rams 1st 4th round pick…tyler higbee TE

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http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/profiles/tyler-higbee?id=2555364

Western Kentucky has had a bit of a run at the tight end position the past few years, with Jack Doyle drafted by the Colts in 2013 and Mitchell Henry getting his shot with multiple teams last summer. Higbee could be the best of the trio. The converted receiver added weight to his frame and when given the chance to show his stuff against Marshall as a junior, made six catches for 99 yards and three scores. He built on that in 2015, teaming up with two-time Conference USA MVP to put up some of the best numbers for any tight end in the country (38-563, eight TD) despite missing five-plus games with a knee injury.

Pro Day Results
Bench: 18 reps of 225 pounds
Analysis
Strengths Former wide receiver with a smooth, wide­-open gait when he hits top gear. Has big hands. Had just one drop this season and showed ability to recover the catch when he juggled a throw. Becomes a body catcher who can protect the ball in traffic. Willing to work middle of the field and take hits. Quick and slippery off line of scrimmage and into routes. Very good acceleration out of his breaks and can be a tough cover for safeties. Has the speed and toughness to work all three levels of the field. Can own the Y­-seam with his vertical speed and hands. Immediately opens and looks for expedited throws when he’s over the top of inside linebackers. Has frame for more muscle mass. Extremely competitive after the catch with speed, elusiveness and decent power. Can carry body tacklers after the catch.
Weaknesses Still has work to do filling out his frame. Slow to adjust to blocking assignment during flow of play. Not powerful enough yet to handle NFL edge power as in­line blocker. Doesn’t run feet through block to sustain. Upright into his breaks. Needs route polish for underneath routes. Can get better at creating additional leverage through crisper routes. Suffered through a knee sprain that cost him four games before re-aggravating it in Conference USA Championship Game. Missed his bowl game and expected to miss Senior Bowl because of it.
Draft Projection Round 4
NFL Comparison Jordan Cameron
Bottom Line Knee injury basically took six games away from him this season which could cause him to fly under the radar a little bit. Higbee has exciting athleticism and speed in the open field with the ability to separate from safeties on intermediate routes and threaten the deep middle. Higbee has soft, reliable hands and plus run-­after­-catch ability to finish plays. While he needs to beef up his frame and blocking ability, there is no doubting his pass catching talent.

Good pass catcher. I don’t think he has been tasered.

If Fisher has Tom Brady, he is not going to use him?

Yeah, deep draft. Maybe we can do something like this?

Then get some defensive udfas, cause they are better at doing that. 😉

UPDATED GBN BIG BOARD

UPDATED GBN BIG BOARD

Over the course of the draft we will be updating the GBN Big Board as the picks are made to show who are the top-rated prospects still available.

