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znModeratorHere’s Washington’s Chris Thompson. McVay had him in 2016.
They tried reproducing CT with Dunbar in 2017. That didn’t work.
Speak of the devil.
—
Ryan Kartje@Ryan_Kartje
Les Snead said the Rams view new RB Darrell Henderson as a “change-of-pace” back. Rams tried to fit Lance Dunbar in that role before, and McVay has been looking for a Chris Thompson-like back ever since.znModeratorLindsey Thiry@LindseyThiry
Les Snead and Sean McVay emphasize that they have wanted a change of pace back and that is why they selected Darrell Henderson. McVay called him a unique playmaker, and when asked, said this pick was about Henderson’s skills and not Todd Gurley’s knee.Vincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
#Rams GM Les Snead on the goal of all the trades was to create “As many shots at the basket as possible in the top 100” which he believed would benefit the Rams in the long and short run.Ryan Kartje@Ryan_Kartje
Sean McVay wrote off Taylor Rapp’s slow 40 time completely: “When you watch the tape, this guy sure plays fast. Very rarely do you ask a safety to straight-line run 40 yards.”=
Chatted with #LARams OL coach/run game coordinator Aaron Kromer about draft pick Bobby Evans, and he said Evans will likely train at the 4 OL spots not named center. ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/pjyjPrD4ik
— Myles Simmons (@MylesASimmons) April 27, 2019
znModeratorIt’s a warm body for the offensive line. I’ll take it. Hopefully he becomes a solid player. Now pick more.
I will say this about Kromer. He has a long history of making something out of guards, including college tackles converted to guard.
It’s actually a quite exceptional history if you dive into it.
If they trade up for a guy Kromer likes, I am inclined to assume the best.
…
znModeratorhammer
No Knuckleheads ! In fact most of the players drafted are described to have good football instincts, vision and/or high football IQs. Although they traded back a lot, they didn’t make any any outrageous reaches, just productive solid players. I’m impressed with the group!
znModeratorPFF LA Rams@PFF_Rams
OT Bobby Evans from Oklahoma is the last pick for the #Rams today! He was our 12th ranked OT in the draft this year, 107th on our Top-250 Big Board
znModeratorI doubt they are going to draft any starters for this season at those positions tomorrow, so they have to hope for better things from Fowler, Ebukam, and Kiser next year.
Well the “in-house” candidate list is a little bit longer.
ILB: Kiser (I take it Littleton is set, and Matthews can play some here too)
OLB: Fowler, Ebukam, Obo, Fox, Matthews
DE: Franklin-Myers
DT: Joseph-Day
znModeratorGot to chat with CBs coach Aubrey Pleasant just after the #LARams selected David Long at No. 79, and Pleasant is very excited to bring him in. ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/BaDv9WH1wp
— Myles Simmons (@MylesASimmons) April 27, 2019
znModeratorIf you want to know how good David Long can be in coverage, just look at his 3-cone and short shuttle drills from the combine. Had the best times in BOTH drills out of everyone that participated at the combine. pic.twitter.com/KDUV8oVbHT
— Sosa K (@QBsMVP) April 27, 2019
znModeratorHere’s Washington’s Chris Thompson. McVay had him in 2016.
They tried reproducing CT with Dunbar in 2017. That didn’t work.
I would imagine Henderson could be used in ways similar to how McVay used Thompson.
znModeratorznModeratorazramfan
Guy was crazy productive.
