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Hey Rams fans! I’m going to try a new weekly segment here that I hope you enjoy called Mid-Week Ramblings, hence the MWR in the title. Think MMQB, but Ram’d up a little bit. Basically I’ll go through the latest Rams news, give my opinions, throw in some discussion points and random thoughts, and go from there. Let’s begin shall we!
Rams Trivia
Here’s a little draft week trivia to get everybody thinking before I get started. How many No. 87 overall selections have the Rams had and who were they? (Answers in No. 5 of my quick thoughts)
Draft Week
* It’s finally draft week, the week that we’ve all been waiting for. However, unfortunately like last year, we have to wait until not just day two, but late day two for the Rams to finally pick. The Rams’ first pick doesn’t happen until No. 87 overall.
That’s going to be a lot of waiting, but what we can’t forget is that the Rams technically have already made their first two round choices. They used their first round pick to trade for Brandon Cooks and used their second round pick on Sammy Watkins. Obviously, that second round selection ended up being a wasted pick.
However, an interesting fact that I’d like to point out is that Cooks, 24, is a mere 16 months older than the top receiver prospect in the draft, Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, 23. The Rams get a player that has 61 games of experience and is a proven commodity rather than a complete unknown.
Despite not picking until the 87th overall pick, the Rams have options. With three picks in the fourth round and another three in the sixth, it’s going to feel like the Rams dominate day three, not to mention they can use those picks to move up if need be.
The value in this draft isn’t in the first two rounds. The value is in rounds 3-5. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Rams use a fourth and a sixth to either move up in the third or try and pick up an extra third round pick in general.
By signing players like Suh and trading for players like Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, and Brandon Cooks, the Rams have their core group of guys. Right now it’s about building the role players around them which are those mid-round guys.
Star players on any team’s roster in the NFL most of the time come out of the first round. However, the “meat” of a team’s roster are those mid-round, late-round players.
That’s what the Rams need. They don’t need star players, because they already have their core group of Gurley, Goff, Donald, Peters, Cooks, etc. They need to add meat on the bone, which is where those mid-round picks come in. If the Rams can hit on their picks in the third and fourth round, they will be the next big thing in the NFL.
Players I Like
As far as what the Rams do in the draft. That’s a tough one. Their obvious needs are edge, inside linebacker, offensive line, defensive line depth, and secondary depth. Guys like Uchenna Nwosu and Micah Kiser immediately come to mind entering the third round.
Trade up or down?
Prior to the Rams trading out of the 23rd overall pick, trading down was my ideal scenario. However, circumstances have changed. If a guy like Arden Key does in fact end of dropping or Leighton Vander Esch falls due to medical issues, then the Rams need to pounce. Les Snead has the arsenal with three fourth round picks and three sixth round picks. The Rams will not keep all of those. The ideal scenario would be to trade up in the third to get a talented player, but don’t be surprised of they trade down from one of their fourth round picks to get into the fifth round.
Surprise Picks
The Rams will end up surprising some people with who they choose. Last year, Gerald Everett wasn’t on anybody’s radar until his name was called. Running back, tight end, quarterback and wide receiver aren’t seen as huge needs for this team. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rams take two out of three of those positions. They need to find a solution behind Gurley. Rashaad Penny, Akrum Wadley, and Ito Smith all make sense and are all guys the Rams have met with. They’ve also spoken with their fair share of tight ends, which makes me think they aren’t sold on Tyler Higbee.
Furthermore, wide receiver Dante Pettis has met with the Rams. I don’t think Sean McVay is sold on the wide receiver depth i.e. Mike Thomas. The same can be said for Sean Mannion. McVay needs to get his guy. Had Mannion put out a good showing against San Francisco in the season finale last year, he likely would have been traded at this point. Don’t be surprised if the Rams draft a quarterback in the fifth or sixth round to compete with Mannion for the backup job. These are all positions to keep an eye on especially on day three.
Aaron Donald
In case you weren’t paying attention, Aaron Donald did not show up to voluntary workouts again. That shouldn’t come as a surprise considering his holdout last year and the fact a long-term deal still hasn’t gotten done. To add some context to this. Donald was the only player who did not show up.
Let’s get this straight: I believe a long-term deal gets done before training camp and it’s going to be a lucrative deal. What also needs to be remembered however is that the Rams also have him under contract for the next three years with the franchise tag. I don’t think this situation gets to that point, as the Rams need to be able to have flexibility in the cap.
