Rams at the combine (articles)

Rams should focus on receiver, O-line, secondary at combine

Alden Gonzalez

http://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/33072/rams-should-focus-on-receiver-o-line-secondary-help-at-combine

A closer look at the positions the Los Angeles Rams could target at the NFL combine in Indianapolis:

Positions of need: The Rams have numerous holes on offense, and it isn’t because they haven’t used past draft picks to address them. They picked seven offensive linemen from 2014 to ’15 but had one of the game’s worst lines in 2016. They finished last season with five rookie receivers, but not one of them made much of an impact. This might sound repetitive, but the Rams will probably be scouting offensive linemen and wide receivers at this year’s combine. They must also be on the lookout for defensive backs, because their depth has eroded quickly there. The Rams lost their primary cornerback (Janoris Jenkins) and their starting free safety (Rodney McLeod) through free agency last offseason and replaced them internally. No. 1 corner (Trumaine Johnson) and starting strong safety (T.J. McDonald) are set to become unrestricted free agents. The Rams don’t have much impact talent left beyond them.

Three players the Rams could focus on at the combine:

Gareon Conley (cornerback), Ohio State: Conley has drawn comparisons to star Broncos corner Aqib Talib, which should be enough to get you excited. Conley became an All-Big Ten honorable mention as a sophomore in 2015 and was then named second-team all-conference in 2016. Conley is listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds. He has NFL size and length to go with soft hands and outstanding timing, as stated in a scouting report by NFL.com. Conley projects to be an early starter who can immediately play in a zone scheme and hold his own in press coverage. But he isn’t very physical and needs to work on his tackling. Over the past two years, Conley has combined for six interceptions and 13 pass breakups.

Cam Robinson (tackle), Alabama: A freshman All-American and two-time first-team All-SEC pick, Robinson has been a reliable, physical left tackle for the Crimson Tide. He was named a consensus All-American as a junior in 2016, an undefeated regular season that finished with a last-second loss to Clemson in the national championship game. Robinson is listed at 6-6 and 326 pounds, a similar body type as another left tackle with the same last name. That would be Greg Robinson, the former No. 2 overall pick who has struggled as Rams left tackle these past couple of years. Cam Robinson brings great power and explosiveness, as you might expect, and has shown the ability to adequately get to the second level with his blocks. His balance and instincts are deemed weaknesses at this point, and Robinson has struggled against quicker, more athletic defensive ends.

JuJu Smith-Schuster (receiver), USC: Smith-Schuster, listed at 6-2 and 220 pounds, was first-team All-Pac-12 as a sophomore in 2015, catching 89 passes for 1,454 yards and 10 touchdowns in 14 games. Those numbers dropped partly because of a back injury in his junior season — to 70 catches for 914 yards and 10 touchdowns — but Smith-Schuster was still good enough to be named second-team all-conference. He brings good size, a willingness to go across the middle and a great feel for eluding defenders. He’s a solid route runner, a reliable blocker and a hyper-competitive athlete. The only negative, it seems, is Smith-Schuster’s speed and acceleration. And granted, that’s important. But, as NFL.com said in its scouting report, teams with speed elsewhere at receiver can complement that nicely with Smith-Schuster’s physicality. The Rams have speed with Tavon Austin and Pharoh Cooper, so perhaps there’s a fit.

Rams to put emphasis on fixing offense through free agency, draft

VINCENT BONSIGNORE

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/rams-745521-mcvay-offensive.html

INDIANAPOLIS – Like the super smart kid in class who teachers sometimes neglect in order to tend to their less-gifted students, new Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is probably feeling a bit overlooked these days.

It’s one of the double-edged swords of taking over a unit that, frankly, is already playoff caliber

Especially when the group it has been lining up against every day in practice is, well, challenged.

As the Rams work through free agency and draft preparations – including this week in Indianapolis at the NFL draft combine – so much of the focus and talk and concentration is on lifting an offense that ranks dead last in nearly every category that Phillips sometimes feels invisible.