Dude only allowed 18 Completions in 3 years!
znModeratorYessirr Congrats Bro‼️#DreamsToReality https://t.co/gF7NNcFbjC
— Todd Gurley II (@TG3II) April 27, 2019
znModeratorjrry32
While he’s on the small side at 5’11” 196, Long blew up at the Combine showing speed, explosiveness, and elite agility. At Michigan, Long barely gave up anything during his career. He’s a naturally sticky cover CB who smothers routes from press coverage. However, Michigan had him almost entirely play press coverage during his time there, so there’s not a lot of scheme diversity here. Long is very scrappy and physical, but he needs to dial back some of the grabbiness, as the NFL is less forgiving of that than college. All in all, he’s a kid who will drive WRs absolutely crazy as a press CB and has the ability to play in the slot or on the boundary. My comparison for him is Desmond Trufant.
znModerator#Rams bolster their secondary with some top talent in picking S Taylor Rapp (90.1 OVR Grade; 3rd ranked S) and CB David Long (81.4 OVR Grade; 4th ranked CB). With veteran leadership at the #Rams secondary, LA just might've become a #NoFlyZone 👀 pic.twitter.com/16IPJydp6W
— PFF LA Rams (@PFF_Rams) April 27, 2019
znModeratorhttps://www.nfl.com/prospects/david-long?id=32194c4f-4e21-1243-8d29-d872277bf4f7
Player Bio
The Wolverines grabbed Long out of Los Angeles as a four-star and top-100 national recruit from Loyola High School. While Long played cornerback and was an outstanding receiver in high school, he suited up at corner for Michigan in four games as a true freshman in 2016 (no tackles). He had more of an impact on defense as a sophomore, posting 21 tackles, two for loss, two interceptions, and six pass breakups in 13 starts. Long broke up eight passes in 13 games (all starts) in 2018, also making 17 tackles and intercepting one pass, to earn first-team All-Big Ten honors.
Analysis
By Lance Zierlein
NFL Analyst
Draft Projection
Round 3
NFL Comparison
J.C. JacksonOverview
Death, taxes and David Long sitting under a receiver’s chin waiting to jam and bully the release – all three are inevitable. He lacks height, length and makeup burst, but it is hard to find tape where those areas came back to haunt him very often. He’s patient from press, stays connected to routes underneath, but may have to adjust to off-man and prove he can withstand vertical challenges against taller targets. He’s not as long, loose or fast as teams like, but he’s a consistent cover man with the talent to find reps early in his career.Strengths
Weather-tested
Quarterbacks rarely tried him and rarely completed those attempts
Compact and physical
Plays with cozy coverage in receiver’s chest underneath
Strength and footwork to grind through the release
Plays with excellent focus on the route
Has speed to pace hip-to-hip downfield
Parks under opponent’s chin from press
Patiently waits out release fakes
Rarely gets over-extended and out of balance
Quick interchange of routes from short zone
Tenacious competitor in all phasesWeaknesses
Short for an outside cornerback
May need time to adjust if moved to slot
Can be stacked by big bodies
Lacks length to play around opponents and into passing lane
Doesn’t have big makeup burst to chase
Could struggle to handle downfield jump balls
Shorter target to throw over in Cover-2
Not much tape to gauge ability to survive outside of press
Teams may view him as scheme-dependentznModeratorIn 2018, Henderson averaged 8.9 yards per carry, giving him, over Reggie Bush’s famed 2005 season (8.7), the most-efficient yards per carry season (min. 200 carries) since at least 2000. That’s surely an impressive stat on its own, but yards per carry is a stat that’s noisier and less meaningful than yards after contact per attempt. Like missed tackles forced, yards after contact per attempt helps to highlight running back skill level independent of team blocking.
Since 2014 (when PFF first started tracking college players), there are 1,332 instances of a running back totaling at least 65 carries. Of those 1,332 seasons, Henderson’s 2018 season (on 214 attempts) ranks first in yards after contact per attempt (6.16). His 2017 season (on 128 attempts) ranks second (5.60).
znModeratorNot sold on the pick unless Gurley’s career is over. We need help on the interior OLine and NT, before getting an RB.
If they are going to manage his touches–and they say they will—they need a 3rd option.
Right now the Rams have 2 backs who were hurt last year. Brown and Gurley.
To my mind, it’s a priority to add a 3rd back to that mix.
