Rams select former Clemson OT Isaiah Battle in fifth round of supplemental draft

http://walterfootball.com/images/fball/IBattle.jpg

Isaiah Battle, 6-7/290
Offensive Tackle
Clemson

Isaiah Battle Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Pass-protection skills
Quick
Agile
Good athlete
Balanced blocker
Quick feet
Good length
Starting left tackle attributes
Mobile to hit kick-out blocks
Can kick slide
Sustains pass blocks

Weaknesses:

Significant off-the-field issues
Plays tall
Concerns about being coachable
Not a road-grading people mover
Needs more power
Should fill out his frame

Summary: In the 2014 NFL Draft, the Clemson Tigers produced a good offensive line prospect in Brandon Thomas. Tajh Boyd’s blind-side protector was likely going to be a second-day pick before a torn ACL in a pre-draft workout dropped him in the draft. Thomas’ replacement with the Tigers was Isaiah Battle, a player with a natural skill set, but who is also a flawed prospect for different reasons. Battle carries character concerns, and after a quality 2014 season as the Tigers left tackle Battle has entered the 2015 NFL Supplemental Draft because of off-the-field issues.

Battle improved as the 2014 season progressed, and by the end of the year, he was a good left tackle for Clemson. Battle has excellent length with the quickness and athleticism to protect the edge. He is quick to handle speed rushers and does a nice job of sustaining his blocks once he gets his hands on the defender. Battle can hit kick-out blocks and get to the second level. Overall, he was a balanced blocker who improved with experience.

As a run- and pass-blocker, Battle needs more power. He should gain weight and fill out his frame. Battle needs more strength to move defenders in the ground game and anchor in the pass rush. If Battle were to be placed at right tackle, he definitely would need to get a lot stronger for the pros. In the NFL, Battle has the skill set to be a starting left tackle. The left side is a better fit for him immediately in 2015 if he is forced to play.

The off-the-field issues will definitely hurt the round value on where teams will consider him. According to sources, Battle had a couple of failed drug tests at Clemson. He also had a citation for marijuana this year when it was found on him after being pulled over speeding. League contacts say that Battle has some anger-management issues, and they don’t feel he is all that coachable. Battle is said to not react well to hard coaching.

According to sources, if Battle was in a normal draft class, and didn’t have off-the-field issues, he would grade out as a third-round pick from his tape. They like Battle’s length, athleticism and balance as a pass-blocker. They feel that 6-foot-7, 290-pounder needs some work, but he has the ability to develop into a starting left tackle in the NFL. Early on, he probably should be developed as a backup and serve as a swing tackle on game days.

In the 2015 NFL Supplemental Draft, teams generally move the grade down a round from their regular draft estimation. Then, the off-the-field issues are factored into the grade, and that will vary by team. From speaking with sources, it sounds like Battle can expect to be selected by a team probably using a fourth-or fifth-round pick.

Player Comparison: D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Battle is similar to Ferguson in being quick, athletic tackles with length. Ferguson has more power, and Battle needs to add that, but Ferguson has never been a road-grading, overpowering left tackle, and that could be the case for Battle as well.

Rams select Battle in supplemental draft

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=13228762

Rams select Clemson OT in supplemental draft

By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-report/rams-select-clemson-ot-in-supplemental-draft/article_bdad1277-fea6-5ec3-aa17-b4bc546683e1.html

Turns out the Rams drafted five offensive linemen this offseason. In an unexpected move, the team selected former Clemson left tackle Isaiah Battle in the fifth round of Thursday’s NFL supplemental draft.

Battle, 6-6, 312, started 11 games for Clemson last season. But off-field issues and what Battle termed “family matters” caused him to apply for the supplemental draft in mid-June. The Rams sent scout Ted Monago to Battle’s pro day Tuesday and spent a lot of time talking with Clemson coaches and staff about him as well.

Battle is the first player selected by the Rams in the supplemental draft since the team moved to St. Louis in 1995. As a result of drafting Battle on Thursday, the Rams lose their fifth-round pick in 2016. He was the only player taken in the supplemental draft in the NFL this year. Every other team passed on making a selection.

The Rams will treat Battle’s 2015 season as the equivalent of a redshirt season according to general manager Les Snead.

“We felt it was a chance to get an earlier-round value for a later-round price due to the circumstances,” Snead said. “He’s going to practice what would’ve been his final year of college eligibility with us, go through our offseason program, and then start his rookie season a year from now.

“This will allow us to bring him along gradually both on and off the field. Now it’s up to Isaiah and us to go work to reach his potential as a person and player.”

It’s hard to know for sure given the circumstances, but early projections had Battle as a late-first, early-second prospect for the 2016 draft. All told, the native of Brooklyn, N.Y., played in 27 games with 15 starts for Clemson.

