He leaves, goes to GB then to Detroit. Now he's back with a promotion. When he left in 2020 he was the DB coach. Now he's DB coach and passing game coordinator. That could be significant. It should allow him to coach the DBs on how to play the scheme. If Morris wants to play a Tampa Two scheme then he coaches the DBs how to play it properly, i.e. with anticipation of route concepts to allow them to jump routes. Also, what I'm hoping is that he is allowed to pick who starts and who sits. Hopefully, he can sit Kendrick and start Rochell.

As I said, I'm not inherently averse to zone coverages. But I think they need to be disguised and played aggressively, i.e. jump the damn routes and contest the receptions. If he can do that then this defense could be much better than its 18th ranking. Also, as passing game coordinator he's one step under being a DC. In Detroit under Aaron Glenn, they ran a hybrid 3-4 one gap scheme with mostly zone in the secondary. But Glenn also ran man coverages about 43% of the snaps. What man coverages do is to take away the quick dump off reads.

So will Pleasant who coached under Wade Phillips who ran the same scheme as Glenn bring that with him to LA? Play cover two 60% and man coverages 40% of the snaps? Pleasant left Detroit because of personal differences with Glenn who coached under Payton and like Payton he can be abrasive. The hybrid 3-4 is a one gap attacking scheme. Morris didn't play it that way, he was playing it as a read and react hybrid one and two gap front.

I find it interesting that they brought Pleasant back and gave him a promotion in doing so. What I'm hoping is that Pleasant designs the scheme and simply leaves Morris to call the plays during the game. If Pleasant indeed has the ability to change the way the Rams play defense I'm all for it. I wasn't happy when Pleasant wasn't promoted to DC and Sean brought in Morris.

So I'm hoping bringing Pleasant in is Sean's way of kicking Morris upstairs in the same way he did with Kromer. This way Morris gets the credit and gets hired as an HC somewhere next year and Pleasant becomes the DC.

Here is a collection of ROD members’ selection for Round 2 (some after a trade down). I’ve included the dates the picks were posted, as some may be a little outdated in light of free agency and trades.

Flatlyner (3/17): John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
HitStick (3/20): Felix Andudike-Uzomah, EDGE, Kansas State
Riverrumbbq (3/17): Adetomiwa Adebawawore, DE, Northwestern
OldSchool (3/16): B.J. Ojulari, EDGE, LSU
OnceARam (3/13): Felix Andudike-Uzomah, EDGE, Kansas State
AvengerRam (3/7): Adetomiwa Adebawawore, DE, Northwestern

And, some other picks from the “experts”:

Vinnie Iyer (TheSportingNews): Matthew Bergeron, OT, Syracuse
Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports): Mazi Smith, DL, Michigan
Jeff Risdon (Draftwire): Cody Mauch, OT, North Dakota State
WalterFootball: Tyler Steen, OL, Alabama
Chad Reuter (NFL.com): Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia
DraftTek.com: Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
Luke Easterline (Draftwire/USA Today): B.J. Ojulari, EDGE, LSU

Who do you like?

Are the Rams preparing for 2023, or 2024?

Maybe a little bit of both?

The Rams have been active players in the trade market in recent years. If they wish to play that card this Fall, they finally have a full compliment of future draft picks to offer.

They’ll also have something else… the ability to trade for a player with an expiring contract and immediately sign him to an extension, thereby avoiding the one-and-done problem they had with Von Miller and, to a lesser extent (due to injury) Odell Beckham, Jr.

Looking at the crop of players who currently are going into the final years of their contracts, there are some intriguing names, including: Brian Burns, Chase Young, Josh Uche, Quinnen Williams, Devin White, Dexter Lawrence, Jonathan Taylor, A.J. Dillon, Montez Sweat and Rashan Gary. We don’t know, of course, if any of these guys will be available, but some might be, and others who could be good fits might hit the market.

The trade deadline hits after 6 or 7 games (depending on bye week). What if the Rams’ plan, to an extent, is to fill some holes with some low priced veterans and draft picks, try steal some wins early in the season, then trade for some key reinforcements and make a run?

Its just so crazy it might work.

I’ve eliminated players who, from my review of several boards and mocks, seem to be consensus Top 20 picks.