*Andrew Billings DT 6-1, 305 Baylor
Connor Cook QB 6-4, 220 Michigan State
Josh Perry OLB 6-3, 255 Ohio State
Dak Prescott QB 6-2, 230 Mississippi State
Devontae Booker RB 5-11, 215 Utah
*Hassan Ridgeway DT 6-4, 305 Texas
Kentrell Brothers MLB 6-1, 245 Missouri
Kenneth Dixon RB 5-9, 215 Louisiana Tech
*Jerald Hawkins OT 6-5, 310 LSU
*Jordan Howard RB 6-0, 225 Indiana
Christian Westerman OG 6-3, 300 Arizona State
Jalen Mills CB 6-1, 190 LSU
Pharoh Cooper WR 5-10, 210 South Carolina
Connor McGovern OG 6-4, 305 Missouri
*Cardale Jones QB 6-4, 250 Ohio State
Travis Feeney OLB 6-4, 230 Washington (X)
Jeremy Cash SS 6-1, 212 Duke
*Sheldon Day DE 6-2, 285 Notre Dame
Charles Tapper DE 6-3, 271 Oklahoma
Joe Dahl OG 6-4, 305 Washington State
Ryan Smith CB 5-11, 190 North Carolina Central
Jerell Adams TE 6-5, 235 South Carolina
Seb Tretola OG 6-4, 315 Arkansas
Miles Killebrew SS 6-2, 230 Southern Utah
*Willie Henry DT 6-4, 310 Michigan
De’Vondre Campbell OLB 6-4, 232 Minnesota
Kevin Hogan QB 6-4, 220 Stanford
Vadal Alexander OG 6-5, 325 LSU
Caleb Benenoch OT 6-6, 310 UCLA
Harlan Miller CB 6-0, 180 Southeastern Louisiana
Kolby Listenbee WR 6-1, 185 TCU
*Rashard Robinson CB 6-2, 170 LSU (O)
*Paul Perkins RB 5-10, 210 UCLA
BJ Goodson MLB 6-1, 242 Clemson
Willie Beavers G/T 6-5, 325 Western Michigan
Eric Striker OLB 5-11, 230 Oklahoma
*Alex Collins RB 5-10, 225 Arkansas
John Theus OT 6-5, 305 Georgia
Joe Schobert OLB 6-2, 245 Wisconsin
*Rashard Higgins WR 6-1, 190 Colorado State
Dean Lowry DE 6-6, 295 Northwestern
Jonathan Jones CB 5-9, 186 Auburn
Jonathan Williams RB 5-10, 225 Arkansas (X)
Tyler Matakevich MLB 6-0, 238 Temple
*Kenny Lawlor WR 6-2, 195 California
Kyle Murphy OT 6-6, 300 Stanford
Matt Ioannides DT 6-3, 295 Temple
Zack Sanchez CB 5-10, 180 Oklahoma
*Scooby Wright MLB 6-0, 230 Arizona (X)
Rees Odhiambo OG 6-4, 315 Boise State
Matt Judon DE 6-3, 275 Grand Valley State
*Jayron Kearse SS 6-4, 216 Clemson
DJ Reader DT 6-3, 327 Clemson
Eric Murray CB 5-11, 200 Minnesota
Jacoby Brissett QB 6-4, 230 North Carolina State
Aaron Burbridge WR 6-0, 205 Michigan State
Victor Ochi OLB 6-1, 245 Stony Brook
Daniel Lasco RB 6-0, 210 California
Ronald Blair DE 6-2, 285 Appalachian State
*Roger Lewis WR 6-1, 201 Bowling Green
DeAndre Houston-Carson S 6-1, 201 William&Mary (CB)
Keith Marshall RB 6-0, 200 Georgia
Devon Cajuste WR 6-4, 235 Stanford
Nile Lawrence-Stample DT 6-1, 320 Florida State
Tom Hackett P 5-10, 200 Utah
Joe Haeg OT 6-6, 305 North Dakota State
*Steven Weatherly OLB 6-5, 267 Vanderbilt (DE)
