The Official Rams Off-Season Thread

[holt_bruce81]

Originally Posted by NGSeiler

I'll be shocked if Austin is there in the middle of the second round. Unofficial sub-4.3 forty today should clinch him in the first, IMO.

Eh, everyone knew he was going to run a great Forty. He's still on the small side, and this Receiver class is stacked so I wouldn't be surprised if he's on the board at all.

Patterson, Hunter, Allen, Hopkins, Williams, Woods and maybe even Rogers could all go ahead him. Not that I agree with it

[holt_bruce81]

I'm sad that Knile Davis went beast mode today at the Combine. He was a guy I've liked for a long time and would love in the 5-7 round range, but now he for sure won't be there.

I like his teammates though, Dennis Johnson and Ronnie Wingo. Very interested in their pro day performance next month.

[holt_bruce81]

Gooden is looking good. With good coaching, he could be a very good Linebacker in the NFL.

[stlouisfan37]

I didn't get to see as much of the combine as I would like...had to work all weekend. But I did come away with some thoughts...

Tavon Austin is explosive, polished, and by far the most talented WR in this draft. If size is his only weakness then I can live with that. And he is a nice kid. I saw an interview with him on NFL Network and came away very impressed with how he carried himself. I want him with our #22 pick.

Lane Johnson is a stud...I'm afraid he won't make it to #16 now.

Warmack didn't look that athletic...do I care? No. He is my favorite for the #16 pick.

For whatever reason, analysts have Kyle Long staying put in the 3rd round, even though he has looked very good at every step of the offseason. I have been thinking that he would move into a 2nd round grade, but if he is still there in the 3rd, even better.

Alec Ogletree ran a 4.70...I thought he would run closer to 4.6. I still like him if he is there in the 2nd. I'm really after the high ceiling player these days.

His teammate, Cornelius Washington, came in at 6'4" and 265 and ran a 4.55. And 36 reps on the bench? For reals? Is this guy just a workout warrior or can he play? My guess is that with his size he is probably being looked at more as a 3-4 guy, though. I don't know anything about him. Any thoughts on this guy? What did Georgia run this year? I don't think I saw them more than once or twice.

Gooden ran super fast...I'm guessing he ran well in drills as well. 27 reps on the bench is very impressive at his size.

Does anyone know anything about Corey Lemonier? His numbers were very impressive. Same for Margus Hunt, Ziggy Ansah, Dion Jordan, Barkevious Mingo, and a kid named Ty Powell from Harding. Jeff Fisher has to be salivating at this class of DE's.

Shariff Floyd was the fastest DT. There is also a young guy named Nicholas Williams from Samford that ran under a 5.0...gonna have to dig up some footage on him if I can. I do see us taking another defensive lineman in this draft, even if it isn't real early.

74 non-quarterbacks chose not to do the bench press at this combine, roughly one quarter. Has this been a growing trend that I never noticed before? Do guys just want more time during the offseason before they do this drill?

One last thing... Margus Hunt put up a fantastic triangle...4.60 forty, 37" vertical, 38 reps...all at 6'8" and 277 pounds. He probably shot right up team boards with this workout, but I really hope he didn't shoot up ours. I think he is a way better athlete than football player, and I just don't see him becoming a great player.

[holt_bruce81]

Tavon Austin is one of my favorites in the entire draft, I have him ranked as my 3rd receiver behind DeAndre Hopkins and Keenan Allen. Honestly there are at least Ten Receivers in this class that I would love to have. I can see them snagging two of them, but that would be six WRs drafted in the last 3 years.

I'm in agreement with you over Lane Johnson, dude has soo much potential. Could end up being the best Tackle in this draft class.

I agree with you on Kyle Long, to me he's a top 64 selection. He's had a really good offseason and I do think the coaches are going to look at bloodlines.

Not a fan of Ogletree, never seen it with him. I think there are a handful of Linebackers that are better. To me, he's a 3rd rounder.

Ziggy reminds me of Robert Quinn, just super raw but has potential that is through the roof. And I think your boy Dion Jordan solidified himself as a top 12 selection. I've even been seeing his as high as #4 to the Eagles to play for his HC at Oregon.

I don't know why Gooden isn't getting more Pub than what he is. Maybe 4-3 Weakside Linebackers aren't really sexy.

