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znModeratorBy Peter King
http://mmqb.si.com/2015/03/30/extra-points-pat-rule-change-nfl-draft/5/
You want to pick in the top nine. Here’s what a few football people at the league meetings are thinking about the breakdown of this draft: Nine prime picks…
Enh. Every hear the celebrity-pundits print that same article
(Only with a different number — this year, its 9 ) — and every
year, its wrong.There will be disappointments in that list of 9,
and there will be great players outside the top 20, etc.Seattle sure seems to know how to find
great players outside the top half of the 1st round.w
vThese are not predictions of the future. They are simply statements about how players rank in terms of draft order. He didn’t say there was no one outside the top picks, and he didn’t say all the top picks will make it. It’s just simply understood that as things stack up NOW, certain players rank as more worthy of being picked in the top 10 than others. So for example as much as we all like Isaac Bruce, there’s a reason why no one was ever going to take him at the top of the 1st round.
And btw even Seattle stumbles. They picked James Carpenter 25th in 2011, and he hasn’t lived up to expectations. They traded a first for Percy Harvin.
Come tell me all about Seattle when they find a Chris Massey in the 7th round.
Well, i knew you were going to say all that
You and i just see those kinds of articles
differently.Its Spring. Let a thousand post-modern-flowers bloom.
w
vI had to edit it nonetheless. I said those are predictions when I meant those are not predictions.
.
znModeratorBy Peter King
http://mmqb.si.com/2015/03/30/extra-points-pat-rule-change-nfl-draft/5/
You want to pick in the top nine. Here’s what a few football people at the league meetings are thinking about the breakdown of this draft: Nine prime picks…
Enh. Every hear the celebrity-pundits print that same article
(Only with a different number — this year, its 9 ) — and every
year, its wrong.There will be disappointments in that list of 9,
and there will be great players outside the top 20, etc.Seattle sure seems to know how to find
great players outside the top half of the 1st round.w
vThese are not predictions of the future. They are simply statements about how players rank in terms of draft order. He didn’t say there was no one outside the top picks, and he didn’t say all the top picks will make it. It’s just simply understood that as things stack up NOW, certain players rank as more worthy of being picked in the top 10 than others. So for example as much as we all like Isaac Bruce, there’s a reason why no one was ever going to take him at the top of the 1st round.
And btw even Seattle stumbles. They picked James Carpenter 25th in 2011, and he hasn’t lived up to expectations. They traded a first for Percy Harvin.
Come tell me all about Seattle when they find a Chris Massey in the 7th round.
znModeratorbasically rams better try hard as hell to trade down.
I don;’t think that’s necessarily true.
It would be nice if they could, but it;s not make or break IMO.
znModeratorYou want to pick in the top nine. Here’s what a few football people at the league meetings are thinking about the breakdown of this draft: Nine prime picks, then eight or 10 really good prospects, then maybe 30 or so of the same player. The top nine: quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, defensive tackle Leonard Williams, wideouts Kevin White and Amari Cooper, pass-rushers Dante Fowler and Vic Beasley, offensive tackle Brandon Scherff and cornerback Trae Waynes.
To put that in a nice readable vertical list:
Jameis Winston
Marcus Mariota
Leonard Williams
Kevin White
Amari Cooper
Dante Fowler
Vic Beasley
Brandon Scherff
Trae Waynes…
znModeratorBy Peter King
http://mmqb.si.com/2015/03/30/extra-points-pat-rule-change-nfl-draft/5/
I think I can now say with certainty that The Other Team in the chase for Sam Bradford—as many have inferred—was Cleveland. The Browns would have been willing to part with a first-round pick in either 2015 or 2016 (I do not know which year) for Bradford, but there were two problems: One, the Browns didn’t have a quarterback to give in return, and Philadelphia was willing to fork over Nick Foles. Two, Bradford would not have been willing to sign a new contract this off-season if he were traded to Cleveland, and he is willing to consider an extension in Philadelphia. So the Philly deal was really the only one that made sense for the Rams and for Bradford, in the end.
znModeratorBy Peter King
http://mmqb.si.com/2015/03/30/extra-points-pat-rule-change-nfl-draft/5/
You want to pick in the top nine. Here’s what a few football people at the league meetings are thinking about the breakdown of this draft: Nine prime picks, then eight or 10 really good prospects, then maybe 30 or so of the same player. The top nine: quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, defensive tackle Leonard Williams, wideouts Kevin White and Amari Cooper, pass-rushers Dante Fowler and Vic Beasley, offensive tackle Brandon Scherff and cornerback Trae Waynes. After that, beauty starts to be in the eye of the beholder. I had one GM tell me: “The 17th pick on our board might be the 53rd pick on another team’s board—and that could be a team we really respect.”
Todd Gurley is the draft’s fascinating player. Every year, draft prospects injured the previous college football season go back to Indianapolis, site of the combine, to have their surgeries re-checked before the draft. This year, the re-checks will be April 17 and 18 in Indy, two weeks before the draft. Gurley tore his ACL on Nov. 15 and had knee reconstruction by Dr. James Andrews on Nov. 25. So he’ll be drafted five months after surgery. The book on Gurley is he’ll be good in 2015 and tremendous in 2016. It’ll be interesting, particularly with the devaluation of running backs in recent drafts, to see who picks Gurley, and how high. I think he’ll be gone by the 25th pick.
znModeratorExtra Points: How the PAT Could Change by This Fall
By Peter King
http://mmqb.si.com/2015/03/30/extra-points-pat-rule-change-nfl-draft/5/
The 32 teams are near unanimous in believing the point after touchdown needs to change. Precisely how is another story. The details of a compromise that goes to vote in May. Plus why the Saints own the draft and eight coaches on the spot
…the biggest change to NFL scoring in the 95-year history of the league is coming. If you don’t like it, get out of the way.
* * *
Post-touchdown could feature three new ways of scoring.Last year, in a general session at an NFL meeting, the league’s 32 teams agreed—almost unanimously—that the point after touchdown was passé. Had to go. Too automatic. And so eight days ago, when the competition committee gathered in Phoenix to go over potential rule changes for the 2015 season, the committee was stuck on the PAT fix. There was nothing the group thought it could sell and get 24 votes from the teams. (A rule change needs a three-quarter vote to pass.) Find a compromise, the committee was told; the league can’t go another year with 99.6 percent extra-point efficiency—the league average for the past three years.
FULL STORY
So on Tuesday, each team had a chance to express opinions on what the new rule should be. Thirty of 32 teams said they wanted the PAT to change, as teams, one by one, had a chance to advance their own solutions. But the opinions on what the new rule should be “were all over the map,” one competition committee member told me in Phoenix. “That’s the problem now. No one can agree, and now we have to come up with a compromise that’ll get 24 votes in May.”
This is the most likely compromise to be advanced, and the most likely way the league will amend how teams can score after a touchdown:
Teams will have a choice whether to go for one or two points after a touchdown, from different distances.