*Dominique Alexander MLB 6-0, 232 Oklahoma
Ben Braunecker TE 6-4, 250 Harvard
Kevon Seymour CB 6-0, 186 Southern California
Glenn Gronkowski FB 6-2, 240 Kansas State (TE)
Jason Fanaika DE 6-2, 271 Utah
Tajae Sharpe WR 6-2, 195 UMass
Dadi Nicolas OLB 6-3, 235 Virginia Tech
*Kelvin Taylor RB 5-10, 207 Florida
*Tyvis Powell FS 6-3, 211 Ohio State
Blake Martinez MLB 6-2, 237 Stanford
Evan Boehm C 6-2, 301 Missouri
James Cowser DE 6-3, 248 Southern Utah
*Bralon Addison WR 5-9, 197 Oregon
Cole Toner OT 6-5, 306 Harvard
*Thomas Duarte TE 6-2, 231 UCLA (FB)
*Alex McCalister OLB 6-6, 240 Florida
Landon Turner OG 6-3, 325 North Carolina
Elandon Roberts OLB 6-0, 235 Houston
Romeo Okwara DE 6-5, 265 Notre Dame
Malcolm Mitchell WR 6-0, 200 Georgia
Jatavis Brown OLB 5-11, 235 Akron
Beau Sandland TE 6-5, 255 Montana State
Deon Bush SS 6-1, 201 Miami
Jeff Driskel QB 6-4, 234 Louisiana Tech
DJ Pettway DE 6-2, 265 Alabama
Josh Forrest MLB 6-3, 250 Kentucky
Josh Ferguson RB 5-10, 200 Illinois
*Quinton Jefferson DT 6-4, 291 Maryland
Stephen Anderson TE 6-2, 230 California
Tyrone Holmes OLB 6-2, 255 Montana
*Denver Kirkland OG 6-5, 335 Arkansas
Drew Ott DE 6-4, 277 Iowa (X)
Keyarris Garrett WR 6-4, 220 Tulsa
Jordan Lucas FS 6-0, 201 Penn State
Aaron Wallace OLB 6-3, 242 UCLA
Nate Sudfield QB 6-6, 234 Indiana
Mo Canady CB 6-1, 193 Virginia
*Wendell Smallwood RB 5-11, 210 West Virginia
Fahn Cooper OT 6-5, 305 Mississippi
Ian Seau OLB 6-2, 250 Nevada
Jordan Payton WR 6-1, 207 UCLA
*Ron Thompson DE 6-3, 253 Syracuse
Bryce Williams TE 6-6, 257 East Carolina
Greg Milhouse DT 6-2, 310 Campbell
Spencer Drango OG 6-6, 315 Baylor
Juston Burris CB 6-0, 212 North Carolina State
*Cayleb Jones WR 6-3, 210 Arizona
Terrance Smith OLB 6-3, 235 Florida State
Brandon Shell OT 6-6, 325 South Carolina
Theiren Cockran DE 6-5, 260 Minnesota
Tyler Higbee TE 6-6, 250 Western Kentucky
Montese Overton OLB 6-2, 223 East Carolina
KJ Dillon FS 6-1, 210 West Virginia
*Avery Young OT 6-5, 328 Auburn
DJ White CB 5-11, 193 Georgia Tech
Nick Kwiatkowski MLB 6-2, 243 West Virginia
Darius Jackson RB 5-11, 220 Eastern Michigan
David Onyemata DT 6-3, 300 Manitoba (CAN)
Geronimo Allison WR 6-3, 196 Illinois
Ugonnua Awuruonye DE 6-5, 255 Campbell
*Alex Redmond OG 6-5, 296 UCLA
Antwione Williams OLB 6-3, 245 Georgia Southern
Brandon Allen QB 6-2, 217 Arkansas
Derrick Kindred S 5-10, 207 TCU
Ka’imi Fairbairn PK 5-11, 185 UCLA
Jack Allen C 6-1, 295 Michigan State
Morgan Burns CB 5-11, 200 Kansas State (KR)
Hunter Sharp WR 6-0, 198 Utah State (RB)
Antony Zettel DT 6-4, 277 Penn State (5T)

