To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly. You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
The Los Angeles Rams don’t have a first-round pick in 2017, as it was traded away as part of the compensation for the rights to the first overall selection in 2016. As a result of the trade-up for QB Jared Goff the Rams don’t have a selection until pick No. 37 in the 2017 draft.
The Rams need to do a better job of protecting Goff. The free-agent addition of tackle Andrew Whitworth and center John Sullivan will go a long way in helping to keep Goff upright, but both players are on the backend of their careers and the Rams’ offensive line could use some youth. The Rams must also add playmakers at wide receiver and tight end if they want see marked improvement from Goff and their offense in 2017. Here’s some key targets and the key areas of need for Los Angeles in this year’s draft.
Need: Playmakers at wide receiver
The Rams had a thin wide receiver unit in 2016 but then lost their most productive receiver Kenny Britt in free agency. While they added free agent Robert Woods, they still need to add playmakers at wide receiver to go along with Woods and Tavon Austin. Goff had excellent red-zone touch and accuracy at Cal and the Rams would be wise to build to his strengths. The Rams could use a big body to haul in Goff’s passes into the end zone or to haul in third-down passes at the sticks and move the chains for the new Rams’ offense.
Early-round target: JuJu Smith Schuster, WR, USC
Smith-Schuster is a prospect who has shown he can win with strength and size. Although he has been inconsistent over the span of his career he has battled through some injuries and a shifting role in the USC offense. Still he has consistently gained yards after the catch and averaged 6.1 yards after the catch per completion over the last three years. If Smith-Schuster can play with the physical nature that he is capable of he would be an ideal candidate to help out Goff. Our friends at 120 Sports also thought JuJu Smith-Schuster is a good fit for the Rams, and discussed why in this video.
Mid- or late-round target: Jalen Robinette, WR, Air Force
Goff could use a big-bodied red-zone threat who can box his man out and catch touchdown passes. Robinette excelled at that role at Air Force and he could be a target if the Rams don’t add a wide receiver on the second day of the draft. Robinette plays wide receiver like a good rebounding forward in basketball. Robinette also displayed the leaping ability and ball skills to catch the passes that are targeted “helmet or higher” in the red zone so only the wide receiver can catch it. Robinette is also highly productive on downfield play-action passes and caught all 17 of his deep targets (20 or more yards downfield) for 699 yards.
Need: Center
The Rams will likely be running more outside zone runs under head coach Sean McVay in 2017 than they ran in 2016. While newly signed free agent John Sullivan knows McVay’s offense from their time together in Washington, a young athletic center would be a valued addition to the new offense. The opportunity to pair a talented young rookie center with Goff and let them develop together would have to be strongly considered.
Early-round target: Ethan Pocic, C, LSU
Pocic is our top-ranked center in the draft class. Pocic isn’t as athletic as some other centers in the draft but is long and rangy for a center and consistently demonstrated his effectiveness as a reach blocker on outside zone runs. More importantly for the Rams’ offense Pocic has been successful at keeping pass-rushers off his quarterback as he didn’t allow a sack or hit in 2016. Pocic has only allowed 2 sacks, 2 hits, and 27 hurries over the span of the last three seasons and 963 pass-blocking snaps.
Mid- or late-round target: Chase Roullier, OC, Wyoming
Roullier is an incredibly effective run-blocker and one of the most athletic centers in the draft class. Roullier is very good at reaching his man in outside zone run plays and splitting the defense. Roullier would be a great fit for the Rams’ new offensive scheme in 2017 and even if he isn’t selected until the third day of the draft, he would have a strong shot at winning the starting center spot. Roullier did not allow a sack and only gave up 1 hit and 7 hurries on 462 pass-block snaps in 2016.
Need: Cornerback
Just a few seasons ago the Rams secondary was a strength on the team but the depth and talent has been depleted via free agency. Expect the Rams to be playing a healthy dose of man coverage next season under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and as a result to be eyeing athletic cornerbacks who can stay with receivers in sticky man coverage. Luckily for the Rams this is a very deep cornerback class and they should be able to find at least one contributor at the position in the draft.
Early-round target: Adoree’ Jackson, CB, USC
Jackson is one of the better athletes in the draft class. He has tremendous catch-up speed and can make touchdown-saving tackles of fast running backs from behind. Jackson is still a bit raw in coverage technique but has tremendous ball skills and has broken up 19 passes and made 6 interceptions over the past three seasons. Jackson’s aforementioned ball skills, speed and his open-field running ability combine to make him a dangerous returner who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. Jackson could also be used on offense for a few snaps a game to supplement a thin wide receiver group much like the Cardinals did a few years ago with Patrick Peterson.
Mid- or late-round target: Shaquill Griffin, CB, Central Florida
Griffin’s coverage ability and grades improved each of the last three seasons and he finished 2016 with an impressive 87.2 coverage grade. He showed at the combine that he is one of the classes top athletes at the position by finishing in the top five among cornerbacks in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and broad jump. Furthermore, Griffin showed on film that he has the coverage ability necessary to play outside in Wade Phillips’ defense. Griffin only allowed 39.7 percent of the passes thrown into his coverage to be caught in 2016. Griffin is a talented cornerback who will get pushed down in the draft due to the depth at his position.