If the offensive team chooses to kick for one point, the scrimmage line will move from the 2-yard-line to the 15-yard line, making it a 32- or 33-yard attempt.
If the offensive team chooses to go for two points, the scrimmage line will be either the 1.5- or 2-yard line. There was much debate about making it the 1, the 1.5 or the 2. The feeling about putting it on the 1 was that it could turn into too much of a scrum/push-the-pile play, or a fluky puncture-the-goal-line-with-the-ball-and-bring-it-back play by the quarterback. Pushing the play back would increase the chances of a real football play with some drama.
The defensive team would be able to score two points by either blocking the PAT and returning it downfield to the end zone, or by intercepting the two-point attempt and running it back, or recovering a fumble on the two-point play and returning it all the way.
Again, that’s not certain. Anytime you ask 24 teams to agree on anything, there’s a chance it won’t happen. But if 30 of 32 teams agree the PAT is broken, there’s a good chance they’d agree to change some form of the rule. And what I’ve laid out is the most likely scenario to be passed in May, during the next league meeting.
There always will be those who don’t want the scoring system to change, because of tradition, or the attitude that football’s not broken, so why fix it? But the PAT is broken. The current system of scoring was invented by the lords of college football in 1912—six points for a touchdown, one for an extra point, two for a safety, three for a field goal—with the two-point conversion added by the NFL in 1994. Now the PAT cries out to be fixed. It’s simply not a competitive play anymore. Fifteen teams have not missed a PAT this decade. Tennessee hasn’t missed one since 2005, Kansas City and San Francisco since 2006. The Patriots and Broncos, combined, are 436 of 436 since 2011. Doing nothing would be the mistake.
March 30, 2015 at 2:28 am in reply to: Linemen in the 2015 draft … including 2 good Cosell podcasts #21745znModeratorCombine Buzzworthy – Bucky Brooks
“It’s hard to find a big, athletic blocker with a nasty temperament and polished game, but Collins checks all the boxes. He showed exceptional agility, athleticism and explosiveness during the “Olympic drills” on Friday. Collins clocked 5.12 in the 40-yard dash, which is certainly impressive for a 6-foot-4, 305-pounder with a chiseled frame. In positional drills, Collins flashed exceptional balance, body control and agility. He is surprisingly light on his feet, yet powerful when making contact with defenders at the point of attack. Collins routinely jolted foes with his short punches in blocking drills. Although practice drills aren’t a true simulation of game action, the fact that Collins displayed the strength, power and agility of a blue-chip prospect could make him one of the first offensive linemen to come off the board on draft day.”
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———–Collins Versatility A Plus/Guards Increasingly Valued
Endorsed by fellow former LSU LT alum Andrew Whitworth, who began as an NFL guard and became a 2 X Pro Bowl LT for CIN.
BATON ROUGE, La. — LSU’s La’el Collins, who was a second-team All-American as a senior in 2014, said all the talk of him being moved to right tackle or guard in the NFL is just that for now — “talk.”
“Every team, every scout, every coach, offensive line coach from teams that have worked me out has said “definitely” I’m a left tackle,” said the 6-foot-4, 305-pounder, a likely first-round draft pick who boosted his stock even further by flashing his athleticism at last month’s scouting combine.
But Collins insisted Friday that he wouldn’t have any problem moving inside if that’s what his next employer prefers. And he only views it as positive that teams and draft analysts see that kind of versatility in him.
“I believe in my abilities. And I think the fact that I’m even in the conversation to be able to play guard or tackle at the next level is huge, that’s value,” Collins said after performing position drills in front of a packed house of NFL scouts at LSU’s pro timing day (he elected to skip all of the other drills and let his combine performance speak for itself). “Being able to play both positions is something I love to carry on my shoulders. I feel like I can fit in anywhere, plug in anywhere.”
Collins virtually echoed the same words that another former LSU left tackle said about him earlier in the day — Cincinnati Bengals veteran Andrew Whitworth, who was on hand at the Tigers’ indoor practice facility.
Whitworth is an ideal model and mentor for Collins since he also played guard early in his nine-year NFL career before becoming a Pro Bowl left tackle in 2012 and a second-team All-Pro in 2014.
“It’s one of those things that sometimes people can get nit-picky about, but at the end of the day, he can be an excellent guard or he can be a great tackle,” Whitworth said. “It depends on the system, and it depends on the atmosphere he’s put in. Honestly, to me, it’s more of a compliment, because that means they think you’re tough and strong and physical, and that you can also play on the edge.
“If they can already consider you at two positions, that means they have a high opinion of you.”
Collins’ ultimate landing spot will depend on each team’s specific needs. If he moves just one hour down the road to New Orleans, for example, he’ll likely play guard for the Saints — not only because they need one to eventually replace six-time Pro Bowler Jahri Evans, but because they’ve been ahead of the recent NFL curve when it comes to valuing the position.
Evans and Carl Nicks were both first-team All-Pro guards during the Saints’ Super Bowl prime, because quarterback Drew Brees loves to climb up in the pocket.
Lately, more and more guards have gone higher in the draft league-wide — including the Dallas Cowboys’ Zack Martin, who was moved from tackle to guard after being drafted 16th overall last year and wound up being a first-team All Pro.
The year before that, guards Chance Warmack and Jonathan Cooper were top-10 draft picks for the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals, respectively. The year before that, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ David DeCastro and Bengals’ Kevin Zeitler both went in the 20s.
Another top prospect this year, Iowa’s Brandon Scherff, could also be switched from left tackle to guard in the NFL.
I spoke to a few personnel folks Friday at LSU who agreed the guard position has become increasingly valued.
“If they’re good players, why not [draft them high],” said new Saints assistant general manager and former Miami Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland. “If they’re gonna help you win, and they’re gonna be productive and consistent and they’re good character people and dependable, that’s important.”
“I don’t think it is [a stigma to be moved to guard] anymore,” Whitworth said. “I think now you see a lot of the really top-end guards that are getting paid the same as tackles, or at least close. So I think that position’s changing.”
Collins was set to meet with the Saints after Friday’s workouts, since they had almost their entire contingent of coaches and front office personnel on hand. He said he has about 15 other visits set up, though he declined to name the teams.
Though Collins was glad he generated positive buzz with his combine performance (his 40-yard dash time of 5.12 seconds ranked sixth among offensive linemen), he said it was hard to sit and watch for most of Friday’s activities.
“It kinda sucks, especially for a guy like me,” Collins said. “I’m a very big competitor. It got me very anxious.”
Asked what he hoped to show NFL teams, Collins said, “Just be consistent and show them my game’s nowhere near where I’m gonna be. There’s so much more room for me to grow, show ’em that I’m coachable. You bring me in, you can coach me and train me the way you want me to be. And I’ll go out there and be successful and do everything you need me to.”
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Kevin Mawae: LSU OT La’el Collins is “a great football player”
http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/kevin-mawae-lsu-tackle-lael-collins-is-a-great-football-player/
Excerpt – Collins has been working with former Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Todd Weiner, who has also coached New York Jets offensive guard James Carpenter, a former first-round draft pick from Alabama.