But the “family matters” _ namely a child due this summer according to ESPN _ and a police citation (but no arrest) for marijuana possession after being pulled over for speeding last month according to the Clemson Insider, led Battle to the supplemental draft.

In 2013, Battle had been suspended for punching a North Carolina State player.

Snead was driving through the Florida Panhandle, taking his son Logan to the Manning Passing Academy in Thibodaux, La., when he contacted the league office to make the pick.

Rams Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff was in Lake Tahoe, on the annual family vacation. Coach Jeff Fisher was fishing in Montana. So it’s not as if the Rams’ brass was huddled in the team’s draft room at Rams Park in Earth City for this one.

In the regular draft April 30-May 2, the Rams selected four offensive linemen: Wisconsin’s Rob Havenstein in Round 2; Louisville’s Jamon Brown in Round 3; Iowa’s Andrew Donnal in Round 4; and Fresno State’s Cody Wichmann in Round 6.

The Rams had only 89 players under contract prior to the supplemental draft, so they don’t have to free up a spot for Battle on the 90-man offseason roster.

Gordon: Rams wisely bolster O-line depth

By Jeff Gordon

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/jeff-gordon/gordon-rams-wisely-bolster-o-line-depth/article_2205e11b-90a1-5a78-bd03-91838b2e3b8d.html

By adding still another offensive tackle prospect to the pile, the Rams made their fan base feel somewhat better about their offensive line.

They made rare use of the NFL’s supplemental draft Thursday, burning a fifth-round pick in 2016 to select former Clemson tackle Isaiah Battle.

Battle was the only player taken in this supplemental draft and first player selected in this manner since star-crossed wide receiver Josh Gordon went to the Cleveland Browns in 2012. Every other NFL team “passed” on every round Thursday.

Battle played left tackle last season, starting 11 games and playing more snaps (824) than any other Tiger. He played in 27 games overall before leaving Clemson, saying he had “some family matters to address, with a child due this summer.”

Like most players who land in the supplemental draft, Battle had other off-field issues that jeopardized his college eligibility. Multiple reports cited failed drug tests as a mitigating circumstance for his early departure from college.

But most NFL teams sent a representative to his pro day workout Tuesday and Battle made his case. There was speculation he could go somewhere in the first four rounds, but he fell to the Rams with the eighth overall pick in Round 5.

Offensive line coach Paul Boudreau just got another prized pupil. Battle joins 2015 draft picks Rob Havenstein, Jamon Brown, Andrew Donnal and Cody Wichmann on the rookie-heavy unit.

Havenstein was running with the first team during Rams OTAs, thanks to his solid run blocking, while Brown moved inside as the No. 1 right guard.

CBSSports.com notes that Battle is something of a project, albeit an interesting one:

Physically speaking, Battle is exactly what NFL scouts are looking for at the tackle position. His combination of height (6-foot-6, 312 pounds), arm length (35 3/8″) and easy movement make Battle a potentially formidable pass blocker as edge rushers struggle to get around him. He’s also quick to the second level when run blocking and can re-direct to hit moving targets once there.

While undeniably gifted, Battle remains quite raw and some scouts questioned whether he had the competitiveness to ever take full advantage of his talent. Battle offers only average functional strength at this time and too often bends at the waist rather than at the knees, which leaves him vulnerable to the bull rush and counters back to the inside.

Concerns about Battle’s playing strength were only inflamed after he completed just 12 repetitions of 225 pounds at his Pro Day workout before cramping up. As a point of comparison, the lowest number of repetitions in the bench press by any tackle selected in the 2015 draft was 16 … from Havenstein.

So he has some work to do, having missed all of the offseason work leading up to the start of training camp later this month. But Battle appears to have the athletic potential to work out over the long haul with the Rams, assuming he stays out of trouble.

Battle’s upside as a pass blocker could prove critical if top 2014 draft pick Greg Robinson keeps struggling with that aspect of his game.

If he pans out, Battle will create a more competitive camp and allow the Rams to develop quality line depth. He is far more likely to do that one of the street free agents the Rams brought into the mix after last season.

And who knows, maybe they found a gem. The fifth-round pick in ’16 was a modest price to pay for real athletic potential. Battle has a chance to be the best of the rookie linemen

wv wrote:

I’m fine with that in the 5th Round.
I would not have teken him any higher though.

Actually, interestingly enough, they couldn’t have if they wanted to. They weren’t going to spend a 1st or 2nd, obviously, but as it happens their 3rd and 4th are tied up. They might owe one or the other to the Eagles if Bradford doesn’t play 50% of the games.

from off the net

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Noregar

A fellow engineer/friend of mine that went to Clemson and follows their football program very closely emailed me these comments about battle.