Something should get done before training camp. Whether or not it does though is to be determined.
NFL Schedule
The NFL released its schedule last Thursday and here are some quick takeaways.
* Despite the Rams supposedly having a difficult schedule, I believe it sets up perfectly for them. They don’t travel away from the west coast until November when they go to New Orleans.
* The Rams play five primetime games in 2018 and it’s more than just Thursday Night Football. It’s amazing what happens when you have an exciting team that the NFL can actually market to its fans.
* Games against Minnesota, Green Bay, New Orleans, and Philadelphia may seem daunting, but two of the three take place in Los Angeles.
* The toughest part of this schedule in my opinion is the back-to-back home/away against Green Bay and New Orleans. Every game in the NFL is tough, but with Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers coming to town and then having to bounce back against another physical team in New Orleans, it won’t be easy.
* The Monday Night game against Oakland will be rough, and not necessarily because of the opponent. It will be mostly for the fans and mostly for fans on the east coast. Not only will the Rams play the last game of Week 1 forcing all fans to sit through Sunday and all day Monday not being able to see their team, but east coast fans such as myself will have to be ready for a long night. The game starts at 10:20 p.m. ET. The Rams played in this exact slot two years ago against San Francisco, and with them being in a west coast market, I’d expect it to happen more frequently.
* When all is said and done, my expectations are 12-4 and a bye in the playoffs. My losses come to Minnesota, San Francisco, Seattle, and Green Bay.
Offseason Thoughts
1. One thing that I would like to discuss is Les Snead’s offseason plan up to this point. ESPN’s Brian Barnwell tweeted, “The difference between the Eagles “go for it” strategy last year and the Rams this year is that the Eagles still had a full complement of draft picks. Rams have one of the smallest draft arsenals of the last decade.”
A twitter user responded with: “Also the Rams didn’t really add much the replaced Watkins with Cooks the Replaced Johnson an elite CB with a very good peters and avg Talib. The eagles added to what they had Rams are adding only after creating a new hole.”
A few issues with both of these tweets. First off: The Rams have eight draft picks. Sure they don’t have a first or second round pick, but as we already discussed, they acquired a wide receiver who is only 16 months older than the most talented receiver in this draft and they have eight draft picks.
The draft isn’t necessarily about quality as much as it is about quantity. If you have enough darts, eventually you’re going to hit the center. The more darts you have the better chance you have of hitting.
Unlike teams in the first round, the Rams have had more time to spend on these mid-round players. Theoretically, they should have success because of that.
Take last year for example. The Rams didn’t have a first round pick and hit on guys like Cooper Kupp, John Johnson, and Samson Ebukam in the mid-to-late rounds. That doesn’t include Josh Reynolds.
Meanwhile, look at 2013 when the Rams have four picks in the top 100 and Tavon Austin is the only one of those four players still on the roster. The 2016 Cleveland Browns arguably failed to hit on any of their six picks in the top-100. The point here is that just because the Rams don’t have a first round pick, doesn’t mean they can’t have success in the draft.
As far as how this relates to the Eagles’ 2017 offseason, the argument that Philadelphia added better talent whereas the Rams just added equal talent while creating more holes is simply false. No player has more interceptions than Marcus Peters since he entered the league. According to Pro Football Focus, Trumaine Johnson has been above-average. The Rams got younger at the position and added a more talented player. Upgrade.
They replaced Kavyon Webster with Talib. Granted he’s an aging Talib, but he can still play and he won’t be asked to be the No. 1 in Los Angeles. Webster did not grade well last season. Upgrade.
Brandin Cooks has three straight 1,000 yard seasons while Sammy Watkins has just one and hasn’t cracked more than 600 in the last two. Watkins may have the higher ceiling, but Cooks has the higher floor and has the production to back it up. Upgrade.
The Rams did lose Ogletree, but Wade Phillips has proven that he can develop mid-round guys at that position. Both Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan were sixth round picks. These were the top-inside linebackers with the Broncos while Phillips was in Denver. Ogletree played well for the most part, but he is replaceable.
- Quotable: “…let’s go way back to 2012. You know we traded the No. 2 pick overall to the Redskins that ended up being known as the RG3 [Robert Griffin III] deal, but the whole purpose of that was to acquire as many draft picks as possible. We got to build a young core because at that point it’s nearly, let’s call it 26 players of the 53 who finished on that 2011 Rams team never played in the NFL again, so you knew we had we had to replenish this with a good core, and over the years you draft it, but last year we tipped into let’s call it being a ‘legit contender.’ So at that point, you’re well aware, wait a minute, we want to sustain this, we want to keep contending. And, I’ll always say this, I got a simple rule: You can’t be scared in this league.” – Les Snead
Like I said earlier, the Rams have their core group of guys. Now it’s time to add the meat to the roster and get guys that will win you a championship.