“I’m extremely impressed with La’el,” Weiner said. “I’ve worked with several first-round draft picks and played a long time and I think he has everything it takes to be an outstanding rookie and eventually a Pro Bowl guy.
Louisiana State offensive tackle La’el Collins reinforced his reputation for having a nasty streak during the Senior Bowl in January, punishing defensive players with his powerful blocking style.
The 6-foot-5, 308-pound projected first-round draft pick leveled Georgia linebacker Amarlo Herrera, sending him flying through the air and crashing to the ground.
“I think La’el is a great football player,” former NFL All-Pro center and LSU All-American Kevin Mawae said in a telephone interview. “I’ve been around the program and I know him personally. He’s a big guy and he moves well for his size. He’s big and thick through the upper body and moves really well for a really big guy. Everybody thinks he’ll be a high first-rounder with the kind of athlete he is. I’ve been asked by guys in the pros what I thought about him.
“He has great intuition and athletic ability. I think he would be a solid inside guy who could play both guard spots and he’s athletic enough to play tackle. He’s got length in the arms that would tend to allow him to play that position. He’s definitely a finisher. He’s a mauler. You watch the film and he’s more of a road grader than a finesse player. He’s got solid technique. Staying an extra year solidified his draft position. He will put his helmet on you and strike you.”
Collins’ aggressiveness should serve him well in the NFL, provided that he can harness that on a consistent basis.
Collins has been working with former Seattle Seahawks offensive tackle Todd Weiner, who has also coached New York Jets offensive guard James Carpenter, a former first-round draft pick from Alabama.
“I’m extremely impressed with La’el,” Weiner said. “I’ve worked with several first-round draft picks and played a long time and I think he has everything it takes to be an outstanding rookie and eventually a Pro Bowl guy. He has the explosiveness. He has the strength, the speed and the mental side. I’m very impressed with his knowledge of the game. That’s the most important thing is he loves competition and that will take him very far. Not all players have the love for the game with the strength and the technique and the competitiveness he has.
“That makes him a very coachable person. Offensive linemen need to be the bullies. To be the bully you have to get the last hit, the last shove and make sure the guy knows who play from the start of the snap to the end of the snap. We teach guys to be relentless and that’s what La’el is.”
Like Mawae during his 16-year NFL career, Collins is represented by Priority Sports. Specifically, Collins is represented by Deryk Gilmore, who also represents San Diego Chargers offensive tackle D.J. Fluker.
“I signed with Mark Bartelstein back in 1994 on the recommendation of former teammates of mine, and LSU has always been a favorable place for them between myself and Alan Faneca and now La’el,” Mawae said. “Those guys, Mark, Rick Smith, Deryk Gilmore, Mike McCartney, Kenny Zuckerman aall pride themselves on working with great football players and great people.
“You can look at their history of clientele in the NBA and NFL and very rarely do you see them have off the field problems or trouble with the league. They want to represent you off the field in contract negotiations, not in the courtroom, so they shy away from guys with character issues and character problems. They’ve had a lot of players who’ve wound up being leaders in locker rooms and that’s indicative of what’s important to them as an agency.”
The strength of Collins’ game is his power and aggressiveness.
“I really feel like every aspect of my game has made me who I am,” Collins said. “I really feel like pass blocking, run blocking is strong. It’s all equal.
“I take the same initiative in everything I do. If it’s a pass play, I want to protect. If it’s a run play, I want to drive my guy off the ball. I take that mentality every down.”
Collins has been training wearing Titin Tech, weighted compression athletic gear.
“When I took it off and did drills at the combine, it was easy!” Collins said. “I felt like training in Titin was great because when I worked with Todd I had that eight pounds on my back doing drills, so when I took it off I could move all that much better.”
Collins expressed confidence that he can have immediate success in the NFL after watching former LSU teammates, New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham, Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry, excel as rookies last season.
“I don’t think it’s too much magic to it, just talking to guys, just be you,” Collins said. “If you’re a guy who’s here, you worked to excel at what you do. Just show them in the drills what you have to offer.”
March 30, 2015 at 2:28 am in reply to: OL in free agency … Barksdale, Blalock, Wisniewski, etc. #21744znModeratorAny update on Blaylock signing?
Nothin yet.
But then that’s true all around the league. Zero movement right now.
znModeratorwhat is snead’s record? the only pro bowler i can think of is donald.
Schneider is the only newcomer on the list.
znModeratorWhat about future cap space?
They have to decide on Foles, and they have other free agents up. So what is the cap space in 2016?
And then why 2017? Because the Rams frontload and often use the 2nd year of a contract to park the biggest frontload hit. An example is Quinn. Quinn signed an extension in 2014. His cap hit in 2015 is 16.7+ M. But after that it avgs. about 11+ M a year.
I assume the cap in 2016 will be 150 M. It will probably be higher than that in 2017, but I will still keep it at 150 M cause we really don;t know yet.
Okay…in 2016 they currently have available, before any other move (including signing draft picks), 56.5+ M.
2016 free agents include Fairley, Barron, Hayes, Brockers, Sims, Jenkins, Foles, and Givens.
The biggest hit by far will be Foles, if they like him and keep him. They won’t keep all of the ones I just listed, but then Foles or no Foles they never were going to keep all of them anyway.
In 2017 they currently have available, before any other move (including signing draft picks), 94+ M.
2017 free agents include Long, Britt, Austin, Ogletree, McDonald, and Bailey.
During the off-season in 2017, they will at that point have added (as of now) 7 new 1st-3rd round draft picks.
I listed, besides Foles, 13 guys. Ideally (and this is “ideal” on every level), if they do well drafting 7 new players with those picks, they only need to keep 6 of the FAs.
…
March 29, 2015 at 9:41 pm in reply to: OL in free agency … Barksdale, Blalock, Wisniewski, etc. #21726znModeratorFree Agent Stock Watch: Joe Barksdale
by Dallas Robinson
http://www.profootballrumors.com/
As we head into April, there are just four remaining unsigned free agents that were listed among Pro Football Rumors’ Top 50 FAs. Our 29th overall free agent, receiver Michael Crabtree, had a down year in 2014, and PFR’s Rory Parks look at why he remains on the open market. Linebacker Rolando McClain, our No. 35 FA, has already retired twice during his young career, and is facing a fine after failing a third drug test, as documented by PFR’s Luke Adams. And our 39th-ranked free agent, center Stefen Wisniewski, is recovering from offseason shoulder injury, which could explain his lack of a market.
But perhaps the most puzzling member of the unsigned free agents club is offensive tackle Joe Barksdale, who ranked 39th on our Top 50 list. The 27-year-old Barksdale has spent the past three seasons with the Rams, and has started 29 games over the past two years. Without a strong crop of right tackles available in free agency, Barksdale seemingly should have been in line for a multi-year pact that paid him in the neighborhood of $6MM annually, comparable to the deals signed by Andre Smith and Anthony Collins in recent years.
