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The Inside Story of the Rams’ Super Bowl Defense

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In one of the best Super Bowl performances that may soon be forgotten, the Los Angeles defense held the high-powered Patriots to just 13 points. We talk with Sean McVay, Wade Phillips and key defensive contributors to learn the inside story of that game—and what to expect from the Rams’ defense going forward.

By ANDY BENOIT May 07, 2019

Encino Hills, Calif. — At 8 p.m. PT, Sean McVay sends one of his trademark no-punctuation texts:

I left front door unlocked when you get here so you don’t have to ring doorbell thanks This way the dog won’t get all excited haha

Despite following McVay’s instructions, Kali—McVay’s and his girlfriend Veronika Khomyn’s one-and-a-half-year-old pitbull, with a heart of gold and manners still a work in progress—greeted me in the kitchen, where I found McVay, in Rams gym clothes, sifting through papers at the island.

“Kali, OFF!” McVay says, just a little too lovingly, as she jumps up on me, putting a paw on each shoulder, as if we were slow-dancing. McVay and I visit at the dining room table for a few minutes before making our way back to his windowless office, just behind the kitchen. (Kali follows us in but, unable to keep to herself, soon gets the boot.)

A big screen hangs on the front wall closest to the door, and on the side walls hang large action-shot photos from McVay’s playing days at Miami (Ohio). Beneath one is a picture of a 22-year-old McVay with Tiger Woods. The whole room is red and white except for an old Rams bobblehead doll in the front corner of McVay’s desk. Opposite the bobblehead is a 2017 Los Angeles Sports Council Coach of the Year trophy; McVay’s 2017 NFL Coach of the Year trophy sits on a shelf in his theater upstairs, with the rest of his memorabilia.

On the floor beside the arm chair, where I sit perpendicular to McVay’s desk, is a large three-ring binder labeled ‘New England Patriots Scouting,’ left over from the Super Bowl—the game that we proceeded to discuss for the next three hours.

Three months ago, the Rams defense produced what could prove to be the most impressive forgotten Super Bowl performance in history. Tom Brady and the Patriots came in averaging 27.3 points a game in the regular season and 39 points a game in the playoffs, and Los Angeles held them to just 13. It wasn’t a perfect outing; the Patriots still moved the ball, including on the ground late. And true to form, there were things McVay thinks can improve, but he acknowledges that “if our defense next year plays like this again, we’re going to win a lot more games than not.”

McVay has watched the Super Bowl film a few times, the first being the Monday after the game. That morning he had immediately boarded the team’s plane, spending the flight from Atlanta back to L.A. thanking players one by one for all they’d done. That afternoon, soon after landing, he was in his home office, clicker in hand. By then he was more than halfway through his postgame grieving process, which he says was never that bad to begin with.

“I was ready to talk a couple of hours after the game,” McVay says. “It would be spurts where [I would] be OK and then [suddenly] it was like, ‘I can’t flippin’ believe that we lost that game!’ Or you suddenly think, ‘I was so bad in that moment!” Then when you think you are past that, something comes up and again you’re like, ‘I can’t flippin’ believe that!’ But I really was over it in 48 hours.

“But you have to give the Patriots credit, they were their best when their best was demanded. And personally, I wasn’t good enough. I have to do a better job.”

McVay has thought about the adjustments he’ll make should the Rams “be fortunate enough to return” to a Super Bowl—and much of it would be in his personal preparation. Ahead of Super Bowl 53, he asked former Rams head coach Dick Vermeil and Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, plus assistants on the Rams staff who had coached in Super Bowls, about what to expect, but parts of the pre-Super Bowl process you can’t fully prepare for without firsthand experience.

“In the back of my mind, [when making the Super Bowl game plan back in L.A.], I operated knowing I had another week. That urgency to completely finalize the gameplan wasn’t quite there, and that led to me watching so much film that you can almost water down your thought process.”

A coach’s instinct, he explains, is to want to do as much work as possible. But before the Super Bowl, McVay admits that “you have so much time that you can over-prepare and get away from some of the things that helped you get there. I watched every game from New England’s season. You see stuff that worked in, say, Week 3, but you forget about the amount of stuff that’s taken place since Week 3. You can watch so much film that you lose perspective. You have 18 games of film you can pore over. And then I even watched the Philly and Atlanta Super Bowls closely.” A hint of disgust leaks into his voice as he says this last part, shaking his head.

It’s easy to think that L.A.’s Super Bowl loss would be that much more painful for an offensive-minded coach whose high-powered unit was held to a season-low three points on the same day that L.A.’s defense held the equally high-powered Patriots to 13. But McVay shows little sign of this—a by-product, perhaps, of his ardent commitment to treating the Rams not as two units, but one team.