With that, here are my Top 30 prospects for the Rams:
1. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
2. Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
3. Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia
4. Will McDonald, EDGE, Iowa State
5. Adetomiwa Adebawore, DE, Northwestern
6. O’Cyrus Torrence, OG, Florida
7. John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
8. Cody Mauch, OT, North Dakota State
9. Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
10. Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse
11. Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA
12. Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia
13. Steve Avila, OG/C, TCU
14. Felix Anudike-Uzoma, EDGE, Kansas State
15. Darius Rush, CB, South Carolina
16. Eli Ricks, CB, Alabama
17. Julius Brents, CB, Kansas State
18. B.J. Ojulari, EDGE, LSU
19. Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan
20. Isaiah Foskey, EDGE, Notre Dame
21. Zach Harrison, EDGE, Ohio State
22. Joe Tippman, OG/C, Wisconsin
23. Jaelyn Duncan, OT, Maryland
24. Luke Wypler, C, Ohio State
25. Matthew Bergeron, OT, Syracuse
26. Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane
27. Roschon Johnson, RB, Texas
28. Tyrique Stevenson, CB, Miami
29. Jaylon Jones, CB, Texas A&M
30. Terrell Smith, CB, Minnesota

2023 is looking more and more like a season where they are setting themselves up for next season. A throwaway season. See how many rookies get playing time and valuable experience for next year.

Then look at free agents. Will Houston let Laremy Tunsil walk? He'll be a free agent after this season. He played every snap last year and gave up one sack. PFF gave him a 91.7 pass block rating. Best among all offensive tackles. He's 28 years old.

I say the Rams have to do whatever they can to land this guy and make him their cornerstone left tackle for the next 5 to 7 years. Maybe even longer. Heck, if the Texans are not competing they may want to move him before the deadline. Rams have draft assets. He could be our next Andrew Whitworth.

It'll probably cost quite a bit to acquire him. But I think it would be worth it.

Using the pff mock simulator, I’ve done my only mock I plan to do. Have at it.

Free Agents:
JJ3
Dalton Risnor

Resign:
A’Shawn Robinson
Brandon Powell

Draft:
Only reason I went back to back guards, is I didn’t like some of my options there, so I went BPA.

Hell yeah!

The best Woman's Basketball Player of All Time!

MOVING ON!

The Seahawks thread has been a good read.


There are overlapping points already made in that thread, but let’s talk the Cardinals…

They have a new GM and HC.

It sounds like Hopkins will be traded before the draft. A 2nd rounder?

Their draft position #3 has them in RIPE position for trade down. Many Cards fans expect it. So… we know they will have some draft picks. Premium draft picks.

Kyler Murray has a franchise QB contract, but he will miss games entering the 2023 season recovering from ACL injury. How does he jive with the new offense, when he does return? His new HC?

We have our challenges, but so do the Cardinals.

What do you think about the Cardinals right now, pre-draft?

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35895322/sources-cowboys-trade-texans-wr-brandin-cooks

FRISCO, Texas -- Wanting to add speed and a complement to Pro Bowler CeeDee Lamb, the Dallas Cowboys are acquiring Houston Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks for a fifth-round pick in 2023 and a sixth-round pick in 2024, sources told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter.

The Cowboys and Texans had discussions regarding a deal before last year's trade deadline but could not come to an agreement.

Cooks' $18 million salary in 2023 is guaranteed. Cooks restructured his contract Saturday so that Houston will pay $6 million of his salary this season and Dallas will pay the remaining $12 million, sources told ESPN. He is under contract through 2024.

"Beyond blessed and can't wait to go be special for the star! Very thankful for the Jones family for this opportunity for my family and I," Cooks said in a text message to ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime.

Most 1,000-yard seasons, since 2015​

Brandin Cooks recorded his first 1,000-yard receiving season in 2015. Since 2015, the only NFL players to record more 1,000-yard receiving seasons than Cooks are Mike Evans and Travis Kelce.

Last year, the Cowboys traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth-round pick but only added veteran James Washington in free agency and Jalen Tolbert in the third round as a replacement. Washington suffered a broken foot in training camp and played in only two games, without a catch, before his release. Tolbert caught just two passes as a rookie.

With Michael Gallup coming back from a torn ACL in his left knee, executive vice president Stephen Jones said it was "probably fair" to criticize the Cowboys for not doing enough to replace Cooper.

In Cooks, the Cowboys acquire a speed threat to pair with Lamb and Gallup, whom the organization believes will be much better in his second year off of major surgery.