The few free agent right tackles who did hit the market were handsomely rewarded, making it even more confusing that Barksdale hasn’t been able to find a home. The top RT available, Bryan Bulaga, re-signed with the Packers for almost $34MM, and while he’ll average just $6.75MM per year, it’s assumed that he took less money to stay in Green Bay. Jermey Parnell, largely unproven after starting just seven games over three seasons for the Cowboys, secured a five-year, $32.5MM deal from the Jaguars, while Doug Free will earn a $5MM AAV after re-signing with Dallas.
A glance at Pro Football Focus’ (subscription required) offensive tackle grades could offer some explanation as to why Barskdale remains available — while Bulaga, Parnell, and Free all ranked within the top 21 tackles, Barksdale placed just 48th. His run-blocking grade (arguably the more important mark for a right tackle) was impressive, however, as he ranked as the league’s 11th-best T in the run game. Still, based on PFF’s ratings, Barksdale might not be in the same class as those top three tackles, so if he’s asking for $5-6MM per year, clubs could be looking elsewhere.
Indeed, Barksdale hasn’t drawn much known interest from around the league, as he’s only been linked to the Rams and the Titans. Tennessee’s interest seems to be lukewarm, as reports indicated that the club would “consider” Barksdale after losing Michael Roos and Michael Oher earlier this year. Based on reports, it appears that a reunion between Barskdale and St. Louis is the most likely scenario — the Rams initially thought that the tackle was overestimating his market, and now that that seems to have been the case, head Jeff Fisher confirmed the two sides were talking.
Even after a dreadful season, Oher was able to garner a $3.5MM AAV from the Panthers, and I’d be very surprised if Barksdale has to settle for less than that. Something in the $4-4.5MM range (at the level of Zach Strief and Breno Giacomini) would make sense for both Barksdale and the Rams. For its part, St. Louis can use all the help it can get along the offensive line, where Greg Robinson and Rodger Saffold are the only returning starters. With only about $2.6MM needed to sign its draft class, the Rams have approximately $6.4MM in effective cap space, so they should easily be able to fit a Barksdale-level contract on their books.
znModeratorfrom off the net
—
CoachO
I think if Barnes does end up coming back he will jump to the front of the line and if Jones can make it thru healthy I can see him being a swing guy. The back injury cost Jones any chance to compete for any substantial role last year. But that being said, he was behind Barnes in the backup Center role at the time of his injury. Jones will have to show he can make it thru an entire camp healthy, and show improvement both being stronger, and in his ability to play the position at a consistent level.
Look for Barnes to be re-signed within the next week. The Rams have made another offer to him, and to my knowledge, it’s down to the Rams and one other team vying for his services. Just a matter if this other team wants to beat the Rams offer. If and when Barnes is brought back, IMO, he will come in as the early front runner to win the Center job, assuming they don’t sign Wisniewski.
They tried to give Bond every chance to make this roster last year and IMO he just isn’t very bright. Physically he had everything you look for. But missed far too many assignments to be trusted. If they can get that fixed he would be a big plus but may be limited to RG. As to Washington…. I think they see him in a versatile role similar to what Person was last year. I’m not all that high on him. Never have been he just doesn’t have the footwork and for his size just doesn’t play physical.
znModeratormath and history tell me that the majority of 1st round OLinemen selected are usually LTs (immediate starters or to guys be groomed to eventually take over) and the Rams already have one.
What percentage of linemen drafted in round 1 in the last 11 years (back to 2004) were left OTs?
I can only count where they ended up, not the intention. So for example Jason Smith was supposed to be a left OT but ended up at right.
Given that–
lineman drafted in round 1 back to 2004.
23 are LOTs …38%
12 are ROTs …20%
6 are OCs …10%
16 are OGs …27%
3 are OTs or OGs, not settled yet…5%One note: the number of guards taken to BE guards (as opposed to washing out at tackle and ending up at guard) has gone up considerably in the last 4 years. From 2004-2010, it’s 7 guards…from 2011-2014, it’s 9.
…
znModeratorQB: Sure things here do not exist. Between off-field baggage and read/option offenses the reality is risk and uncertainty run rampant. That and a pure lack of a deep talent pool. Expect some reaches and forces here to fill empty Franchise QB slots. Buyer beware.
JAMEIS WINSTON/FLORIDA STATE*
MARCUS MARIOTA/OREGON
BRETT HUNDLEY/UCLA*
BRYCE PETTY/BAYLOR
GARRETT GRAYSON/COLORADO STATERB: If we can assume that injured guys like GURLEY will be ready by Training Camps then this is a strong RB group that should end the 2-year draught of no 1st Rounders.
TODD GURLEY/GEORGIA*
MELVIN GORDON/WISCONSIN*
JAY AJAYI/BOISE STATE*
AMEER ABDULLAH/NEBRASKA
TEVIN COLEMAN/INDIANA*WR: Beyond COOPER no one is elite, but a lot of guys from this group have strong potential as No. 2 & 3 wideouts at the next level. Depth here is outstanding.
AMARI COOPER/ALABAMA*
KEVIN WHITE/WEST VIRGINIA
DAVANTE PARKER/LOUISVILLE
JAELEN STRONG/ARIZONA STATE*
DORIAL GREEN-BECKHAM/OKLAHOMA*
BRESHARD PERRIMAN/UCF*TE: Any team in need of a all-around inline TE is going to be in danger of over-drafting someone in this position group. THank goodness MAXX decoded to come out early.
MAXX WILLIAMS/MINNESOTA*
CLIVE WALFORD/TE/MIAMI
DEVIN FUNCHESS/MICHIGAN*
NICK O’LEARY/FLORIDA STATEOT: This is a deep and solid group, but the closest guys to having elite potential are Underclassmen who still have much to learn. CLEMMINGS demonstrated that with a poor/mediocre Senior Bowl showing. Some would argue that both SCHERFF & COLLINS might be better fits at OG in the pro game.
BRANDON SCHERFF/IOWA
LA’EL COLLINS/LSU*
ANDRUS PEAT/STANFORD*
ERECK FLOWERS/MIAMI*
JAKE FISHER/OREGON
T.J. CLEMMINGS/PITT*
D.J. HUMPHRIES/FLORIDA*C/G This is a deeper group than many years, but lacking in top end talent. CANN might make it late in Round 1, but that would be it.
A.J. CANN/SOUTH CAROLINA
CAMERON ERVING/C/FLORIDA STATE
LAKEN TOMLINSON/DUKE
ALI MARPET/HOBART
TRE’ JACKSON/FLORIDA STATEEDGE RUSHERS This is a group of players, whose actual NFL position title has yet to be determined. But they are all defined by their ability to rush the QB, with speed around the edge. IN today’s NFL that skill outweighs any concerns about what traditional position group to label them in.
VICTOR BEASLEY/CLEMSON*
DANTE FOWLER/FLORIDA*
RANDY GREGORY/NEBRASKA*
SHANE RAY/MISSOURI*
NATE ORCHARD/UTAHDL: This is your more traditional group of DL who play with their hand in the dirt and must stop the run first, then work at collapsing the pocket.
