Hram wrote:

Bets for the 4th round?

i’d like to see them draft a tight end and an edge rusher. best player available with the third pick.

second round is now over.

armstrong, carter, sweat, and okoronkwo all still available.

i like all these guys.

i don’t like key.

22 picks until rams third rounder.

zn wrote:

Titans took Landry.

i read that he had some medical issues which caused him to drop.

i don’t think any edge rushers were picked in the first round. good for the rams.

i can’t even stand it right now. i’m bored.

my dog was a hemophiliac. we adopted him from a shelter, but they had no idea he had that problem aside from some bleeding problems when they pulled his baby teeth.

he’d have episodes every now and then, but neither we nor the vet had any idea what was going on. then last year, he became paralyzed from his midsection down. at first they thought it was just a herniated disc, and we opted for surgery. but when they cut him open, that’s when they realized he had a blood disorder. they couldn’t get the bleeding to stop. we gave him some plasma treatments, but he wasn’t getting better.

i had to make the decision to put him to sleep. if he did survive, which wasn’t even guaranteed, his quality of life would have been poor.

in short. it really really sucked.

zn wrote:

“This is not your typical draft,” said one veteran club official Sunday. “The second, third and even fourth rounds are gold.”

Well that’s lucky for the Rams.

.

interesting.

i really want to see okoronkwo in horns next year.

this guy has almost everything. he’s got length, explosion, quickness.

only things he lacks is 40 speed and prototypical size. but with his long arms and his short area quickness, i don’t think it matters.

and most of all this guy has produced in college.

JackPMiller wrote:

85 ER Kemoko Turay Rutgers 6-5 253 4.6 –
86 ER Dorance Armstrong Kansas 6-4 257 4.8 83.81
87 ER Ogbonnia Okoronkwo Oklahoma 6-2 253 4.7 92.04
88 LB Darius Leonard South Carolina St 6-2 234 4.7 –
89 ER Duke Ejiofor Wake Forest 6-4 270 – –
90 OT Geron Christian Louisville 6-5 298 5.3 –

91 S Marcus Allen Penn St 6-2 215 4.5 86.09
92 TE Ian Thomas Indiana 6-4 259 4.7 82.09

right around where the rams pick first (#87).

Agamemnon wrote:

$6,892,000(Donald’s wage this year) – $775,000(5th year minimum wage) = $6,117,000 X 5years = $30,585,000. The Rams take Donald’s wage this year and convert it to signing bonus. They can do this for 5 years. He gets ~$31 million dollars this year.

sign him already dammit!

pay the man!

i want to see him play his career as a ram.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by InvaderRam.

zn wrote:

Part of the Patriots’ success under Belichick in the salary-cap era has been maintaining financial discipline and building a strong middle class on the roster

yeah i mean. it’s not like he doesn’t pay his players. the patriots do spend to the salary cap like everyone else, no?

so it’s more like he spreads it around more equally. i mean. that’s not so bad is it?

i bet he’s a great hugger.

but seriously. i’ll be pissed if they don’t extend this guy. let’s get this contract done already and then move on to cooks.

zn wrote:

Vincent Bonsignore@DailyNewsVinny
#Rams G.M. Les Snead: “Aaron Donald is in the budget” (and so are all the #Rams young stars). “We didn’t do all this and forget about him for sure.”

Alden Gonzalez@Alden_Gonzalez
Rams GM Les Snead: “We have plenty of space over the next two years to lock up these guys long term and have this core together. And that’s the goal.”

Snead: “We have plenty of (cap) space over the next few years to lock up these guys.”

well then sign aaron. holy crap. how long are we gonna have to hear about how they have enough space to extend aaron before they actually extend him?

i get this sick feeling in my stomach that aaron will be gone in a year or two.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 6 months ago by InvaderRam.

this was an article by matt bowen on brandin cooks from 2014 before he got drafted.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2021716-why-brandin-cooks-is-the-nfls-next-impact-slot-receiver

“Two-Way-Go” In the Slot

When watching Cooks, I see a very similar skill set to my former teammate with the Rams, Az Hakim, when focusing on his ability to win on the release from a slot alignment.