Cooks, 29, has been vocal about his unhappiness in Houston and said he didn't want to be part of a rebuild. He caught 57 passes for 699 yards and three scores in 13 games for the Texans last season.

In his career with the Texans, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints, he has 630 receptions for 8,616 yards and 49 touchdowns.​

This is the fourth time he has been traded in his career.

The Cooks deal is the second major trade the Cowboys have made in the past week. Dallas also acquired cornerback Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts for a fifth-round pick (No. 176 overall).

The Cowboys have built their roster through the draft, eschewing major free agent signings. They now have one pick in each round. They had three fifth-round picks after compensatory selections were announced but have since dealt two of them.

Hard one to copy but, I think it is an interesting article with grades of players that may still be Rams. Big shout out to Gaines which I will post on his thread. Rams roster isn't completely shot.

• RAMS ROSTER OVERVIEW

Rams week 14 defensive grades: Greg Gaines leads 2nd half dominance​

Greg Gaines caused disruption without Aaron Donald in the lineup
By Steven Ridings Dec 10, 2022, 1:45pm CST
41 Comments / 41 New
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​

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Over the last month, the Los Angeles Rams defense had struggled to contain opposing offenses. Quarterbacks like Colt McCoy, Andy Dalton, and Geno Smith all looked like MVP candidates despite being below-average talents. Through the first half of the game against the Las Vegas Raiders, it appeared Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs would control the game flow. However, the momentum of the game shifted when Greg Gaines pushed the pocket and forced Derek Carr to throw a floated pass into the outstretched hands of Ernest Jones. Was Greg Gaines the main catalyst of the defense’s second-half success?

In order to gain a sense of the performance of the roster and its direction, Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded out all the players from the Week 14 contest. Using the PFF grades and the eye test of watching the game, I will provide a weekly evaluation and grade of the defensive positions.

If you have not read the Week 14 offensive grades, click here.
Los Angeles Rams | NFL roster by position | PFF

Weekly Grade: Grade for that respective week
Season Grade: Grade for the position over the course of the season
Trend: Direction of the position group from last week to this week
* Denotes player is Top 3 at position in NFL

DL​

Aaron Donald: 90.5* (INA), A’Shawn Robinson: 64.4 (IR), Greg Gaines: 61.2 (+4.7), Marquise Copeland: 65.8 (-1.7), Bobby Brown III: 81.8 (+1.3), Jonah Williams: 48.9 (-6.8), Earnest Brown IV: 63.5

The storylines entering Thursday night were centered around Josh Jacob’s leading rusher status. However, Los Angeles narrowly kept him under 100 yards, limiting his production to just 3.7 yards per carry on 27 rushing attempts. Bobby Brown III did a fantastic job in limited action of winning along the interior. For the second straight week, he finished in the top-5 for the defense’s PFF grades.

But Greg Gaines was the difference maker. The Washington Huskey had six tackles (three solo), two pressures, and a quarterback hit that led to Rams first interception. We have seen how good Gaines can be with Aaron Donald in the lineup, but this was the first time we were able to see Gaines’s effectiveness without a three-time defensive player absorbing double and triple teams.

I’m not sure what type of deal Gaines will command on the open market this offseason. Sebastian Joseph-Day cashed in a lucrative deal despite having limited pass-rushing ability. Gaines figures to warrant more money but is he a scheme fit for other teams? The trouble becomes LA fitting his contract into a tight budget when players like Marquise Copeland, Bobby Brown III, and Jonah Williams continue to develop and warrant more playing time. I think Aaron Donald would like to have at least one of Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson's return. This offseason will be trying in more ways than one for Les Snead...
Week 14 Grade: C+, Season Grade: C+, Trend: Neutral
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ILBs​

Bobby Wagner: 90.7* (+0.3), Ernest Jones: 66.8 (+0.4), Travin Howard: INA, Christian Rozeboom: 61.2, Jake Hummel: IR, Jake Gervase: 60.0 (DNP)
Once again, Wagner was the standout on the defense. Wags had a whopping 14 tackles (six solo) and was flying around from sideline to sideline. In the third quarter, the inside linebacker had a huge third down stop on a scrambling Derek Carr, knocking him out of bounds a foot shy of the first down marker. With 2:38 left in the game, Copeland and Wagner stuffed Jacobs on a 3rd & 1 to give the Rams the ball back and ultimately win the game.