LEONARD WILLIAMS/USC*
ARIK ARMSTEAD/OREGON*
DANNY SHELTON/WASHINGTON
EDDIE GOLDMAN/FLORIDA STATE*
MALCOM BROWN/TEXAS*ILB: Elite guys here are few and far between, but there is some interesting variety to select from.
BENARDRICK McKINNEY/MISS STATE*
STEPHONE ANTHONY/CLEMSON
ERIC KENDRICKS/UCLA
DENZEL PERRYMAN/MIAMI
PAUL DAWSON/TCU*OLB: This group looks a bit thin, but only because I have moved some top prospects into the new Edge Rusher group. Some of that group will clearly play as OLB in a 3-4 scheme.
ALVIN DUPREE/KENTUCKY*
SHAQ THOMPSON/WASHINGTON*
LORENZO MAULDIN/LOUISVILLE
KWON ALEXANDER/LSU*CB: With a large number of talented juniors coming out this became a position of strength on January 15th. But I still don’t see more than 3 CB really being in demand in Round 1, if that.
TRAE WAYNES/MICHIGAN STATE*
MARCUS PETERS/WASHINGTON*
JALEN COLLINS/LSU*
KEVIN JOHNSON/WAKE FOREST
IFO EKPRE-OLOMU/OREGON#Safety: Much is asked of today’s S slot players. And very few provide the type of coverage and run-stopping skill combination that teams are looking for in Round 1.
LANDON COLLINS/SS/ALABAMA*
JAQUISKI TARRT/SS/SAMFORD
CODY PREWITT/FS/OLE MISS
ANTHONY HARRIS/VIRGINIA#
QUENTIN ROLLINS/MIAMI (O)With only a few Pro Days left on the schedule these rankings should be near the “set in stone” phase of pre-Draft discussions. Now we wait on last minute medical re-checks and rumor and innuendo to take full effect.
The characters behind some of the names are as follows: */official underclassman, #/injury?
Where the Rams needs apparently match value:
OL
RB
DL
CB-
This reply was modified 11 years, 1 month ago by
zn.
znModeratorfrom off the net
—
moklerman
IMO, Fisher wants to get back to what was successful for him in Tennessee and IMO, Foles is a younger Collins. Collins was winding down his career when he was with the Titans but I think that’s how Fisher wants to build the Rams. A strong overall team with a solid but not spectacular QB. Obviously, you want as good of a QB as possible but it is my impression that the Rams want to try the more affordable approach now.
Collins was listed at 6’5″, 248. Foles is listed at 6’5″, 244. They’re virtually identical in size and I don’t think the production will be too far different under Fisher. Collins was an 80+ rating passer, around 60% and threw more TD’s than interceptions as a regular starter for Fisher. Which is very similar to what Foles has done two of his three years in the league. Moving forward, I think that’s where he’s going to be for the Rams. Which is what I think the Rams are planning around.
Watching some old video of Collins with the Titans I was reminded that he wore #5. Just as Foles will be wearing for the Rams. Serendipity.
Collins and Foles share some bad traits too IMO. Delivery on the slow side. Inconsistent mechanics/throwing off back foot. Not the best accuracy. Both suffer from turnovers at times.
They share some good traits too. I think both work the middle of the field well enough. Both can stand tall in the pocket. Both can launch rainbows down the field.
Collins had the stronger arm but Foles is more accurate and probably a little safer with the ball.
March 28, 2015 at 11:57 am in reply to: Kroenke ready to show detailed stadium plans … plus other relocation things #21685znModeratorHow six NFL owners will change the fate of St. Louis football
By David Hunn
PHOENIX • The face of St. Louis football walked the gilded halls of the Arizona Biltmore hotel last week, in double-buckled loafers, a blue plaid suit, aviator sunglasses and a grin.
At the close of last week’s annual meeting of National Football League owners, there was no longer any doubt: Stan Kroenke wants to move the Rams to Los Angeles.
On Monday, a league executive briefed teams on Kroenke’s plans for a glamorous, 80,000-seat, $1.86 billion stadium in Inglewood, Calif.
Afterward, a group of key owners and league executives made another thing clear: Moving the Rams will be difficult if St. Louis planners nail down a proposal to build a new football stadium downtown.
And that shifts the fate of St. Louis football out of the enigmatic owner’s hands and — temporarily — into those of St. Louisans.
Eventually, the decision will come down to a room and the NFL’s 32 owners. “At the end of the day, it’s an owners vote,” said Pittsburgh Steelers owner and NFL stadium committee chairman Art Rooney II. “That’s where this will wind up. It’s got to get 24 votes.”
But St. Louis’ chance won’t get that far if local planners can’t cement the details of their riverfront stadium proposal.
The fight for a team in Los Angeles changed battlefields last week. The debate moved from the public forum into a private and much more managed setting: owners committees. One such committee will research, debate and eventually write recommendations on a move to the LA market.
There is no longer real discussion of whether owners will try to relocate. Only which teams will go. And which cities will lose a team.
“This could come to a vote in a year,” said Steve Tisch, co-owner of the New York Giants. The NFL has made it “very clear,” he said — St. Louis, San Diego and Oakland need to “get their proposals to their respective teams sooner rather than later.”
“Is it crunch time? Is it a two-minute warning yet? No,” said Tisch. “But … those three cities are kind of in the fourth quarter.”
‘SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE’
The NFL governs itself much as does any large company or association. A chief executive — Commissioner Roger Goodell — runs the organization and reports to the board — the owners. The owners break into small working committees, which tackle major tasks and make recommendations to the full board. While the full board votes on final decisions, those committee recommendations carry weight.
And the first stop for each of the stadium plans will be the newly formed Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities.
As the Phoenix meeting stretched into the week, the Post-Dispatch tracked down all six team owners Goodell appointed to the LA committee.
All but one — Kansas City Chiefs Chairman Clark Hunt — spoke about their task. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, New York Giants co-owner John Mara, the Houston Texans’ Bob McNair, the Carolina Panthers’ Jerry Richardson and the Steelers’ Rooney each emphasized their commitment to keeping teams in local markets.
“I mean, when we put these relocation guidelines in place, again, it was with the intent to create stability, to create a bias for keeping a team in the home market, if at all possible,” Rooney said. “And I don’t sense that there’s any big change in that thinking in the league.
“We never wanted to be a league that had teams moving all over the place at the drop of a hat,” Rooney continued.
But they each also stressed that only applies under one condition: if hometowns mount real plans.
“We’ve got to remove the uncertainty,” Richardson said.
The owners’ declarations are heavy with meaning. The San Diego Chargers have been asking for a new stadium for 14 years, and yet the city isn’t scheduled to present a proposal to the team until mid-May. “It’s kind of getting to the point where something has to give,” Chargers owner Dean Spanos told the Post-Dispatch.