Gooden's rankings among Linebackers (35 total)

4.47 Forty (1st)
10'11" Broad Jump (2nd)
34 inch Vertical (6th)
4.18 20-yard shuttle (1st)
11.28 60-yard shuttle (1st)
27 bench reps (4th)
6.71 3-cone drill (1st)

IMO he solidified himself as a day 2 selection.

[holt_bruce81]

Ok guys we just got done with the Free Agency period in the Forum Mock

Rams signing:

1. William Hayes DE (2 years/5 million/2.5 per)
2. Quintin Mikell S (1 year/ 2 million) - Released and resigned
3. Bradley Fletcher CB (2 years/6 million/3 million per)
4. Will Svitek OT - (1 year, 1 million)
5. Dennis Pitta TE (3 years/15 million/5 million per)
6. Brandon Gibson WR (1 year/1.5 million)

Key Loses:

1. Steven Jackson: 1 year/4 million (Packers)
2. Danny Amendola 3 years/18 million (Jaguars)

Love the signing of Pitta, gives Bradford two really solid pass catching Tight Ends. To compare, Tony Gonzalez got 6 million per, JerMichael Finley got 6.25 million, Jared Cook got 3.5 million

[stlouisfan37]

I love Pitta. Throughout the postseason I saw him grow into a weapon that was dependable; he knows how to hit the defense where it counts at the right time. He catches the ball and gets the most out of each play. But how is it that we would sign him? He has only been in the league 3 years and is not an unrestricted FA.

[NGSeiler]

My latest Rams 7-rounder...

1: Jon Cooper, OG, North Carolina
1: Keenan Allen, WR, Cal
2: Kyle Long, OT, Oregon
3: Phillip Thomas, S, Fresno State
4: Zaviar Gooden, LB, Missouri
5: Conner Vernon, WR, Duke
6: Zac Stacy, RB, Vanderbilt
7: Lucas Reed, TE, New Mexico

[freebirdsrams02]

With the Rams cutting ties with OT Wayne Hunter they save 4 million for cap space.

I read an article where it shows that with the draft picks the Rams have they will need a little more than 6 million to sign them.

If they make a few more cuts Mikell and Dahl the Rams will be able to make some good moves and bring most of their guys back that they want to keep.

[ArkyRamsFan]

Originally Posted by freebirdsrams02

With the Rams cutting ties with OT Wayne Hunter they save 4 million for cap space.

I read an article where it shows that with the draft picks the Rams have they will need a little more than 6 million to sign them.

If they make a few more cuts Mikell and Dahl the Rams will be able to make some good moves and bring most of their guys back that they want to keep.

Well, with Steven voiding his contract today we saved about another $7 mill so it looks like you got your wish.

Dahl is getting around $4 mill or so which is not too bad for a starting quality OG in this league. I say we keep him.

I would like to see Mikell rework his contract for some additional cap relief but we'll have to wait and see.

Also, I don't expect either Jax or 'Dola to be back so we may have a little more cap space than originally thought.


WHAT SAY YE?

[freebirdsrams02]

Yea I like Dahl and if he can stay healthy he is worth the 4 mil.

If Mikell can restructure his contract then keep him, if not they need to let him go. To much money there that they can use else where.

I agree with that Jackson and Amendola won't be back. I hear the Falcons are already linked to Jackson and the Patriots want Amendola if they can't get Welker back. So if the Rams want to keep either one they will end up paying more than they want.

They should resign guys like Hayes, Gibson, and Turner and restructure Mikell and then go after a few FA's. they will find 2 or 3 starters in the draft as well.

[freebirdsrams02]

There seems to be a lot of OT in Free Agency if the Rams go that way. They will need to find a OG in the draft.

[holt_bruce81]

Originally Posted by NGSeiler

My latest Rams 7-rounder...

1: Jon Cooper, OG, North Carolina
1: Keenan Allen, WR, Cal
2: Kyle Long, OT, Oregon
3: Phillip Thomas, S, Fresno State
4: Zaviar Gooden, LB, Missouri
5: Conner Vernon, WR, Duke
6: Zac Stacy, RB, Vanderbilt
7: Lucas Reed, TE, New Mexico

I really like it man, I'm warming up to Cooper.