Ernest Jones was the benefactor of the Rams first turnover. He picked off Derek Carr in the Rams end zone, preventing the Raiders from scoring before halftime. This was one of his stronger games this year despite a limited box score of five tackles (one solo).
Week 14 Grade: A, Season Grade: A-, Trend: Slight Upward

EDGE​

Leonard Floyd: 67.6 (-0.2), Terrell Lewis: 46.1 (DNP), Mike Hoecht: 64.1 (-7.2), Daniel Hardy: 40.9 (-20.6), Keir Thomas: 68.6 (+18.8)
Raheem Morris’s defense struggled to contain the edge in the first half. Josh McDaniels dialed up a few reverses that Michael Hoecht failed to keep containment, resulting in Mack Hollins rushing for 40 yards on three carries. On a positive note, he did have the final pressure and QB hit on Carr that forced an interception to Taylor Rapp.
Thomas (15% snap share) received a longer look and performed well, collecting the Rams only tackle for a loss.
Week 14 Grade: D-, Season Grade: D, Trend: Slight Downward

CBs​

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Jalen Ramsey: 80.4 (-1.8), Troy Hill: 69.9 (+4.5), David Long Jr.: 53.1 (INA), Robert Rochell: 58.1 (DNP), Derion Kendrick: 45.8 (DNP), Cobie Durant: 60.0 (-2.1), Grant Haley: 70.8 (IR)
Jalen Ramsey was beat over the top twice by Davante Adams, though Adams only finished with three receptions for 71 yards.

Troy Hill started on the outside and Cobie Durant got his first start at the nickel. Hill did not allow any receptions on the evening, receiving a grade of 83.2.
Week 14 Grade: C, Season Grade: C-, Trend: Neutral

S​

Nick Scott: 59.8 (+0.2), Taylor Rapp: 70.3 (+4.0), Russ Yeast: 54.5 (+3.0), Quentin Lake: DNP, Jordan Fuller: 60.5 (IR)
Taylor Rapp had one of his top-5 career games, only allowing one reception for our yards and securing the game sealing interception.

Nick Scott chipped in four tackles as the other starting safety, while Russ Yeast (12% snap share) added one tackle.
Week 14 Grade: B-, Season Grade: C-, Trend: Slight Upward

Special Teams​

Riley Dixon: 83.5* (-1.3), Matt Gay: 87.8 (+4.5)
Matt Gay was only 1/2 on field goal attempts, but he connected from 55 yards and missed from 61 yards.
Riley Dixon punted three times for 156 yards (52.0 avg) with one punt inside the 20 and one touchback.
Las Vegas did a good job of bottling up Brandon Powell on kick returns, utilizing a short kickoff each time. Powell only managed 18.3 yards per return.
Week 14 Grade: B+, Season Grade: A-, Trend: Neutral

Coordinators - Raheem Morris & Joe DeCamillis​

After a shaky first half, Raheem Morris managed to shutdown Josh McDaniels in the second half. Derek Carr only passed for 11 yards in the second half. Josh Jacobs failed to eclipse the 100-yard mark. Overall, it was a significant improvement compared to the previous four games.
DeCamillis could look to improve the team’s kick return blocking after Las Vegas exploited a weakness.
Week 14 Grade: A- (Morris), A- (DeCamillis)
Season Grade: C (Morris), A (DeCamillis)
Trend: Slight-to-Moderate Upward (Morris), Neutral (DeCamillis)

Poll​

What should LA do with the defensive line in 2023?​

This poll is closed

• 28%​

  Re-sign Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson​

  (66 votes)

• 65%​

  Re-sign Greg Gaines and promote Bobby Brown III to starter role(155 votes)​

• 8%​

  Let Greg Gaines and A’Shawn Robinson walk in free agency (receive 2024 Compensatory picks) and draft DE in Round 3 of this year’s draft​

  (19 votes)​

240 votes total

Anyone into it this year? Today’s schedule looks good.