And Oakland regional officials have been at such odds with each other, they didn’t even vote to begin working together on a project until last week. Their proposal won’t be ready until August.
“If you want to consider that progress, that’s what it is,” Mark Davis, owner of the Raiders, said Tuesday. “Yeah, we’ve been at it for six or seven years now.”
The Chargers-Raiders two-team, $1.7 billion stadium proposal in Carson, Calif., announced just a month ago, is quickly gaining ground on Kroenke’s plan. But it’s still in second place.
And all of that leaves St. Louis planners in a unique position. Yes, they face an owner with means and momentum. But they are front-runners, too.
If St. Louis planners can hammer out the financing and market feasibility of their 64,000-seat, $985 million riverfront proposal, then perhaps they can persuade NFL owners that the region doesn’t deserve to lose a team.
‘GOOD TO SEE YOU’
The first Kroenke sighting came late Monday afternoon. A throng of reporters chased him down the Biltmore hallways. Rams operations chief Kevin Demoff flanked his left. “We’ve got to run,” Demoff told them. “I’m sorry.”
The Post-Dispatch caught up. Kroenke smiled, then chuckled upon hearing the name of his team’s hometown paper.
“Good to see you,” said Kroenke.
“We’ll keep walking,” said Demoff.
By the meeting’s end on Wednesday, Kroenke’s timeline was clearer: Los Angeles stadium plans due to Goodell at the end of April. A potential vote at the next owners meeting, in May in San Francisco. And proposals for hometown stadiums this spring.
Goodell has praised the progress in St. Louis. And it has been substantial, by all accounts.
Gov. Jay Nixon’s two-man task force has directed the Edward Jones Dome Authority to hire Doug Woodruff and his team at Downtown STL to assemble land north of downtown. The authority refused to release Woodruff’s contract, citing real estate exceptions to Missouri public records laws. But Woodruff said they’ve already cut a few checks to land owners.
Designs are progressing. Demoff, who is attending task force meetings — as requested by the NFL — is helping advance the stadium’s design. Local design firm HOK is consistently updating stadium plans.
And the Pennsylvania venue management firm SMG is already assessing the market, stadium financing deals, and possible lease agreements with a team, at a cost of $200,000 to the Dome Authority.
Former Anheuser-Busch executive Dave Peacock, the face of the local effort, says he and his team have made multiple presentations to the league and to the Rams.
But the NFL owners are looking for certainty. And the St. Louis plan isn’t yet that.
“We still have to get ducks in a row on our side, in our community,” Peacock said last week. “There’s still homework being done. People way smarter than me are looking at this.”
A contingent of taxpayer-funded stadium opponents insist Nixon will need voter approval in St. Louis and St. Louis County to “extend” the payments on the Edward Jones Dome so they could cover as much as $350 million of the new stadium, too. The Missouri Senate recently passed a bill requiring legislative or voter approval to extend bonds for a new stadium.
An NFL-commissioned market study is another question mark. The study sent 30-minute online surveys to a database of thousands of Rams fans and corporate sponsors, with the goal of determining just how many will buy season tickets, fancy suites and the like.
Peacock said he wasn’t worried. But some owners and NFL executives privately said they were.
Peacock said he understands what he’s up against. “We have to do our job to keep a team,” he said.
“We’re acting with urgency.”
In the meantime, Kroenke is on a bullet train to LA.
He ran into reporters one last time as he left the Biltmore Wednesday afternoon.
He said hello, chuckled again, and paused, for a moment.
Then he patted a reporter on the side, turned.
And left.
Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.[
znModeratorAn interesting cause in point is 98 v. 99. The 98 OL was:
Pace Miller Flannery Wiegert Gandy
In 99 it was:
Pace Nutten Gruttadauria Timmerman Miller
So counting Grutt coming back and moving Miller to OT, that’s 4 positions with new starters.
znModeratorBump. Relevant stuff from the past.
.
March 28, 2015 at 9:19 am in reply to: A horrific look back at recent Rams history (you're welcome) #21672znModerator..
I don’t know why you made me read that.
znModeratorDefensive end could be in Rams’ draft plans
http://m.espn.go.com/general/blogs/…top&rand=ref~{“ref”:”http://t.co/kGE2wlPXvy”}
EARTH CITY, Mo. — St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher has never made any bones about his affinity for drafting defensive linemen early and often.
In Fisher’s two decades as an NFL head coach in Houston, Tennesee and now in St. Louis, he believes he has often found the intersection of value and need in the first round by landing another pass-rusher even if his team is already well-stocked at the position.
Which is why perhaps nobody should be surprised if his Rams use the No. 10 overall pick on a pass-rusher this year despite more glaring needs in the short term.
“It would not be inconceivable to take another defensive end,” Fisher said. “We like defensive ends and tackles. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities.”
With Fisher, it never is. Since he arrived in St. Louis in 2012, the Rams have taken a defensive lineman in the first round in two of the past three drafts in the form of defensive tackles Michael Brockers (2012) and Aaron Donald (2014).
But the track record extends well beyond that. As the coach of the Tennessee/Houston franchise from 1994 to 2010, the Titans/Oilers used 12 first- or second-round picks on a defensive end or defensive tackle. In Fisher’s final three seasons in Nashville, the Titans drafted an end or tackle in the first two rounds in each of those years.
Fisher’s belief is pretty simple: You can never have enough pass-rushers. It’s why the Rams probably would have taken endJadeveon Clowney with the No. 2 overall pick in 2014 had he slipped past the Houston Texans despite greater, more pressing immediate needs.
Strange as it may sound, however, taking a lineman, particularly an end, this year might be more of a need than many realize. While the Rams have strong depth at the position for 2015 with the likes of Robert Quinn, Chris Long, William Hayes, Eugene Sims and Ethan Westbrooks, that depth could be fleeting.
Quinn is the group’s premiere player and under contract through the 2019 season. Other than Quinn, the rest come with varying degrees of question marks about their future in St. Louis. Long’s deal runs through 2016 but his cap number for that year is $14.25 million. He’ll need a strong bounce-back year after a 2014 injury cost him most of the season for the Rams to retain him at that number.
Hayes and Sims are both scheduled to be unrestricted free agents after this season, and though both provide excellent depth, Hayes has had injury issues and Sims has never been more than a solid if unspectacular player. Westbrooks has flashed potential but it remains to be seen whether he can develop into a starting-caliber player.
Given all of that and adding that the Rams’ fundamental defensive philosophy centers on generating pass rush, adding an end could be higher on the priority list than it might seem. That is only buoyed by a draft that looks to be rich in prospects at the position.