McVay’s renowned play recall and eye for detail is as sharp on defense as on offense. During the offseason, he spends significant time with the D because “the more I can learn defensive coverage rules and principles, the more complete a coach I can be, the better you can communicate with your team as a whole.”

Big plans are in place for the defense in 2019, with new dimension inspired by some of the many things that went right in Super Bowl 53 and some of the few things that went wrong. To set the stage for what the Los Angeles defense will be moving forward, the day after seeing McVay, I visited with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips and several key Super Bowl defenders at the team’s facility. I wanted the complete inside story of the Rams defense in that stellar title game performance that history threatens to forget.

Much of Super Bowl 53 followed a pattern: New England would move the ball down the field only for the drive to stall when L.A.’s defense made a play. No snap better illustrated this theme than the pass deflection by slot corner Nickell Robey-Coleman that resulted in an interception by linebacker Cory Littleton to end the first series. “That was huge for us,” McVay says.

The popular narrative said that the Rams perplexed Brady all game by showing him man coverage but playing zone. That was hyperbolized, and it certainly was not what happened on this play—instead, the quarterback simply made a rare boneheaded mistake.

New England started the play in a spread-empty formation, with running back Rex Burkhead out wide. Cornerback Marcus Peters lined up across from Burkhead, which told Brady it was zone.

“Also, if it was man, I wouldn’t have been on [tight end] Dwayne Allen [in the slot],” Robey-Coleman says, while watching the play on film at the team’s facility. “And when Julian Edelman motioned in [strong safety], John Johnson came down. That’s another tell; if it was man-to-man, J.J. would’ve already been down there on Rob Gronkowski.

“Brady’s too smart, he knows when it’s man and when it’s zone. He got his zone-man I.D. on this play, he just thought the throw would get there. When he threw it, I couldn’t believe it. I was like, ‘Oh my god!’ You can see my reaction.” Robey-Coleman points to the screen where, indeed, he displayed the body language of a man whose eyes suddenly got big. “I couldn’t believe it. That’s a far-hash throw, he really trusted it. He didn’t even stare at it—he threw it blind. He’s probably like ‘Oh shhh, shouldn’t have thrown that!’”

Robey-Coleman asks to replay the tape so he can see Brady’s reaction. We roll the end zone copy, and the cornerback smiles as we see Brady regret the throw when it leaves his hand.

“Wade Phillips, [cornerbacks coach] Aubrey Pleasant and [safeties coach Ejiro Evero, nicknamed Coach E] did a great job emphasizing to me that the Pats love five-yard stop routes,” Robey-Coleman explains. “Brady is comfortable dinking and dunking you 80 yards. So when we’re in pure zone, we really have to push [fast] to get out to the landmark. We call it ‘super-buzz.’ You can’t just wait on Brady.”

Walking back into the huddle for the next drive, Brady told his teammates, “I ain’t making another mistake all night, boys.” He was prophetic; the Rams, effective as they were, did not force any other turnovers—or major field-position-swinging plays—and the game became a fistfight for field position.

In the days after the conference championships, Bill Belichick said to reporters, “To [Wade Phillips’s] credit, there’s not many of us that have a system that can last that long. I’ve certainly changed a lot in the last 30 years, schematically. Wade really…hasn’t. He really hasn’t. You’ve got to give him credit for that. The system has lasted.”

“Yeah, I don’t know if that’s praise or not,” Phillips says, laughing, as he joins me in the Rams’ media room. “You just try to get the players to play as well as they can play. Our scheme is still versatile enough to try to take away things your opponent does well—just like Bill’s is. He changes his defensive look to do it. We line up in the same look but try to adjust to what the offense does. And so to say we haven’t changed—we’ve changed a lot. We try to change with what our players do.”

As an example, Phillips cites the decision late in the year to play less man coverage and more zone, catering primarily to cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, who are “good vision players.” (It should be noted that Belichick also complimented Phillips for this.)

For the Super Bowl, the adjustment was committing to playing just one safety deep. As safety John Johnson explains, “We usually try to hold a 2-deep safety look [at the snap], but this game we went more single-high and played different coverages from there. We had rotations to and away from the passing strength side in man or zone, trying to throw the QB off.”

This tactic was mostly successful out of zone (Cover 3) or man, often with a robber coming down in the shallow middle to double-team whatever in-breaking route showed first (or, in select situations, to double Julian Edelman).

“Brady’s so good it’s scary,” Phillips says. “He know what you’re in most of the time, knows where the matchup is, man or zone. We tried to switch it up, and that’s about the only chance you have.” Then Phillips adds a caveat that he would say several times in our visit. “You know, I’m still disappointed [about this game]. It’s hard for me to say we played great, we didn’t play great enough to win.”

And part of the reason was Brady bested the Rams a few times in man coverage. The Patriots masterfully exploit man-to-man by diversifying their formations and using presnap motion. The featured weapon here was the eventual Super Bowl MVP.