Final scores​

Tuesday, March 14 (First Four in Dayton, Ohio)

• No. 16 Texas A&M CC 75, No. 16 SE Missouri State 71 | Watch highlights
• No. 11 Pitt 60, No. 11 Mississippi St. 59 | Watch highlights

Wednesday, March 15 (First Four in Dayton, Ohio)

• No. 16 FDU 84, No. 16 Texas Southern 61 | Watch highlights
• No. 11 Arizona State 98, No. 11 Nevada 73 | Watch highlights

Thursday, March 16 (Round of 64)

• No. 8 Maryland 67, West Virginia 65 | Watch highlights
• No. 13 Furman 68, No. 4 Virginia 67 | Watch highlights
• No. 7 Missouri 76, No. 10 Utah State 65 | Watch highlights
• No. 1 Kansas 96, No. 16. Howard 68 | Watch highlights
• No. 1 Alabama 96, No. 16 Texas A&M CC 75 | Watch highlights
• No. 5 San Diego State 63, No. 12 College of Charleston 57 | Watch highlights
• No. 15 Princeton 59, No. 2 Arizona 55 | Watch highlights
• No. 8 Arkansas 73, No. 9 Illinois 63 | Watch highlights
• No. 9 Auburn 83, No. 8 Iowa 75 | Watch highlights
• No. 5 Duke 74, No. 12 Oral Roberts 51 | Watch highlights
• No. 2 Texas 81, No. 15 Colgate 61 | Watch highlights
• No. 7 Northwestern 75, No. 10 Boise State 67 | Watch highlights
• No. 1 Houston 63, No. 16 Northern Kentucky 52 | Watch highlights
• No. 4 Tennessee 58, No. 13 Louisiana 55 | Watch highlights
• No. 10 Penn State 76, No. 7 Texas A&M 59 | Watch highlights
• No. 2 UCLA 86, No. 15 UNC Asheville 53 | Watch highlights

Friday, March 17 (Round of 64)

• No. 7 Michigan State 72, No. 10 USC 62 | Watch highlights
• No. 3 Xavier 72, No. 14 Kennesaw State 67 | Watch highlights
• No. 3 Baylor 74, No. 14 UC Santa Barbara 56 | Watch highlights
• No. 5 Saint Mary's 63, No. 12 VCU 51 | Watch highlights
• No. 2 Marquette 78, No. 15 Vermont 61 | Watch highlights
• No. 11 Pitt 59, No. 6 Iowa State 41 | Watch highlights
• No. 6 Creighton 72, No. 11 NC State 63 | Watch highlights
• No. 4 UConn 87, No. 13 Iona 63 | Watch highlights
• No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 63, No. 1 Purdue 58 | Watch highlights
• No. 6 Kentucky 61, No. 11 Providence 53 | Watch highlights
• No. 5 Miami (Fla.) 63, No. 12 Drake 56 | Watch highlights
• No. 3 Gonzaga 82, No. 14 Grand Canyon 70 | Watch highlights
• No. 9 Florida Atlantic 66, No. 8 Memphis 65 | Watch highlights
• No. 3 Kansas State 77, No. 14 Montana State 65 | Watch highlights
• No. 4 Indiana 71, No. 13 Kent State 60 | Watch highlights
• No. 6 TCU 72, No. 11 Arizona State 70 | Watch highlights

Saturday, March 18 (Round of 32. All times Eastern)

• No. 5 San Diego State 75, No. 13 Furman 52 | Watch highlights
• No. 4 Tennessee 65, No. 5 Duke 52 | Watch highlights
• No. 8 Arkansas 72, No. 1 Kansas 71 | Watch highlights
• No. 15 Princeton 78, No. 7 Missouri 63 | Watch highlights
• No. 1 Houston 81, No. 9 Auburn 64 | Watch highlights
• No. 2 Texas 69, No. 10 Penn State 66 | Watch highlights
• No. 2 UCLA 68, No. 7 Northwestern 63 | Watch highlights
• No. 1 Alabama 73, No. 8 Maryland 50 | Watch highlights

Sunday, March 19 (Round of 32. All times Eastern)

• No. 3 Xavier vs. No. 11 Pitt | 12:10 p.m. | CBS
• No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 6 Kentucky | 2:40 p.m. | CBS
• No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 7 Michigan State | 5:15 p.m. | CBS
• No. 4 UConn vs. No. 5 Saint Mary's | 6:10 p.m. | TNT
• No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 6 Creighton | 7:10 p.m. | TBS
• No. 9 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 16 FDU | 7:45 p.m. | truTV
• No. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5 Miami (Fla.) | 8:40 p.m. | TNT
• No. 3 Gonzaga vs. No. 6 TCU | 9:40 p.m. | TBS

Favorite High School / coming of age movie


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Just announced he's signing with the buccaneers

RIP Lance Reddick

We’ve released some players.

We’ve traded some players.

There may be more to come, like A Rob.

We don’t have much cap space. 2024 we do. But now we don’t, unless we spend early.