Most NFL draft pundits rank USC’s Leonard Williams, Nebraska’s Randy Gregory, Florida’s Dante Fowler Jr., Missouri’s Shane Ray and Clemson’s Vic Beasley as top-10-caliber prospects. The scheme or personality fit for each player might not necessarily be a match for the Rams but with so many of them ranked in that range, it’s entirely possible that one could fall into the Rams’ lap and stand out as the best player on the team’s board.Even with the team’s pressing needs on the offensive line still unsettled, Fisher believes the Rams will have the ability to draft the best player available when the time comes but also mentions the chance that someone could want to move up if that type of player isn’t what the Rams are looking for.
znModeratorFairley said himself after his signing that the D-line in Detroit had often watched a lot of film of St. Louis’ front four to study it, and Fisher added that now Fairley is looking forward to becoming a part of the rotation.
znModeratorFisher on Defensive Roster Moves
Myles Simmons
While the addition of Nick Foles may have garnered the most attention of the Rams’ offseason roster moves thus far, the team has also been busy bolstering its defense.
In the first few weeks of free agency, St. Louis has added defensive tackle Nick Fairley — who was introduced in a fun an unique way during the Foles press conference — and linebacker Akeem Ayers. Both have a reputation for being tenacious, aggressive players on their side of the ball.
“We actually targeted both Akeem and Nick,” head coach Jeff Fisher said at the NFC coaches breakfast during the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix. “From a fit standpoint and a need standpoint, those were our top two defensive players. Walking away thinking that we were able to get both of them was really good.”
Fairley played his first four years in the league with the Lions, recording 13.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and a safety. He had a good start to his 2014 season playing the first eight games, but missed the rest of the year due to injury.
“Was in his view ready to come back and play the final game but he did not,” Fisher said of Fairley. “Since then he’s been doing nothing but working out. He changed his diet, his eating habits. His weight is under control. He’s in great shape right now. He’ll admit that he probably didn’t buy into it as best as he could have early in his career. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s buying into it now. He’s serious about his football.”
Fisher added that the talent around him will likely help Fairley acclimate and excel in the Rams’ defense. The head coach said that the defensive tackle was excited to come into the building and meet with defensive like coach Mike Waufle and see how the team operates. Fairley said himself after his signing that the D-line in Detroit had often watched a lot of film of St. Louis’ front four to study it, and Fisher added that now Fairley is looking forward to becoming a part of the rotation.
“He fits the same way that Kendall Langford did the last couple years,” Fisher said. “We’re going to play usually seven defensive linemen. Nick is going to fit into the rotation and rotate with the other two tackles and keep him fresh.”
As for Ayers, Fisher said that the linebacker’s versatility helps make him such a productive player. Ayers also has familiarity with Rams linebackers coach Frank Bush, as Bush held the same position in Tennessee early in Ayers’ career. The linebacker played the first three-plus years of his career for the Titans before being traded to the Patriots last season. He’s racked up 252 tackles, 13.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, and three interceptions in the NFL.
“He can play behind the line of scrimmage and not entirely on the line of scrimmage,” Fisher said, adding that Ayers will compete with Jo-Lonn Dunbar for a starting spot. “He can play outside linebacker and he can rush, he can drop. He runs well. He did a great job for New England as a standup rusher. He gives us another guy that hopefully we can create mismatches with from a collapsing the pocket.”
But one of the elements that will help improve the defense is continuity from the coaching ranks. It will be defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ second season with the club, which means that players will already be more familiar with the system, and Williams will already know the majority of the personnel. Fisher said that it did take some time in 2014 for both of those factors to come together.
“We may have done too much in camp from an install standpoint,” Fisher said. “I think now that he has a better feel for what we have and he has a better feel for what we have, that we can prune things down a little bit and get good at a few things rather than be involved with too much.”
And while he wasn’t an offseason acquisition, Fisher said that the team will continue to use safety Mark Barron — acquired at the 2014 trade deadline — in creative ways on the defense.
“That’s what Mark gives us, that flexibility to play around the line of scrimmage, cover big tight ends and just all those things and blitz,” Fisher said. “He’s just a very instinctive player.”
znModerator—
The highlights this time, in my view:
—
what are the chances of the rams drafting a wr in 1st round
Doesn’t seem very likely now that Britt has re-signed.What happened with the FA center from the Raiders
He’s still out there. Don’t think the torn labrum is that big a deal. Don’t think the Rams are necessarily out of it.
although it wasn’t much, I do think the coaches liked what they saw from Rhaney before his injury. Jones would still be the favorite as starter, however, if no new moves are made at center.Don’t believe Jake Long is coming back. I think there’s a good chance Barksdale returns.
I think they like what they have at corner.
—
Goodell and the league have not moved up the relocation vote. They have discussed doing so. But I think if that becomes official, it’s not a good sign for the Rams in St. Louis.
I certainly agree that the decision to go with the “top-tier” requirements was a major blunder by the powers to be in St. Louis in the 1995. St. Louis wouldn’t be in this predicament otherwise.
San Diego has been trying for about 15 years with no progress. And their stadium is in much worse shape than the Edward Jones Dome. As for Oakland, I don’t think that ever gets done. If the area’s going to build one stadium, it’s probably for the A’s
How many times does St. Louis have to prove to the NFL that it’s a market. I think it’s insulting to Oakland, San Diego, and St. Louis. Los Angeles is the only city that should have to prove anything. It has after all lost 3 NFL teams over the years.
St. Louis has expressed a willingness to build 2 stadiums in less than 25 years something that’s unprecedented in NFL history.
And there are the relocation guidelines. You’re not supposed to be able to move a franchise just to enrich yourself. Stan was awarded a franchise in the St. Louis market. Why doesn’t he use that money _ and it would take less than half of what he’s spending in LA _ to build a stadium in the St. Louis market? Oh right. He wants to enrich himself.
March 27, 2015 at 6:47 pm in reply to: Kroenke ready to show detailed stadium plans … plus other relocation things #21653znModeratorWith the NFL looking into St. Louis’ viability as a pro football city, voice of the Rams Steve Savard tells The Fast Lane that St. Louis has beyond proven its worthiness to the league.
znModeratorTo me it’s just important to have the “hit standard” as a kind of numerical minimum before you add any comments about quality.
I can do all the numbers again someday but it amounts to this (from memory): an avg. of 3 to 3.5 hits per draft is good, around 2 is average, less than 1.5 is poor, anything over 3.5 as an avg. is exceptional.
According to just that standard without remarking on anything else, Linehan/Zygmunt was poor, Devaney was average, and so far as we can tell now Fisher/Snead has been good.
…
Yeah, its good what you did,
but there are so many qualifications that it all gets dizzy-ing.I mean, like Snisher had two number one picks twice.
Linehan and Spags never had that. Blah blah blah, you
cant really compare drafts by just looking at ‘hits’
It would be like comparing free-agent-signings without
thinking about the differences in cap-space-differences…etc
w
vSee that’s where you get into qualitative stuff.
What a basic numerical standard does is set some parameters.
For example, if you see a lot of draft discussions, there are always those who assume that a 50% hit rate is a minimum to even be decent. When the actual fact is, it’s rare.
And it’s easy enough to compare regimes. Linehan hit on NO ONE … except Long, and arguably Greco, though he didn’t start for the Rams.
Then I have seen people say insistently that the Devaney drafts were HORRIBLE. What would that make the Linehan drafts, apocalyptically reality destroying?