Which tells us what they think of Kelly and Davis, IMO.
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znModeratorJeremiah
Taylor Rapp, S
39th overallRapp is slightly undersized for the position, but he’s been very productive throughout his career. He lines up in the deep half, as well as underneath in the box. He anticipates well from the deep hash and always takes the proper angle to the ball. He has good (not great) closing speed and excellent ball awareness. He has a great feel as a blitzer, displaying timing and the ability to defeat a block. He is outstanding versus the run. He can sort through the trash when in the box and takes perfect angles to the alley from the deep half. He comes to balance and is a sure tackler in space. Overall, Rapp is one of the most reliable/dependable players in this draft class. Still, his lackluster speed at Washington’s pro day (where he ran a 40-yard dash in the 4.7s) will impact his draft stock.
znModeratordzrams
PFF has him as their 38th ranked player and says this about him:
Rapp was one of the most assignment-sure safeties in the country this past season and missed all of two tackles on 56 attempts.
znModeratorheadslapper
Run on RBs shows it might have been great timing
Moving up and grabbing the RB we wanted might have been perfect timing after watching a couple of RBs get drafted right after.
Also we did not really give up two 3rds like people keep saying, we traded two for 1 so we basically gave up one 3rd.
znModeratorDarrell Henderson put up numbers last year rarely ever seen in college football. How the quiet RB from Mississippi got to Memphis and became a 3rd-round pick.@TheAthleticLA @VinnyBonsignorehttps://t.co/Nua5E4wksx
— The Athletic CFB (@TheAthleticCFB) April 27, 2019
Darrell Henderson said when he spoke with #Rams during the process they told him there was a possibility they would trade up to get him.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) April 27, 2019
Suffice to say, I don't think the #Rams make that kind of move without anticipating Henderson playing a significant role. Which of course brings up questions about how much of a load Todd Gurley will, or can, carry
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) April 27, 2019
Suffice to say, I don't think the #Rams make that kind of move without anticipating Henderson playing a significant role. Which of course brings up questions about how much of a load Todd Gurley will, or can, carry
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) April 27, 2019
znModeratorhttps://www.nfl.com/prospects/darrell-henderson?id=32194845-4e05-4456-6f99-3e76d883b110
Henderson became one of the top college running backs by the time he finished his three-year career with the Tigers. He was an Associated Press first-team All-American in 2018, finishing second in the country with 1,909 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on only 214 carries (8.9 average). The first-team All-American Athletic Conference performer also caught 19 passes for 295 yards (15.5 average) and three touchdowns in 13 starts (he sat out the team’s bowl game to focus on the draft). Henderson also missed the team’s 2017 bowl game due to injury but played in 13 games that year (10 starts) and led Memphis with 1,154 yards and nine touchdowns on just 130 carries (8.9 average) to garner second-team all-conference accolades. The 2014 Mississippi Gatorade High School Player of the Year (2,253 yards, 32 TD) played in all 13 games with six starts as a true freshman (87-482-5.5, five TD rushing; 20-237-11.9, three TD receiving). He also returned 25 kickoffs for 487 yards (19.5 average) and a score during his career.
Overview
He checks in slightly undersized, doesn’t have great vision and runs with a narrow base that makes him easier to tackle, but so far, those concerns haven’t slowed him one bit. Big-play production is impossible to ignore, but his running style makes him best-suited to a complementary slasher role in a spread-based attack. In basketball, Henderson would be the explosive sixth man with the ability to swing certain games in your favor if he catches fire. On the ground or out of the backfield, Henderson can catch fire.Strengths
Home-run hitter doesn’t begin to describe his explosive production
Averaged 8.9 yards per carry over last 344 attempts
Movement has electric feel to it
Quick acceleration turns to get-away long speed
43 carries of 15-plus yards and 11 total touchdowns of 54-plus in 2018 alone
Unusual contact balance for narrow-base runner
Keeps feet moving at all times
Hits and spins out of contact
More physical than expected as run finisher
Used on drop-offs and screens out of backfield
Maintains potency as a pass catcher
Shows ability to track and adjust down the fieldWeaknesses
Comes in a little smaller than desired for an early down back
Upright running style with narrow base
Needs to get better at slipping solid contact
Displays some hip tightness and is a one-track runner
Plays too fast to effectively stack moves
High center of gravity forces turn rather than cuts
Faced light numbers in the box
Touchdown runs happening in wide-open spaces
Sees what is there rather than what is developing
May not offer pass protection value on third downznModeratorRams look to keep trading down until the own the entire 7th round, apparently.