We have 11 draft picks.

How much do you press the pedal this 2023 offseason?

What is your next move?

I didn’t want to go cookie cutter on this, since it never happens exactly as we predict. I am also not a cap guru so I didn’t estimate contracts or cap room. I assume they can move some money here, some money there and have some cap available. Hell, the Saints do every year and are far more over the cap every season. And the whiners are doing is this year.

RE-SIGN
DT - Gaines
KR/WR – Powell
OG – Aboushi
OT – Nsekhe (old but reliable on a 1 year deal)

FA
CB – Greedy Williams – Loved him coming out of college but can’t seem to stay healthy. But that’s also the reason we can afford him. Worth a shot.

G – Isaac Seumalo – Hopefully we can give him a multi year deal that is back loaded. He can play any interior OL position and well.

LB – Rashaan Evans – Still young and can be fairy effective. I don’t expect him to cost much and likely a short prove it deal.



DRAFT

I wasn’t going to include any trades, as the first mock I wrote out had us getting far more in return for Ramsey. So I had to scrap that completely. I find it very hard to believe that we will not try to trade down for our pick at #36 seeing as how many holes we have on the roster and would benefit by filling them with cheap rookies.


*TRADE: #36 TO Green Bay for #45 & #78

2.45 – John Michael Schmidtz, C - MINNESOTA
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Perfect plug and play Center that can step in day one for always injured Allen. Best center in the draft and may ease some Tutu hatred. Immediately improves our line for years to come.

3.69 – Derek Hall, Edge AUBURN
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Very productive and athletic edge. Needs to work on some pass rushing moves, but that is what NFL coaches are for. Already a very good run defender/edge setter. Think he could step in day 1 and start for this squad.

3.77 – Garrett Williams, CB - SYRACUSE

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I go back and forth on a few guys here (Clark Phillips, DJ Turner) and both would be solid options. I keep coming back to Williams because of his aggressiveness on the run, which we will sorely lack with Ramsey’s departure. Biggest concern is he’s coming of an ACL and likely won’t play in camp. Also, that means lack of athletic testing before draft. He’s big enough (6’) and appears to be pretty athletic from the games I’ve watched.

3.79 – Jordan Battle, S ALABAMA

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A very experienced and battle hardened player. Another guy who would be a plug and play in our depleted secondary. Hard hitter who can play either safety role well. IMO, an upgrade over what we have now.

5.167 – Jaren Hall, QB BYU

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I’m a pretty big fan of Hall. He’s not going to come in and force us to sit Stafford, but, he has all the tools to be a good starting QB in the future. He’s not the biggest guy, which is certainly a knock on him. He has a very nice arm and above average athleticism. Would be nice to have a guy back there that has a good arm, is fairly accurate, and has wheels. He does come in as an older prospect too at 24 and a fairly injury prone past, but that is the reason he lasts to this pick. I think he has as much upside as any of the QB’s outside of the top 10 guys.

5.171 – Andrew Vorhees, OG The Mighty USC

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My personal favorite prospect in the draft. Yes, I’m a USC guy, but I’ve loved him as a prospect for a few years. The only reason he lasts this long is he’s likely on IR for next season due to a torn ACL at the combine. Bummer for him for sure, he was looking to be a 3rd rounder at worst in my opinion. I’d have been more then happy to have him in the 3rd healthy. So, to our 2024 plan, Vorhees will be fully recovered and ready to roll with us. Powerful blocker who we have lacked for years. Great guy to counter the fortywhiners pass rush IMO.

5.177 – Kenny McIntosh, RB GEORGIA

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There is just something about this kid that makes me think he is going to be better at the NFL level then he was in Georgia, and I think he was more then solid there. For one, he is a great receiving threat out of the backfield. He also has pretty good size for an every down back. A solid compliment to Akers and ability to take over as main back next season.

6.182 – Zack Kuntz, TE Old Dominion

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Maybe he doesn’t last this long because of his good combine performance. Another raw weapon to add to our offense and hopefully he can contribute next season, when we lose 2 TE’s. He definitely needs to work on his blocking technique and strength, but he’s already a pretty good receiving threat. Guys this size shouldn’t be able to run 4.55 40’s. Rest of his numbers were pretty outstanding too, including an incredible 40” vertical.

6.189 – Dante Stills, DL West Virginia

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Depth to make up for our numerous losses on the DL. This guy is a pretty nice pass rusher from the interior. He’s fairly small but can play DE in our 3 man front. Certainly not a NT.