Personally....I'm not a fan of Adoree....I'd be ticked if we grab a wr early....I wanna see if Pocic is worth all this juice....Let me watch a couple of games...
I really like it. Jrry has me sold on Watt, so I might go with him in the 2nd instead, but that's nitpicking. If there is a raw LOT prospect on day 3 I would be tempted as well, but you have addressed pretty much all of our weak areas with impressive players, so I would be very happy if that is what we come away with.
I still shocked that people don't mention the fact that a good portion of our run game was based off misdirection with WR reverses and fly sweeps his 1st year. Gurley's probably not as bad as last year but I'm not sure he's as good as he was when misdirection gave him some gaping holes or put LBs in unenviable pursuit angles on him.
I've watched his man coverage film. He lacks the anticipation. He's always a tick late reacting to the WR's break. You watch the top man CBs in this draft and they smother the WR. Elder doesn't do that. He's a much better player with his eyes to the QB.
One thing that is only a matter of time is a space elevator. The sheer cost of boosting from our gravity well is insanely high, and even with the assumption that better propulsion systems loom in the near future a geosynchronous elevator would be enormously useful and cheaper over the long term. Technology is not as far off as many think.
They also have large scale type concepts like Launch Loops, some mind blowing stuff. Here's some cool links...
This is great input Dieterbrock. They Fee's are the main part my wife and I are concerned about, and we are looking into it! And we have a consultant lined up to look at it before we decide to go with it or not! I liked your example!!
My last advice would be to ask at least 2-3 lenders to provide you with a loan estimate which should show the difference in fees, then have a financial advisor/accountant/consultant look thru it with you.
Mortgage are so over-regulated right now that I wouldn't be afraid of being "ripped off" but that doesn't mean you cant shop for the best deal
So, far, trading away Wentz for more draft picks, when the QB market looks bad the following year, seems to be a big blunder.
Did Hue Jackson see something in Wentz that he didn't like? And if Hue is the QB whisperer, then why didn't he recognize that Dak Prescott was worthy of at least a second or third round pick?
At this point I am not impressed with the Browns moves. They had the money to sign some of their good, proven, young NFL talent. Yet they let guys like Schwarz, and Pryor leave. Getting Jamie Collins could be a great move or it could be that they just got a me first, Belichick cast off.
And all of those picks are not as valuable as the players that they let walk away, or traded. I understand the idea to amass picks to increase the odds of getting players but, it guarantees nothing. A proven NFL player is a guarantee. And if they do have a lot of draft picks pan out, in the future they will struggle to sign them when they get a pile of rookie deals expiring all at once.
Asking advice from Jimmy J is fine but one thing he had going for him was a network of insider info from friends and friends of friends in college, on who to take, plus firsthand personal experience right out of college. That was huge in his success in the draft in his first few years. Pete Carroll and the Seahawks did well in the drafts middle rounds when Pete came fresh out of college with experience playing against guys like Baldwin, and Sherman. For both coaches, after being removed from college for a few years the magical drafting success dried up. The Browns don't have the sources or first hand experience with the college kids.
The Browns would be better off trading up to acquire the specific targets that are highest on their board. Figure who fits and who you love and control your draft. They have the ability to do that with all of their accrued picks. If Fisher and Snead had the ammunition Zach Martin would be a Ram.
8. NFC WEST: My, how the mighty divisions have fallen. It wasn't long ago that the NFC West would have ranked first on a list like this (they went a combined 42-22 in 2013). But now they are the only division that has two bottom-five teams in the power rankings (the 49ers at No. 31, the Rams at 28). Both of those teams are hoping to change that by hiring offensive whiz kids Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay as head coaches. Other than that, none of the four teams made a major splash in free agency.
The impact of two young and top offensive minds to the NFC West is going to have a dramatic effect on the division over the next few years.
If you look at the past several years, even going into Harbaugh being in SF, it was a physical division with strong run games and defenses. Arians was the lone offensive guy in the mix, the crazy guy calling deep shots and keeping them on the cutting edge offensively. Now with 50% turnover to offensive head coaches it's going to be interesting to see how things turn out.
I guess the NFL is apparently banking on the casual fan. To me personally musical franchises cheapens the NFL, and renders what it means to be a hardcore fan pretty meaningless. Your team can be taken away for the temporal profit concerns of a capricious ownership at any time (except the Packers, who are actually THE GREEN BAY Packers--publicly owned and can't be moved). I think it's safe to say as a kid the LA Rams were more important to me than they were to Georgia Frontierre, but that mattered to far too few people.
The NFL obviously doesn't care, the media always goes along with it, and there are always enough casual fans in new cities too vacant to realize they're supporting a stolen team, one that was ripped away from long-time and diehard fans and families, and too vacant to think ahead that what they're doing--thanks to their brainless support--can also happen to them.
Fans should make the relocations (Chargers to LA, Las Vegas) fail, and force the teams back home. Will they? Not a chance--too many airheads that see something shiny and new, regardless of the morality of it, the long-term repercussions, the contradiction of it, etc. Media should grow a spine and support the fans for once as well; again, not, sad to say, gonna happen.