But that might give them enough ammunition to trade back up into the 1st round.
April 26, 2019 at 9:48 pm in reply to: All of that wheeling and dealing for an extremely slow, undersized safety? #100382znModeratorDoc Serritella Draft Bible
6. TAYLOR RAPP | WASHINGTON | #7 | JR | Bellingham, WA | 12.22.97 (age 21) | 5116 | 208 | 2nd RD | 8.0 |
Wasserman HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE 5116 208 3034 0900 7278 n/a n/a n/a 35 9-7 3.99 6.82 17OUTLOOK: Chris Petersen has helped the Washington return to national prominence in part due to a focus on recruiting OKGs, or what he calls “Our Kind of Guys.” A perfect example of this is Rapp, a Chinese-American from a city just south of the Canadian border who began his college career labeled as “just” a three-star talent from recruiting experts. In the three years since, however, Rapp has earned recognition as the PAC-12’s Freshman Defensive Player of the Year, a First Team all- conference choice at safety as a sophomore, a consensus All-American in 2018 and emerged as one of the cleanest NFL prospects available, regardless of position, in the country. Sure, ball-skills and straight-line speed are important but the single most critical element to safety play remains being a reliable open-field tackler. He has defied odds his entire life and is expected to be the highest-drafted Asian player ever in NFL history (Ed Wang, Round 5, Pick 140 in 2010).
PROS: While perhaps an inch or two shorter than ideal, Rapp looks the part of an NFL safety with a compact, well-muscled frame that provides the perfect body armor for his highly aggressive, physical style of play. Rapp’s greatest attributes are clearly his awareness and tackling ability. He shows Jedi-like instincts in locating the football with magnets for hands, resulting in seven interceptions and five fumbles (two forced, three covered) in just three seasons. Further, Rapp shows remarkable body control as a tackler, racing in from the secondary to make difficult tackles on elusive ball-carriers look easy. Generally speaking, he is a technically- sound face-up tackler who wraps his arms for the secure stop but he creates impressive force for real stopping power, as well, and shows excellent hand-eye coordination to trip up runners seemingly out of his reach. Rapp’s awareness also shows up in coverage, where he displays excellent route recognition, as well as impressive coordination and quickness in changing directions to stick in the hip pocket of potential receivers. Younger than most prospects, just turning 21.
CONS: Appears quicker than fast and may lack preferred top-end speed for deep duties, especially for defenses planning to run a lot of single-high safety looks. Highly regarded for his playmaking ability but at times appears too willing to concede the reception and make the tackle rather than attack the ball.
Hey CR. Do me a favor and repost that in this thread: http://theramshuddle.com/topic/rams-1st-pick-taylor-rapp-safety/
That way all the profiles are in one spot
znModeratorTaylor Rapp: "It was an unbelievable moment." He visited with the Rams after the scouting combine. Felt while he was visiting it was a perfect spot for him and he'd be a perfect fit.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) April 27, 2019
—
Two years ago the #Rams "celebrated" when Cooper Kupp turned in a 4.6 40 at the combine, knowing it would push him into the third round. I have to believe they did the same when Taylor Rapp ran a 4.7 (which he says is his slowest ever) at his Pro Day.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) April 27, 2019
znModeratorjrry32
Rapp saw his draft stock fall after running a 40 in the 4.7s at his Pro Day. That doesn’t dissuade me at all. Rapp is as technically sound, intelligent, and reliable as they come with the ability to slide down into the slot and cover slot WRs due to his quickness and physicality. We’re landing an outstanding all-around player here. I’d compare him to Lawyer Milloy.