7.223 – Jake Moody, K Michigan

One of if not the best kicker in the draft. We need badly and cheaply

7.251 – Michael Turk, P Oklahoma

See above, need a cheap punter. He’s supposed to me amongst the best in draft

I can at least say, I'd be quite satisfied with this draft class. It addresses needs and helps us in '24

3yr, $12mil.

Unreal.

We can't even afford that shit for a damn nice safety.

I rarely get excited when a playoff team upgrades its LT. However, the Bengals picked up the fifth-year option on Williams' contract on April 29, 2022. I might be wrong, but believe they eat the guaranteed money, so we can negotiate to pay only part of his wages. He wants to leave so there is little incentive in trying to stop him.

This means we would get a relatively cheap one-year rental and likely receive a 3rd or 4th round compensation pick (if we do not sign him to a long-term deal). I am not saying he is great, but he is plenty good enough and could become a better player in our scheme.

He is a former top-ten pick, who has played up to his first contract. He is much more durable than Noteboom, who becomes our 2023/24 reserve tackle and trade chip in 2024/25.

Make it happen? Just saying but happy to field criticism

Bring it on!

Bear with me here because I’m gonna engage in some outside-the-box thinking that might coincide with Rams lean offseason strategy proposed. Assuming Rams want to minimize FA expenditures and both present and future cap costs so that they can go hog wild in ‘24.

What if they think OL is fixed after extending Shelton?

Boom
Jackson
Shelton (Allen as backup)
Anchrum, Bruss
Hav

That’s a decent line IF nobody gets hurt.

RB

Just needs a mid round draft pick for depth

TE

Hunter Long addition makes them 3 deep

WR

AR stays so no need for more help.

Backup QB

Just sign a vet off the scrap heap now that my top 3 have signed elsewhere or draft one they like mid rounds.


As to the D:

IDL. Let Gaines and ARob both go and utilize the 2 Browns and anybody else remaining from their current depth.

Edge. Hoecht starts on one side and a high draft pick becomes other starter.

CB. Durant starts outside and is joined by a high draft pick on other side. Rochell and Kendrick fight for snaps at slot (or wherever)

S. Fuller, Yeast, and Lake fight for snaps plus Rams draft another S late.


ST. Draft a kicker and a punter (if Dixon isn’t extended). Find a long snapper among udfa’s, as usual.

Well, something like the above appears to be in store for ‘23, y’all. Semi competitive if McVay and his staff coach their brains out, but probably not a serious playoff contender this year.

Projected draft priorities?

First 3 picks will be edge, CB (maybe 2), OL (interior), TE, WR, or RB depending on their board. All 6 positions will be drafted for sure before end of Day 3. Kicker will probably be drafted in 6th or 7th if one if the guys they really like is still there. Otherwise it’s gonna be FA or more likely a udfa for kicker.

Beyond the above I expect Snead.McVay to sprinkle in depth players at a variety of positions that fall plus a very active udfa strategy. Whatever money is left over will likely be spent on 2nd tier FA’s at thin positions and/or signings down the road from final cuts by other teams.

This roster building is gonna be a 5 month ongoing process (even more than it normally is for Rams, anyway).

Do I like it? Am I excited by what our ‘23 roster might look like? Nope. But something like this is probably in the cards for 2023, I’m afraid. Rams will win 7-9 games IF coaches do a great job.

Thoughts?

Looking at different salary cap websites... the Rams could get about $100 million under the cap next year.

They would be moving on from Boom, Havenstein and Allen in that scenario.. as well as Higbee. Doesn't seem far fetched at all, imo.

They need to bring in real contributors in this draft and we have to hope that the 22 draft class turns out well.. meaning Bruss has to be a starter.. Durant needs to be a high-level contributor.. probably Lake or Yeast need to be a real starter.

Next year, you basically have all your picks.. I doubt they get much in compensation.. maybe a sixth-rounder or two between Mayfield, Rapp and Scott.

This year has a lot of good players in the top 150.. I would trade down and package end-of-draft picks to get as many above 120 that I could. If you end up with 5 there, you can make a real impact on your 24 roster.

Need a home run draft this year, imo.. something at least like 2017 or 2018 at the worst.

24 should be a lot of fun.. this will be a Rams fan year to watch for development, imo.. and hope they're able to scratch out a winning season.