look at some of the important discussions they’ll have in the next few weeks:

Is there a trade that makes sense?

The general consensus seems to be that the top two quarterbacks in the draft — Cal’s Jared Goff and North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz — will be long gone before the Rams pick at No. 15. Beyond that, many analysts feel that there are six or so top players in this draft before a drop-off to the next level. Still, none of those players is viewed as a slam dunk, in terms of becoming a franchise player, at least not enough to command a huge return in a trade. Sitting at No. 15, the Rams would almost certainly have to move up to land a quarterback or any of those other top players, guys such as UCLA linebacker Myles Jack, Mississippi tackle Laremy Tunsil or Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey. The days of trading three first-round picks and more, as the Washington Redskins did with the Rams in 2012, are likely gone. Nonetheless, the Rams would have to give up quite a bit to get into the top six. It’s not entirely out of the question, though, as the Rams have three choices in the top 45 — more than any other team in the league. Likewise, the Rams will discuss trade-down scenarios, as it’s possible their needs might not meet the value of players available when they come on the board. That’s especially true given the defensive depth in this year’s draft.

Carson Wentz
The QB talent in this year’s draft isn’t so deep that a trade up would leave the Rams depleted, but are they willing to mortgage the future for someone such as Carson Wentz?
Is there a quarterback worth moving up for?

This relates directly to the first question because it’s hard to see the Rams making a trade up the board for anything but a possible franchise quarterback. Wentz and Goff aren’t believed to be on the same level as guys such as Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston a year ago, which means they probably won’t go Nos. 1 and 2 like that duo did. That also means a trade up probably wouldn’t break the draft-pick bank. The Rams desperately need a long-term answer at the position, but is it worth mortgaging their future for a quarterback who might not turn into that guy? The biggest factor in the price of a possible trade up is determining whether there’s a player worth the cost. The Rams have the ammunition for such a move, but they have other serious needs to consider and plenty of reason to try to find players who can help them win right away.

Is there a quarterback worth taking 15th?

Upon stacking the draft board, the Rams can begin making realistic assertions about what will happen in the 14 picks before they are on the clock. They will then play out many scenarios about what to do if the board falls a certain way. For example, in 2014, the Rams believed defensive tackle Aaron Donald would be long gone before they picked at No. 14. When he fell into their laps, it didn’t take long to turn in the card. More often than not, though, such an obvious pick doesn’t come that way, so let’s assume the Rams pass on a trade and sit tight at No. 15. They did it last year and landed running back Todd Gurley. Is there a quarterback worth taking there? If Goff and Wentz are gone, Memphis’ Paxton Lynch is thought to be next on the list. The Rams are doing the necessary research on him. It has become somewhat rare for top quarterbacks to go in the middle of the first round, as premiere signal callers usually get pushed up the board. If they don’t go in the top 10, QBs fall to later in the first round. If Lynch is there, the Rams could consider themselves lucky, or they could ask why he isn’t already gone.

Despite needs on offense, is the real value to be found on defense?