To the point of speaking up.

“And as any good coach will do, (he’ll say) ‘Hey, don’t forget about us over here. We’re playing defense too,’” is how Rams general manager Les Snead put it.

Good luck with all that, Wade.

No matter how many times he raises his hand or jumps up and down or tries to bring attention to himself, the Rams need to ignore him as much as possible.

Nothing personal, good sir.

The Rams won’t completely shun Phillips this offseason – the change to his 3-4 scheme preference creates a natural need for specific additions – but let’s not get things twisted.

They arrived here in Indianapolis with a particular game plan. And it’s one they’ll carry into free agency next week and the draft seven weeks later in Philadelphia.

It’s time to pull the offense into the 21st century, once and for all.

That was the driving force behind firing Jeff Fisher last November.

And it was the motivation in identifying the offensive minded Sean McVay as Fisher’s replacement, and then locking him up almost immediately after first meeting with him.

“We’ve got to improve the offense,” Snead said, rather obviously.

Step one in that direction was taken care of when they hired McVay, a 30-year-old ball of energy and enthusiasm who spent the last three years as Washington’s offensive coordinator and whose entire coaching roots are planted exclusively on that side of the ball.

Step two was McVay hiring an offensive staff heavy on quarterback development experience and with strong backgrounds in designing offenses.

That includes new offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, quarterback coach Greg Olson and offensive line coach Aaron Kromer.

Along with McVay, they’ll form a virtual offensive think tank

Now comes the really fun part.

And probably the hardest.

It’s time to find the necessary talent to carry out McVay’s vision.

Which, at the risk of putting poor Wade Phillips on mute for now, means the Rams focusing almost entirely on offense this offseason.

The needs are too vast.

Like capable blockers to protect second-year quarterback Jared Goff.

And perimeter skill players to surround Goff with, preferably ones who strike fear in the hearts of opposing defenses and, as absurd as it might sound, can be counted on to run precise routes and hold onto the ball when targeted.

Maybe the fresh breath of offensive air McVay will blow on the Rams will transform previously ineffective players into assets.

Certainly Goff will make the natural progression in his second year. And third-year running back Todd Gurley is much too talented to suffer through another season like the last. The offensive line still tilts to the young side, so upside remains.

But across the rest of the board, improvement will require bringing in better players.

And that process begins now.

After spending the last month taking a deep dive into the Rams present roster – deciding who fits and who doesn’t – and talking through philosophies, preferable scheme fits and desired skill sets, Snead and McVay and their staffs now get a chance to put potential replacements to all those theories and prototypes they’ve been talking about.

“That’s why it’s been beneficial to have Les be able to kind of give me a jump start on, what are our needs?” McVay said. “And then is this something we feel we might be able to address in the draft or in free agency? Because just like in both, there are certain positions where there’s a little more depth in free agency. Certain positions where there’s a little more depth in the draft. And being able to use those two ways of acquiring players to improve is going to be really important for us.”

The Rams won’t find all their answers in Indianapolis, where more than 300 of the best college football prospects are gathered, a handful of whom will soon find their way to Los Angeles.

Nor will all their problems get fixed in free agency, which opens next week and offers a group of serviceable offensive lineman and wide receivers who offer immediate upgrades from last year.

But it’s a start.

And they can take a big step forward by drafting and spending their cap space money wisely.

In an encouraging sign, it looks like the Rams are ready to pounce on the free agent market. And Snead specifically mentioned the wide receiver position as a focus.

“We’re confident that we knowmarket and who, in that market, fits Sean the most, and from there we’ve got to wait and see what happens next week,” Snead said. “But we’re confident we’re prepared to test that market, and that we’re prepared to test the market in the draft as well. We know we want to get better on offense.”

If that means sticking Wade Phillips in the corner or Snead and McVay clasping their ears to tune him out, so be it.