He’s the defensive version of Cooper Kupp. He’s versatile (can blitz, cover M2M, drop into zone, and tackle in space), he’s highly intelligent, and he’s consistent. He rarely misses tackles. The only thing he really lacks is great ability as a center fielder. He tends to play it safe instead of trying to go for big plays.
znModeratorhttps://www.nfl.com/prospects/taylor-rapp?id=32195241-5050-5098-ef4c-235f382d663d
Rapp’s family has Chinese ancestry, but he is a dual citizen between the United States and Canada. He promised his brother, Austin, that he would play major college football — a promise that has been fulfilled. He was an All-Washington pick from Bellingham that earned top 25 safety recruit grades from scouting services. Rapp broke his left hand in spring practices his freshman year, but played with a cast. That toughness impressed on coaches his willingness to fight through adversity, and he eventually won a starting role on defense in 10 of 14 games played in 2016 (53 tackles, four interceptions, two pass breakups). Rapp was the Pac-12 Championship Defensive MVP after intercepting two passes in the contest, returning one for a score. He also was named the Pac-12 Freshman Defensive Player of the Year and a Freshman All-American for his efforts throughout the season. He started 12 of 13 games played as a sophomore, garnering first-team All-Pac-12 honors (in academics as well as on the field) and posting 59 stops, 3.5 for loss, two sacks, and an interception. Multiple All-American honors came his way in 2018, as did another first-team all-conference nod after he made plays around the line of scrimmage (59 tackles, six for loss, five sacks) and in coverage (two interceptions, five pass breakups while also finding himself around the ball (three fumble recoveries).
Overview
Versatile three-year starter who combines tenacity with football intelligence to play at a consistently high level. Rapp isn’t big, but he’s well-built and durability hasn’t been a concern despite his physical nature as a striker. He played all over the field this year and might be best-suited in a mix between down safety and two-high looks with the ability to cover tight ends. His coverage talent is average, but his run support effort and open-field tackling are clearly defined strengths that make him a relatively safe selection.Strengths
Good size with compact frame and well-built chest
Mister Fix-It asked to play all over the field for the defense
Football intelligence considered top notch
Despite compact frame, moves well
Able to handle man cover duties on tight ends
Impressive talent to diagnose and flow as box safety
Recognizes run lane development like a running back
Takes accurate pursuit angles
Hip sink and footwork are catalysts for open-field tackling
Always comes to balance and widens out to tackle
Loves to thump
Gifted kickoff cover manWeaknesses
Hands out punishment but absorbs his share as well
Can trigger a little earlier in run support from two-high
Average lateral burst as open-field tackler
Might be out-paced by NFL runners in his race to the edge
Ability to range over the top appears to be just average
Ball production has dropped since freshman season
Routes to the throw can be fairly conservative
Might have left some interceptions and breakups on the fieldznModeratorPHDram
ourlads ranked him as the #1 safety
26th player overall.April 26, 2019 at 9:36 pm in reply to: All of that wheeling and dealing for an extremely slow, undersized safety? #100374znModeratorRams have a superlative record drafting DBs under Snead and that was even before Wade.
So I will give this one the benefit of the doubt.
znModeratorVincent Bonsignore@VinnyBonsignore
The talk within the #Rams building was Les Snead might target the third round to stockpile.The #Rams felt the group of prospects from the end of the 1st through the 3rd was pretty close in terms of talent. So it makes sense to stockpile.
Some recent 3rd rd picks by the #Rams: Trumaine Johnson, T.J. McDonald, Jamon Brown, John Johnson, Cooper Kupp, Joe Noteboom
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