Hakim had a unique ability to take advantage (or expose) nickel cornerbacks inside of the numbers because of the “two-way-go” (release inside or outside).

Different than an alignment outside of the numbers (where defensive backs can pin the receiver to the boundary), the slot alignment gives receivers the opportunity on the release—and within the route stem—to use the extra space to create separation.

As I broke down this past Friday when looking at the NFL route tree, Cooks has the ability to run multiple concepts from the slot because of the quickness at the line of scrimmage to get on the edge of defensive backs in press-man.

Here’s a look at the route schemes Cooks will run in the NFL using the All-22 film with the Bears in a Doubles alignment (2×2 formation) out of Posse/11 personnel (3WR-1TE-1RB).

Check out the option route, inside vertical seam, shallow drive route (part of the Hi-Lo) series, etc. And don’t forget about the bubble screen where Cooks can produce after the catch because of the open-field ability he put on tape back at Oregon State.

But it all starts with the opportunity to work a defensive back with a “two-way-go” on the release.

Matchups/Formation Flexibility

When I study wide receiver prospects, I focus on possible fits from a scheme perspective at the NFL level.

With Cooks, I’m thinking of the multiple alignments inside of the numbers (along with the stack/bunch looks) that we saw from DeSean Jackson this past season with the Eagles or the West Coast concepts of Andy Reid’s Chiefs.

Give Cooks a free release to create space off the ball. That’s where he can use that natural ability to change directions, accelerate out of cuts and get his hands on the football in the open field.

And that might be the real story here with the Oregon State product.

Similar to what I expect from the Rams and Tavon Austin this season as the second-year pro continues to develop, Cooks’ production after the catch is key. This is how he can earn his money in the NFL and create matchup issues for opposing secondaries.

I do believe Cooks carries a first-round grade after watching his tape. And despite his lack of ideal size at the position to create leverage (or box-out defenders), his ability to win with speed and make plays after the catch can’t be ignored.

it’s weird. he mostly talks about him playing inside. but his career, as far as i can understand, has mostly been on the outside although he has played some slot.

i’m curious as to how mcvay intends to use him.

zn wrote:

6.76 SEC
3.81 SEC

unreal. he’s also got big hands – 9 5/8″.

saw in clips that he ran some jet sweeps as well. and i read that he can play slot as well as outside. i think he’s more versatile than some are giving him credit for. no, he’s not exactly sammy watkins, but maybe he can do other things that sammy couldn’t.

in some ways i think he is what tavon was supposed to be.

they still need some physicality, and i’m hoping they draft a tight end at some point. although. i also read that the rams third wr was playing like 90% of the snaps??? so maybe they don’t feel like they need a tight end. i don’t know. they need something else when they get in the redzone. i don’t think woods, cooks, and kupp are an ideal combo down there. need some bigger targets who can maybe also block for gurley. i would think 2 te sets would be better in the redzone. just my amateur opinion.

but shoot. goff gurley cooks? obj would have been ridiculous. absolutely ridiculous. but that ain’t bad either. and less costly.

still need a lt.

zn wrote:

FYI on Brandin Cooks and #Rams: He’s from California. His agent is Jared Goff’s agent. Sense is the #Rams have a good shot at re-signing him long term.

yeah. just read that the two have practiced together in the offseason. liking this move a little more. goff already has a good feel for and timing with cooks. there shouldn’t be too much of a chemistry problem like he had with watkins.

zn wrote:

#Rams like Cory Littleton (ILB) and Samson Ebukam (OLB) a lot.

and apparently they don’t like reynolds and thomas.

i think brandin is definitely an upgrade over watkins. but they can’t lose him. they need to sign him long-term. but it sounds like they’re going to aggressively pursue that. goff has a good feel for him already. probably has his stamp of approval. this could end up being a good trade.