And yeah Snead had 2 #1s twice, but still, that doesn’t account for things like hitting on Gaines … arguably the best Rams post-3rd round pick since Hakim, and the best 6th round pick since… Mike Guman?
To me basic numerical considerations add some backbone. It helps build in a sense of perspective.
But as I said, it’s not the final step. Then you have to make some qualitative judgements. That’s when you mention things like how many 1sts they had.
znModerator
znModeratorIt would be waaay more interesting
to see things broken down into regimes.
Like Snisher, versus, Linehan, versus Spagz, etc.Its hard to compare regimes though, since
Snisher has had more high picks cause of the RG3 thing.The Jason Smith pick was a bad one, but that was
a tough year for picking in the first round. Wasn’t
much to choose from.w
vI actually have broken them down. I also set a standard by looking at earlier drafts (Green Bay, Giants, Steelers) by good drafting teams.
This produces a hit rate but doesn’t get you any qualitative grades. You have to add that by hand, so to speak.
To me it’s just important to have the “hit standard” as a kind of numerical minimum before you add any comments about quality.
I can do all the numbers again someday but it amounts to this (from memory): an avg. of 3 to 3.5 hits per draft is good, around 2 is average, less than 1.5 is poor, anything over 3.5 as an avg. is exceptional.
According to just that standard without remarking on anything else, Linehan/Zygmunt was poor, Devaney was average, and so far as we can tell now Fisher/Snead has been good.
…
March 27, 2015 at 3:56 pm in reply to: Grayson, Hundley, Petty, Carden etc. … the qbs this year #21640znModeratorRams among teams watching Nevada QB Fajardo
http://stl.scout.com/story/1531720-rams-among-teams-watching-nevada-qb-fajardo?s=124
The St. Louis Rams were among the teams at Nevada’s pro day on Wednesday where quarterback Cody Fajardo was the big draw among the Wolf Pack players who worked out for scouts.
The 6-foot-1, 223-pound Fajardo impressed at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.63 seconds, the 20-yard shuttle in 4.10 seconds and the three-cone drill in 6.95 seconds — all marks that ranked among the best by quarterbacks at the Combine.
On Wednesday, at his pro day, Fajardo completed 50 of 55 passes, with two drops, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. The workout was scripted by quarterbacks coach Steve Calhoun.
“I thought it went well,” Fajardo told the newspaper. “The receivers did a great job for me. The running back and tight end did, too. It was fun to get back in Mackay (Stadium) and throw the ball around a little bit.”
The Rams, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers were among the teams at the workout, according to reports.
Fajardo put up impressive numbers during his four years as a starter for the Wolf Pack.
In his 45-game career, he completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 9,659 yards, with 57 touchdowns and 29 interceptions, and ran for 3,482 yards and 44 touchdowns. That’s a total of 13,141 yards and 101 touchdowns the quarterback accounted for, which averages out to 292 yards and 2.4 touchdowns per game.
After doing his damage out of the shotgun and pistol formation for four seasons, Fajardo wanted to show Wednesday that he could also operate while taking snaps from under center.
“I feel a lot better,” Fajardo told the newspaper. “All offseason, that’s what I’ve been focusing on is getting under center. If you turn on the tape, it’s 100 percent gun. I didn’t want to show too much gun today because that’s on tape. I wanted to show that I could transition to an under-center quarterback.”
Fajardo is projected as a late-round prospect and the teams represented at Nevada’s pro day, including the Rams, would indicate that they could be looking at him as a developmental project.
The Rams recently traded for Nick Foles from the Philadelphia Eagles and Case Keenum from the Houston Texans and should unrestricted free agent Austin Davis back in the mix during training camp next season, but all three will only be under contract for one more season.
They could draft someone to groom as their quarterback of the future in case the Foles experiment fails or if he’s successful but opts to sign elsewhere next offseason.
=================
also…from off the net
Boston Ram
I am actually really happy to hear the Rams are kicking the tires on this guy. I have seen every game this kid has played in for the last 2 years. I really like this kid but there is some work to do with him. If you watch last years tape is pretty underwhelming, his oline got beat up and he lost his 2 starting OG’s. As the season wore on he developed some bad habits because he was under so much pressure. He started becoming a run first QB which is not his game.
What I like about him: Fierce competitor, did everything to try to win games, gave up his body and tried to run his way to a championship. Ran the same offense Kaepernick ran with similar results. He can make all the throws required but throws with the Manning like arc in certain spaces. His real strength is his ability to extend plays. He climbs the pocket well and does a great job avoiding pressure and getting his eyes back downfield to look for his receivers. His 2013 games you will notice he does not tuck in run, he resets and looks downfield which resulted in big plays. He loves throwing deep but does not make bad decisions doing it, very rarely throws into double coverage. When needed, he can take off and pick up a first down. When he does tuck and run it usually results in a big play because he does a good job of taking what the defense gives him. Brains, he is a cerebral QB who will be able to pick up a new playbook and know it.
What I don’t like: Size, not ideal but buys time out of the pocket so he can see downfield. Needs to make quicker decisions, now in his system he was not required to do that. I do think he has the mental part of his game to do it though, of course he does have a slight hitch in his throw which could effect that. Does not have great arm strength but it is good enough IMO. System QB that will need time to develop into a more pro style offense.
When the college season started I had him projected as a 4th rounder, but last year was a tough year but team injuries and an overall down year for Nevada had a lot to do with it. Again, his tape last year will show you a run first QB but that is not his game. IMO he lost confidence in the oline, got killed and started running earlier than he normally had to.
Of all the QB’s not named Winston or Mariota, I like this guy the best. And before you all call me crazy I said last year Jimmy Garoppolo was the best QB after Bridgewater and Bortles. Of course Derek Carr may have proved me wrong lol.
znModeratorFree-agent grades
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/17376/morning-ram-blings-free-agent-grades
EARTH CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams have mostly stayed out of the fray when it comes to free agency the past two seasons. It’s been a change in direction from the first two seasons under coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead, when the team spent big money on some big-name types.
Those moves didn’t exactly work out and the Rams have devoted most of their attention to drafting and playing youngsters. Still, the Rams have made a handful of moves in this free-agent period.
Coach Jeff Fisher said the team landed its top two defensive free agents in tackle Nick Fairley and linebacker Akeem Ayers. The Rams also re-signed receiver Kenny Britt and tight end Lance Kendricks and traded for quarterbacks Nick Foles and Case Keenum.
On Thursday, ESPN NFL Insider columnist Mike Sando graded every team’s performance in free agency. Sando’s only A went to the Green Bay Packers, which not coincidentally is the only team not to sign an outside free agent. They did, however, re-sign many of their own key free agents.
As for the Rams, Sando gives them a solid B. The Rams took little in the way of risk and got some young defenders who could be motivated to provide big things. If they can get a couple of offensive linemen at a decent price in the next couple of weeks, the Rams’ offseason could look even a little bit better.
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