Top Reads
1. Rams Talk Radio – Episode 2018-36
Be sure to check out the latest episode of Rams Talk Radio. The guys have Jack Youngblood on for the 100th episode and you won’t want to miss it.
2. Why the NFL Draft Isn’t As Important as it Used to Be: Boston Globe
A lot of what I discussed in this column is also discussed here. It goes through Les Snead’s plan of trading picks for experienced players and how the Patriots have done much of the same thing over the years.
3. DTR Draft Chronicles: Edge Rushers – Downtown Rams
Jake Ellenbogen takes a look at Edge Rushers that the Rams could target in the draft and gives great in depth analysis on each of them. Arden Key is a guy that really stands out to me. Once considered a top-15 pick, he’s a guy that could slide to the third round for the Rams to jump on.
4. Jared Goff Goes Undercover – TheRams Wire
Jared Goff went undercover as a transfer high school quarterback. It’s quite hilarious if you haven’t seen it already.
5. Jared Goff Trade Offers Case Study in Moving Up for QBs – OC Register
Quick Thoughts
1. The Rams exercised the 5th year options for Todd Gurley and Marcus Peters. These will both be situations to monitor over the next two years. Do the Rams give Gurley a big second contract? Will Peters be in LA for the long-term? The Rams will answer these questions over time.
2. I’m interested to see how Les Snead uses his fourth and sixth round picks. They have the arsenal to move up and Snead hasn’t been afraid to make trades in the past.
3. The Rams will be announcing their day three picks from the construction site in Inglewood. Stan Kroeke clearly wants to showcase the new site and get fans excited on the progress that’s being made.
4. Gear up Rams fans because the wait until 87 is going to be a long one.
5. The Rams drafted tackle Shawn Harper 87th overall in 1992, kicker Chuck Nelson in 1987, and John Sanders in 1972.
Final Thoughts
The wait to 87 is going to be a long one, but it’s also the actual beginning of the 2018 NFL season. New faces will be in the building, there will be excitement and speculation as to where player A will fit on team, and it marks one more Thursday closer to NFL kickoff.
This draft should be a fun one and nobody knows what to expect, but the road to Super Bowl 53.
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Hey Rams fans! I’m going to try a new weekly segment here that I hope you enjoy called Mid-Week Ramblings, hence the MWR in the title. Think MMQB, but Ram’d up a little bit. Basically I’ll go through the latest Rams news, give my opinions, throw in some discussion points and random thoughts, and go from there. Let’s begin shall we!
Rams Trivia
Here’s a little draft week trivia to get everybody thinking before I get started. How many No. 87 overall selections have the Rams had and who were they? (Answers in No. 5 of my quick thoughts)
Draft Week
* It’s finally draft week, the week that we’ve all been waiting for. However, unfortunately like last year, we have to wait until not just day two, but late day two for the Rams to finally pick. The Rams’ first pick doesn’t happen until No. 87 overall.
That’s going to be a lot of waiting, but what we can’t forget is that the Rams technically have already made their first two round choices. They used their first round pick to trade for Brandon Cooks and used their second round pick on Sammy Watkins. Obviously, that second round selection ended up being a wasted pick.
However, an interesting fact that I’d like to point out is that Cooks, 24, is a mere 16 months older than the top receiver prospect in the draft, Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, 23. The Rams get a player that has 61 games of experience and is a proven commodity rather than a complete unknown.
Despite not picking until the 87th overall pick, the Rams have options. With three picks in the fourth round and another three in the sixth, it’s going to feel like the Rams dominate day three, not to mention they can use those picks to move up if need be.
The value in this draft isn’t in the first two rounds. The value is in rounds 3-5. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Rams use a fourth and a sixth to either move up in the third or try and pick up an extra third round pick in general.
By signing players like Suh and trading for players like Aqib Talib, Marcus Peters, and Brandon Cooks, the Rams have their core group of guys. Right now it’s about building the role players around them which are those mid-round guys.
Star players on any team’s roster in the NFL most of the time come out of the first round. However, the “meat” of a team’s roster are those mid-round, late-round players.