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/28760/whether-its-jared-goff-or-carson-wentz-rams-next-qb-will-need-time

Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Whether it’s Jared Goff or Carson Wentz, Rams’ next QB will need time
By Nick Wagoner

In his former life as a member of the Atlanta Falcons personnel department, Los Angeles Rams general manager Les Snead was part of the regime that selected quarterback Matt Ryan with the third overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft.

The plan was to slowly work Ryan into the lineup while journeyman Chris Redman handled the starting duties. That lasted all of three weeks into the preseason before Ryan claimed the job.

“Matt Ryan kind of won the job,” Snead said. “But there was never a moment that we said ‘Hey, we’ve got to start a rookie.’ Nowadays, with the transition from college to the NFL, I do think there should be some level of patience to make that adjustment because it’s a little bit different. That’s just reality.”

As Snead and the Rams prepare to use the first overall pick in this year’s draft on a quarterback — Cal’s Jared Goff or North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz — they’re dealing with a reality that’s far different from the one Snead and the Falcons lived in eight years ago.

Snead and coach Jeff Fisher are entering their fifth season in charge of the Rams. To this point, their guidance has yet to get the Rams a .500 season, let alone a playoff berth. The urgency wrought by four straight losing seasons forced them to sell the farm to trade up from No. 15 to No. 1 in this year’s draft. The goal? Fix a quarterback position that has combined for a league-worst QBR of 34.0 since 2007.

In other words, the Rams not only need a quarterback but preferably one capable of starting in short order. So, how do Goff and Wentz rate when it comes to NFL readiness?

When Les Snead and the Falcons drafted Matt Ryan in 2008, the plan was to start a veteran until Ryan was ready. But Ryan forced his way into the lineup early, and Snead, now the Rams GM, hopes to find a player in the draft who can do something similar.
“No. 1, you’ve got to [really watch] the mental quickness, the arm quickness, the body quickness of each candidate, how well they communicate, their interaction with others, what is their interest level, their football intelligence,” ESPN NFL analyst Jon Gruden said. “Can they teach the game themselves? They have to be able to do that at this stage of the game.

“Then you’ve got to go to the film and really take a good look. Can they make tight-window throws? Are they tough in the pocket? Can they solve problems? How are they in the tight red zone situation? Could they take care of the ball? Can they bring their team from behind? There are so many different things that you have to evaluate. And then, obviously, you look at the system, the training ground that they come from.”

Many draft analysts believe Goff is more ready to play right away than Wentz, something that could appeal to the Rams, who are looking to win now. But being more ready than Wentz doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a plug-and-play option.

At Cal, Goff spent more than 99 percent of his time working out of the shotgun. The Bears’ spread offense is an offshoot of the Air Raid offense built by Washington State coach Mike Leach. Goff’s offense rarely left him in a huddle spitting out NFL verbiage, instead requiring him to look to the sideline for play calls and adjustments. It’s a spread system in every sense of the word and bears little resemblance to the Rams’ pro style approach.

In fact, Rams quarterbacks took the fewest snaps in the shotgun of all NFL teams in 2015 with 384. At February’s scouting combine, Goff said he began taking snaps under center right after the season.

“There’s obviously going to be a transition and I think it happens, but there’s a transition with every quarterback coming from college to the NFL,” Goff said. “So I’m excited for it, honestly. I think I did a lot of stuff in college that does translate well and again there’s a lot of stuff I need to improve on. Again, I’m excited for that and excited to make the adjustments and that transition.”

Coincidentally, Wentz has no such questions about his schematic pedigree. North Dakota State runs an offense that’s as close to an NFL system as you’ll find in college.

“First of all, they get in a huddle,” Gruden said. “Can you imagine that? They get into a huddle with 11 men and they have to call a play. They get underneath the center. They use numerous personnel groupings. They’re not in the same one-back, one-tight end, three-receiver set the entire day. They use every formation, every shift in motion that you can use. They involve the quarterback at the line of scrimmage. He gets up there, and audibles, changes plays, changes protections. He doesn’t have to look to the sideline to get all the answers, and that is huge. Those elements alone distinguish their offensive system from most of the other colleges that I’ve seen in the last three or four years.”

Likewise, Wentz has experience throwing every route on every drop and knows all of the progressions. Even with that knowledge, Wentz knows that he has plenty to learn upon his arrival in the NFL. Coming from an FCS school has left many questions about Wentz’s ability to transition to facing top competition. Yes, the playbook will be bigger, but more important, the competition will be faster.

“I think right away the biggest challenge that myself, anybody standing up here at this podium is going to say is adjusting to that speed,” Wentz said. “You put on some NFL tape or you watch Monday Night Football, Sunday games or whatever, you realize these guys are playing fast. So you gotta adjust right away and learn to adapt pretty quick. I’m excited for that opportunity.”

Chances are the Rams will provide either Goff or Wentz that opportunity sooner rather than later. Whether the quarterback they choose will be ready when that time comes remains to be seen.

Wentz can fit any system and he can make himself a good player. Some players will be good no matter who coaches them. imo