Our forum mock just ended today.

1. Jarvis Jones LB, Georgia
1. Tavon Ausin WR, West Virginia
2. Datone Jones DE, UCLA
3. Duke Williams S, Nevada
4. Montee Ball RB, Wisconsin
5. Hugh Thornton OG, Illinois
6. Jordan Mills OT, Louisiana Tech
6. Josh Boyce WR, TCU
7. Rontez Miles S, California (PA)

Tried going best player available. I think Thornton, Mills and Ball could all be top 100 picks in this draft. And actually with that pick in the 6th round, I was debating between Boyce, TJ Moe and Conner Vernon.

Rontez Miles is going to make an NFL Roster. Dude knocks people out. Would love him on this team.

Also, stlouisfan37 I signed Pitta because he was an RFA but the Ravens didn't offer him a contract and didn't tender him so during our 2nd wave of Free Agency he became unrestricted.

[NGSeiler]

While I certainly understand the argument from a value perspective, I'm not a huge fan personally of Jarvis Jones to the Rams and probably would have gone Cooper/Fluker there. Austin w/ the second 1st rounder is a great pick, especially with Amendola leaving.

Jones is good value in the second, but with Long/Quinn starting, how often will he really see the field? It would be tough for me to pass on Larry Warford in that spot. Situational player on an already solid defense vs. much needed every down starter on an offense in need of improvement.

In the third round, I'm a big Phillip Thomas fan, but I can get behind Duke Williams as well. A bit early for my taste but I understand he's regarded as a Day Two guy by others.

Ball in the fourth is great, and the rest of the picks are solid. Overall, going BPA certainly landed you some good value, but I'd be a bit worried about whether enough was done to improve Bradford's protection if this was how the offseason played out.

[holt_bruce81]

Datone Jones is regarded by some as a top 20 selection. He has experience lining up inside and outside so I think he can be a really valuable piece to the defense. And I still don't want Quinn out there on run downs.

[NGSeiler]

Originally Posted by holt_bruce81

Datone Jones is regarded by some as a top 20 selection. He has experience lining up inside and outside so I think he can be a really valuable piece to the defense. And I still don't want Quinn out there on run downs.

Good points. I definitely understand it from a value perspective. I'd just like to see something done to improve the OL before mid Day Three, and that's one area where someone was still on the board in Round Two. But yeah, it's tough to argue with Jones' value in the mid second.

[freebirdsrams02]

Any thoughts on who the Rams will target on Tuesday with Free Agency starting. I don't see them going crazy early but I do think they will be making some moves and bringing in some new guys. Hopefully we are able to bring back the right guys as well.

[NGSeiler]

Daniel Jeremiah has a thought that I know some here share...

If Boldin hits the market, Sam Bradford should beg his bosses to bring him to STL.

https://twitter.com/MoveTheSticks/st...76585622016001

[NGSeiler]

Jim Thomas is reporting Brandon Gibson will not be back in St. Louis, and Amendola wants a Hartline-like deal...

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/footb...f0e292ac4.html

[holt_bruce81]

If Q is wanting 6 million, forget it.

[stlouisfan37]

Originally Posted by holt_bruce81

If Q is wanting 6 million, forget it.

Since when is $6 million a lot of money for a #1 receiver? I'd give Boldin a 2-year/$12 million deal in a heartbeat. He is a money receiver, a great guy in the locker room, and I guarantee, if we did bring him in, both Quick and Givens would improve by leaps and bounds over the next 2 years. Torrey Smith was all athlete and no polish when he came into the league.

[freebirdsrams02]

Looks like Quintin Mikell will be released tomorrow.

[holt_bruce81]

Originally Posted by freebirdsrams02

Looks like Quintin Mikell will be released tomorrow.

Yeah I saw that. Expected move.

[NGSeiler]

I'm really not sure I like this cut. It's only providing a $3 million cap savings with $6 million in dead money still on the books. I understand his $9 million cap charge while under contract was high, but I prefer that to $6 million and him not being here. It doesn't help that it seems as if the free agent safeties in the Rams' price range that could be added either have injury concerns or at least to me are a talent downgrade. But we'll see what happens.

[holt_bruce81]

Hate Seattle. :( oh well.

16+ million is to rich for my taste.