That’s what the Rams need. They don’t need star players, because they already have their core group of Gurley, Goff, Donald, Peters, Cooks, etc. They need to add meat on the bone, which is where those mid-round picks come in. If the Rams can hit on their picks in the third and fourth round, they will be the next big thing in the NFL.
Players I Like
As far as what the Rams do in the draft. That’s a tough one. Their obvious needs are edge, inside linebacker, offensive line, defensive line depth, and secondary depth. Guys like Uchenna Nwosu and Micah Kiser immediately come to mind entering the third round.
Trade up or down?
Prior to the Rams trading out of the 23rd overall pick, trading down was my ideal scenario. However, circumstances have changed. If a guy like Arden Key does in fact end of dropping or Leighton Vander Esch falls due to medical issues, then the Rams need to pounce. Les Snead has the arsenal with three fourth round picks and three sixth round picks. The Rams will not keep all of those. The ideal scenario would be to trade up in the third to get a talented player, but don’t be surprised of they trade down from one of their fourth round picks to get into the fifth round.
Surprise Picks
The Rams will end up surprising some people with who they choose. Last year, Gerald Everett wasn’t on anybody’s radar until his name was called. Running back, tight end, quarterback and wide receiver aren’t seen as huge needs for this team. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rams take two out of three of those positions. They need to find a solution behind Gurley. Rashaad Penny, Akrum Wadley, and Ito Smith all make sense and are all guys the Rams have met with. They’ve also spoken with their fair share of tight ends, which makes me think they aren’t sold on Tyler Higbee.
Furthermore, wide receiver Dante Pettis has met with the Rams. I don’t think Sean McVay is sold on the wide receiver depth i.e. Mike Thomas. The same can be said for Sean Mannion. McVay needs to get his guy. Had Mannion put out a good showing against San Francisco in the season finale last year, he likely would have been traded at this point. Don’t be surprised if the Rams draft a quarterback in the fifth or sixth round to compete with Mannion for the backup job. These are all positions to keep an eye on especially on day three.
Aaron Donald
In case you weren’t paying attention, Aaron Donald did not show up to voluntary workouts again. That shouldn’t come as a surprise considering his holdout last year and the fact a long-term deal still hasn’t gotten done. To add some context to this. Donald was the only player who did not show up.
Let’s get this straight: I believe a long-term deal gets done before training camp and it’s going to be a lucrative deal. What also needs to be remembered however is that the Rams also have him under contract for the next three years with the franchise tag. I don’t think this situation gets to that point, as the Rams need to be able to have flexibility in the cap.
Something should get done before training camp. Whether or not it does though is to be determined.
NFL Schedule
The NFL released its schedule last Thursday and here are some quick takeaways.
* Despite the Rams supposedly having a difficult schedule, I believe it sets up perfectly for them. They don’t travel away from the west coast until November when they go to New Orleans.
* The Rams play five primetime games in 2018 and it’s more than just Thursday Night Football. It’s amazing what happens when you have an exciting team that the NFL can actually market to its fans.
* Games against Minnesota, Green Bay, New Orleans, and Philadelphia may seem daunting, but two of the three take place in Los Angeles.
* The toughest part of this schedule in my opinion is the back-to-back home/away against Green Bay and New Orleans. Every game in the NFL is tough, but with Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers coming to town and then having to bounce back against another physical team in New Orleans, it won’t be easy.
* The Monday Night game against Oakland will be rough, and not necessarily because of the opponent. It will be mostly for the fans and mostly for fans on the east coast. Not only will the Rams play the last game of Week 1 forcing all fans to sit through Sunday and all day Monday not being able to see their team, but east coast fans such as myself will have to be ready for a long night. The game starts at 10:20 p.m. ET. The Rams played in this exact slot two years ago against San Francisco, and with them being in a west coast market, I’d expect it to happen more frequently.
* When all is said and done, my expectations are 12-4 and a bye in the playoffs. My losses come to Minnesota, San Francisco, Seattle, and Green Bay.
Offseason Thoughts
1. One thing that I would like to discuss is Les Snead’s offseason plan up to this point. ESPN’s Brian Barnwell tweeted, “The difference between the Eagles “go for it” strategy last year and the Rams this year is that the Eagles still had a full complement of draft picks. Rams have one of the smallest draft arsenals of the last decade.”
A twitter user responded with: “Also the Rams didn’t really add much the replaced Watkins with Cooks the Replaced Johnson an elite CB with a very good peters and avg Talib. The eagles added to what they had Rams are adding only after creating a new hole.”
