The St. Louis Rams on Thursday afternoon selected former Clemson left tackle Isaiah Battle in the fifth round of the NFL’s supplemental draft.
The selection also results in the Rams forfeiting their fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft. Battle is the first player to be taken in the supplemental draft since the Cleveland Browns took wide receiver Josh Gordon in 2012, and is the 43rd player selected in the supplemental draft’s history. Battle is also the first player taken in the supplemental draft by the Rams since the franchise moved from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1995.
The supplemental draft was created to allow underclassmen, who didn’t petition the league for early entry before the NFL Draft deadline but also are ineligible for the upcoming college season, a chance gain entry into the NFL.
Battle started 11 games for Clemson last season but decided to leave the school this past spring due to”family matters” that he felt that he needed to address. He had a checkered three-year collegiate career that included two suspensions, and a few off-the-field issues.
This includes being suspended in 2013 for a game because he threw a punch at a North Carolina State player. Last season, Battle was suspended for his team’s game against Syracuse for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. Battle was also been cited for possession of marijuana, speeding and lack of proof of insurance during a traffic stop on June 11.
That said, he entered the supplemental draft last month and drew 26 teams to his Pro day workout on Tuesday.
Over his collegiate career, Battle developed into an effective run-blocker. He has the ideal body frame for his position at 6’7” and 312 lbs and has the ability to pull while moving with good agility and speed. He is also able to position himself well when moving down the field on a pull or around the end on designated screen plays.
Battle does have the ability to play at the next level, but he needs to further develop his body and learn to play more effectively with his unique size. However, the biggest concern lies with his off-the-field behavior that will make or break his chances on playing in the NFL.
Rams general manager Les Snead stated following the selection on Thursday afternoon that the team plans on putting Battle through their offseason program, and have him begin his rookie campaign next season.
“We felt it was an opportunity to get an earlier round value for a later round price,” Rams General Manager Les Snead said. “He’s going to practice what would’ve been his final year of college eligibility with us, go through our offseason program, and then start his rookie season a year from now. This will allow us to bring him along gradually both on and off the field. Now it’s up to Isaiah and us to go work to reach his potential as a person and player.”
Although he won’t see the field in 2015, the 22-year-old will head into Rams’ training camp with a prime opportunity to compete with the team’s other young offensive tackles such as rookie Rob Havenstein, who taken in in the second round this year’s draft, and left tackle Greg Robinson, who selected with the second overall pick in 2014.
This is also not forgetting free agent addition Garrett Reynolds, and team’s two other picks in this year’s draft in third-rounder Jamon Brown, and fourth-round pick Andrew Donnal. All in all, it will make for an interesting training camp for Battle to gain valuable experience heading forward on his journey to the NFL.
Source: NFL.com, Stlouisrams.com
