I appreciate you guys bringing this material in here, but I feel like there hasn’t been enough attention given to Shadeur Sanders. I was actually thinking we should have a Shadeur Sanders Forum here, but if not that, at least a thread anchored to the top of this forum.

I miss the blue board.

zn wrote:

And one thing every pick has in common. They are all intense players, to the point of ferocious. They don’t all have ideal physical traits for their position (though Ferguson does), but they all play aggressively, like they want to BE the dogs of war.

This is the first thing that comes to my mind. I think that the Rams really have an angle on the draft that is serving them very well, and that is that they ask foremost, “Is this guy a Ram?” The emphasis on character has paid off for them. Aaron Donald, Cooper Kupp, Matthew Stafford – these guys worked their asses off, and put team goals above personal goals. That is what McVay means by “being a Ram.” Skill and talent matters, obviously.

And it is interesting to me that only ONE of the picks came in a slot the Rams owned originally. Every other guy was picked in a slot they traded for. They had their 7 different pools of players, and they targeted their guys, and when it was time to move, they moved. They don’t just sit there and let the chips fall where they may. They have a plan, and they go do it.

So they got guys. On purpose. They don’t just draft, and then see what happens in camp. They know how they intend to use these guys.

I also agree with wv. We have to add that extra #1 next year to the evaluation of the overall grade the week gets, and I think that’s the biggest W of draft. They may use it to get their future QB, or they may use it to get a Von Miller, OBJ, or Jalen Ramsey if they hit the trade deadline and need a piece to get the hardware this year.

Apart from that sensational trade, I think the Chris Paul acquisition is potentially the biggest steal. We all knew they had to be sifting the draft for a body to plug in the middle, but I didn’t expect it to be a guy with this kind of report, and to grab him in the 5th seems like another Rams’ miracle

A mild surprise is no OT. I noticed that Logan Brown went undrafted. I know him only because Ellenborgen mentioned him in that video wv posted of the Jones pick. I’m sure the Rams are filling in the OL with UDFAs as we speak, though, and the need isn’t dire there, so it’s not really a disappointment.

Anyway. We shall see.

zn wrote:

Rams Bros.@RamsBrothers
Per ESPN Research, Rams’ 8-straight years drafting a running back is the longest active streak in the NFL and the longest streak by any team since Washington from 2011-2020.

Bit of a coincidence that McVay was on that Washington staff. Can imagine many are pissed over this pick

I took it for granted that they would get a RB. Don’t know why anybody would be pissed. I like Kyren, but as productive as he has been (especially for his draft position), he isn’t Gurley, Jackson, Faulk, Bettis, Dickerson. And he has been hurt, and nearing the end of his contract. I would have been surprised if they didn’t draft a RB in a draft class deep with good ones.

InvaderRam wrote:

i really hope this is true and not just a “mcvay pick”. this could be huge for the rams. i was hoping allen could be that guy, but he hasn’t been able to break through. plus who knows if higbee will even be back after next season.

This one little insight warms me up to him considerably, and I don’t doubt that Jourdan’s comment is true. The other thing that caught my eye was McVay talking about how Ferguson has a skill set he can scheme for to add as a weapon (presumably in a way that Higbee lacks, or is not as good at).

We know that the Rams were making noise about drafting Bowers last year, so adding a TE has been part of McVay’s strategic vision for a couple of years now. So all that is good.

And I doubt Higbee is here in 2026, fwiw.

zn wrote:

I might not be here till after this pick so fill the thread in if you want

If you aren’t going to do your job, then I’m going to move back to the blue board.

The last time I got excited by a tight end was never.

I’d be more than happy to deny I ever posted this.

I happened to be late to get in my car for my short commute to work, and that was propitious because it allowed me to hear the SFO station go Full Meltdown for about a minute or so about the Rams’ trade. They hate it.

I will say this: the Rams next year will have the 32nd pick in the draft which is not high enough to draft Matthew Stafford’s replacement. I think we all agree that it is desirable to have a really good QB. Case Keenum and Nick Foles had some moments, but Matthew Stafford is preferable. So to draft a replacement for Stafford, or trade for one, that was going to cost the Rams a lot of capital.

IMO, they just acquired that capital, and it didn’t cost them much. They dropped from 26 to 46 in a draft where everybody in that range is rate more-or-less the same. So it’s a small sacrifice. Now the Rams are armed with 2 first rounders in 2026 which will be an attractive package to a team that doesn’t need to draft a QB. The Bears or the Commodores or whoever.

I’m sorry the Falcons did WHAT

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes.bsky.social) 2025-04-25T03:01:04.508Z

The Rams move back from 26 to 46 and stay in a good value position in this draft class. They receive a 2026 first round pick which allows them to be competitive and gives them ammo to move up next year if needed for a QB. Les Snead cooked.

— Blaine Grisak (@bgrisaktst.bsky.social) 2025-04-25T03:06:56.783Z

The Falcons blew a 28-3 first-round lead

— rivers mccown (@riversmccown.bsky.social) 2025-04-25T03:02:11.314Z

Welp. Seems like the consensus is the Rams did okay on this.

how hard were the Rams laughing during this trade call.

— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger.bsky.social) 2025-04-25T03:12:04.221Z

You have to respect the Rams. Every year, they rent the biggest, most extravagant place to draft from. And every year, they do their best to not draft until the second day. They just want to have a good time and enjoy the space

— Hector Diaz (@iamhectordiaz.com) 2025-04-25T03:31:50.970Z

Somebody is bitter.

I still can’t get past that Falcons Rams deal. Fuck the Rams I’m gonna have to root so hard for Penix and ATL

— VegasMILF?? (@justwhitney.bsky.social) 2025-04-25T03:45:48.819Z

Here's where the Falcons have ranked in sack rate each year since 2018:2018 262019 282020 262021 322022 322023 192024 31Don't think paying ~$1.62 on the dollar by the Jimmy Johnson chart to get a second edge rusher in Round 1 is good business. But they may have been driven insane.

— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell.com) 2025-04-25T03:19:49.253Z

Hram wrote:

I’m guessing they’d trade out even if Dart was still there. They really have 15 to 20 players rated about the same and they don’t have any specific need, then they essentially traded a third round pick this year for a first round pick next year. Sounds good to me.

I heard some expert dude yakking in a radio interview this morning, talking about QBs, and his opinion was that Dart had a modest ceiling. Like…he might be a decent starting QB, but nothing special. I think it was arm strength. In any event, I’ve also heard next year is stronger with QBs, so the Rams have something to package to move up to get a guy. Next year seems like better timing anyway, because I think Stafford has 2-3 years left at a high level of play.

I like it.