A few issues with both of these tweets. First off: The Rams have eight draft picks. Sure they don’t have a first or second round pick, but as we already discussed, they acquired a wide receiver who is only 16 months older than the most talented receiver in this draft and they have eight draft picks.
The draft isn’t necessarily about quality as much as it is about quantity. If you have enough darts, eventually you’re going to hit the center. The more darts you have the better chance you have of hitting.
Unlike teams in the first round, the Rams have had more time to spend on these mid-round players. Theoretically, they should have success because of that.
Take last year for example. The Rams didn’t have a first round pick and hit on guys like Cooper Kupp, John Johnson, and Samson Ebukam in the mid-to-late rounds. That doesn’t include Josh Reynolds.
Meanwhile, look at 2013 when the Rams have four picks in the top 100 and Tavon Austin is the only one of those four players still on the roster. The 2016 Cleveland Browns arguably failed to hit on any of their six picks in the top-100. The point here is that just because the Rams don’t have a first round pick, doesn’t mean they can’t have success in the draft.
As far as how this relates to the Eagles’ 2017 offseason, the argument that Philadelphia added better talent whereas the Rams just added equal talent while creating more holes is simply false. No player has more interceptions than Marcus Peters since he entered the league. According to Pro Football Focus, Trumaine Johnson has been above-average. The Rams got younger at the position and added a more talented player. Upgrade.
They replaced Kavyon Webster with Talib. Granted he’s an aging Talib, but he can still play and he won’t be asked to be the No. 1 in Los Angeles. Webster did not grade well last season. Upgrade.
Brandin Cooks has three straight 1,000 yard seasons while Sammy Watkins has just one and hasn’t cracked more than 600 in the last two. Watkins may have the higher ceiling, but Cooks has the higher floor and has the production to back it up. Upgrade.
The Rams did lose Ogletree, but Wade Phillips has proven that he can develop mid-round guys at that position. Both Brandon Marshall and Danny Trevathan were sixth round picks. These were the top-inside linebackers with the Broncos while Phillips was in Denver. Ogletree played well for the most part, but he is replaceable.
Like I said earlier, the Rams have their core group of guys. Now it’s time to add the meat to the roster and get guys that will win you a championship.
Top Reads
1. Rams Talk Radio – Episode 2018-36
Be sure to check out the latest episode of Rams Talk Radio. The guys have Jack Youngblood on for the 100th episode and you won’t want to miss it.
2. Why the NFL Draft Isn’t As Important as it Used to Be: Boston Globe
A lot of what I discussed in this column is also discussed here. It goes through Les Snead’s plan of trading picks for experienced players and how the Patriots have done much of the same thing over the years.
3. DTR Draft Chronicles: Edge Rushers – Downtown Rams
Jake Ellenbogen takes a look at Edge Rushers that the Rams could target in the draft and gives great in depth analysis on each of them. Arden Key is a guy that really stands out to me. Once considered a top-15 pick, he’s a guy that could slide to the third round for the Rams to jump on.
4. Jared Goff Goes Undercover – TheRams Wire
Jared Goff went undercover as a transfer high school quarterback. It’s quite hilarious if you haven’t seen it already.
5. Jared Goff Trade Offers Case Study in Moving Up for QBs – OC Register
Quick Thoughts
1. The Rams exercised the 5th year options for Todd Gurley and Marcus Peters. These will both be situations to monitor over the next two years. Do the Rams give Gurley a big second contract? Will Peters be in LA for the long-term? The Rams will answer these questions over time.
2. I’m interested to see how Les Snead uses his fourth and sixth round picks. They have the arsenal to move up and Snead hasn’t been afraid to make trades in the past.
3. The Rams will be announcing their day three picks from the construction site in Inglewood. Stan Kroeke clearly wants to showcase the new site and get fans excited on the progress that’s being made.
4. Gear up Rams fans because the wait until 87 is going to be a long one.
5. The Rams drafted tackle Shawn Harper 87th overall in 1992, kicker Chuck Nelson in 1987, and John Sanders in 1972.
Final Thoughts
The wait to 87 is going to be a long one, but it’s also the actual beginning of the 2018 NFL season. New faces will be in the building, there will be excitement and speculation as to where player A will fit on team, and it marks one more Thursday closer to NFL kickoff.
This draft should be a fun one and nobody knows what to expect, but the road to Super Bowl 53.
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