“Battle needed to stay at Clemson for one more season, to show that he can mature, and learn some more football. He cost himself a lot of money by making this decision, and the decisions previous while at Clemson. The streets are filled with dudes just like Battle, and NFL coaches have seen many of them. He needs to grow up more than anything. But, from what I have heard, he did not have the choice to stay at Clemson. Battle pulled his last straw before Dabo Swinney pulled it for him. Obviously, the Rams saw something in him because they had to give up somebody to pick-up Battle in the supplemental draft.

Battle: All the physical tools in the world to be an all-pro offensive tackle in the League for a long time BUT, not enough maturity between the ears, or work ethic to be a full time starter at Clemson. How does that translate to the NFL……? We will see soon.
At Clemson, he lacked the dedication that the coaches required and it showed on the field. He was inconsistent, most of the time. He played good last season but, still made procedural penalties at key moments in games that he should not have been making. Two seasons ago, he was suspended for a few games for punching an NC State DB in the face. Knocked him on his back like Ali-Frazier. Off the field, barely stayed eligible academically. This season, the word is, he would not have been academically eligible, unless something changed over the summer. Earlier this summer, he was pulled over in Clemson, and found with weed and charged with possession. He also has a child on the way. Even that doesn’t make some dudes wake up. This is just stuff that I have heard or read on the Clemson Football site. Seems that Battle would be a better fit for the Oakland Raiders. HaHa.

If he dedicates himself to football and the weight room, IF,IF he does, and takes coaching, he could be an all-pro. No doubt about that. But, right now, he is weak. I read that he had an arm cramp but, he did 12 reps of 225…..Battle is 6-7, 260 something. That tells me that he was not very diligent in the weight room. He better get serious on the bench now because NFL Defensive Ends will be snatching him off the line on every snap. His other numbers were OK. But, still, he has to be more explosive to play offensive tackle in the NFL. He will get great offensive line coaching with the Rams. It is just a matter of him taking to it and doing his job. The NFL is a different planet compared to college football. “

from off the net

==

Flipper336

Great foot quickness and balance. Active hands with good placement but bad timing and poor power. Gets proper angles in the run game and easily seals defenders from the play but again…lacks power. Smooth into the second level and can track open field defenders but tends to miss time his punch and also bend at the waist. Needs to bring his hips under him when trying to generate power. Defenders are fairly consistent moving his hands when plays take longer and the initial placement isn’t enough.

Overall a high ceiling player with rare-ish movement skills that lacks power and strength. Could’ve really improved his stock this year if he played.

…

Finding Isaiah Battle’s fit with the St. Louis Rams

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/19537/finding-isaiah-battles-fit-with-the-st-louis-rams

EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams added a final exclamation point on their offseason approach to revamping the offensive line last week when they used a supplemental fifth-round pick on Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle.

Adding Battle to the mix brings the total number of offensive linemen the Rams have drafted this year to five. That’s right, if the Rams wanted to they could have an entire line full of rookies. Of course, that is not the team’s plan, though it’s also not far off given the lack of experience among the linemen.

As it stands, the Rams have a group of 15 linemen with a combined total of 103 starts. Of that group, Rodger Saffold is responsible for 60 of those, with backup Garrett Reynolds owning 27 and second-year left tackle Greg Robinson with 12. In other words, there appears to be plenty of opportunity for any and all newcomers.

But in Battle’s case, it would seem that his chances to come in and compete right away are slim. At least that’s how general manager Les Snead made it sound in the team’s press release after drafting Battle.

“We felt it was an opportunity to get an earlier-round value for a later-round price,” Snead said. “He’s going to practice what would’ve been his final year of college eligibility with us, go through our offseason program, and then start his rookie season a year from now. This will allow us to bring him along gradually both on and off the field. Now it’s up to Isaiah and us to go work to reach his potential as a person and player.”

Unlike fellow rookie linemen Robert Havenstein, Jamon Brown, Andrew Donnal and Cody Wichmann, Battle comes without the extensive starting college experience that Snead and the Rams seemed to covet when going through the regular draft process in April and May. He started 11 games for the Tigers in 2014 and appeared in 27 through his three-year college career.

In other words, Battle didn’t have the opportunities to gain the polish of players such as Havenstein and Brown, both of whom are projected starters as the Rams head to training camp. That is why Snead basically has already declared that 2015 will be a de facto redshirt season for Battle.

To be clear, when Snead says Battle will practice with the team as though 2015 was his final year of college and start his rookie season a year from now, that doesn’t mean the Rams will have the benefit of stashing him on the practice squad without going through usual procedure.

In the short term, don’t expect Battle to do much aside from learn and develop, but he could become a legitimate piece of the team’s offensive line down the road. ESPN Insider Steve Muench posted that Battle could be a contender for the right tackle job with Havenstein and though he might not win it right away, he possesses more upside long term.

So while it seems the Rams don’t have appear to have the intention of playing Battle this season, they seem to have plans for him in 2016 and beyond.