“Edelman made some really great, timely plays,” McVay says. His 10 catches, save for a short one in the fourth quarter, led to only three points, but they also swung field position and time of possession, which proved critical in a slugfest where the Rams for three quarters could not generate offense.

Making Edelman’s production all the more frustrating was that it stemmed mainly from execution, not scheme. “[I was surprised] that they didn’t change anything,” Robey-Coleman says. “We were on everything, there were no trick ‘em plays. They were just trying to run their best plays, we were running OUR best plays. That was my first Super Bowl, I would have thought the two weeks [of prep time] would change their gameplan, but there were no new wrinkles.”

“We got every look that we planned for,” Littleton says.

Except for one look early in the fourth quarter that they didn’t plan for. “Yeah, they got us with the ‘22’ and spreading out,” Robey-Coleman says. “If it weren’t for those (three plays), we could have come out with the win.”

We’ll elaborate on what ‘22’ means in a moment, but to fully appreciate it, one must first understand L.A.’s approach to defending the Patriots’ backfield. I ask Phillips how this Patriots team compared with ones he’d faced in previous years, most notably when he was coordinating the defense in Denver. “Their running attack this year was more potent,” he says.

New England’s ground game is built largely around man-to-man blocking, often with fullback James Develin leading the tailback or a guard pulling to the play side. “Everyone was running ‘12’ (1 RB, 2 TE) or ‘11’ (1 TE, 1 R the whole year,” defensive end Michael Brockers says, “and the Patriots switched and started running ‘21’ (2 RB, 1 TE). People weren’t prepared. You’re used to seeing speed on the field, and now you have to deal with a fullback.”

It was clear the Patriots wanted to go heavy and pound the rock against penetrating defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Aaron Donald, and against undersized linebackers Littleton and Mark Barron. And, until the final drive when fatigue seemed to set in, the Rams front seven battled, allowing 92 yards on 23 carries.

Part of the Patriots' ground game efficacy stems from how dangerous they are on play-action.

“They hit [Gronkowski on a play-action over route against me] early in the game, and so I was like, ‘I can’t give that up again,’” says Littleton, who played with more depth after that 19-yard completion. That particular play-action came out of a three-receiver set, which meant just one running back behind Brady, no fullback. The 3-receiver play-action with a pulling guard was the Patriots’ most common and potent play-action design all season, even though they almost never actually run the ball behind pulling guards in this package.

“Yeah, but at the end of the day, all you can is play the look,” Littleton says. “How we line up and what we do is reactionary.”

But there were times where the look helped the Rams. “They had a big tell on two-back alignments,” Brockers says, explaining that if Develin aligned on the strong side, he would trap-block the nose tackle. If Develin aligned on the weak side, he would wind back across the formation as a lead-blocker.

A broader, more obvious tell came from who the Patriots had at running back. When Sony Michel was in, it was often with the fullback Develin, and the likelihood of a run was very high. So, the Rams played their stouter base 4-3 defense. But if Burkhead or especially James White was in, the Patriots were likely to throw. So here the Rams played nickel, even if one of those back was in with the smashmouthing Develin. “That wasn’t something we’d done much all year,” McVay says.

The Patriots have seen defensive personnel adjustments centered around White before. In Super Bowl 51 the Falcons deployed their rarely-seen 4-cornerback, 1-linebacker dime package because the Patriots had thrown the ball nearly 90% of the time with White on the field.

“White was a big, BIG part of their pass game,” Brockers says, “So we wanted to make sure we got contact on him to mess up their timing.” The plan was to “bullseye” White (or, in Rams vernacular, “bam” him), which meant an edge defender, especially if it was man coverage, would hit White as he released into a route out of the backfield. A few times, they also did this to Gronkowski. Coincidentally, the man who introduced this tactic to the NFL was Belichick, who curtailed Marshall Faulk with it in New England’s first Super Bowl against the Rams. The only drawback is that “bulls-eyeing” compromises one of your four pass rushers.

“But you’re not going to get to Brady very much anyway,” Phillips says, “unless you have an overwhelming pass rush.” White, who had 14 receptions for 110 yards against the Falcons and their dime package in Super Bowl 51, had just one catch for five yards in Super Bowl 53.

‘22’ is the football-wide description for the heavy personnel package that features 2 RB, 2 TE and just 1 WR. Defenses see it in obvious run situations, but with the score stubbornly stuck at 3–3, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels decided the team would operate their spread-empty backfield passing game out of ‘22’ even though they had never executed’—or, as McDaniels told NBC’s Peter King, even practiced—their spread game in that package. McDaniels, just like in years past, badly wanted to get Phillips’s defense out of nickel and into its base 4–3, where the D is less athletic and more predictable. Going to ‘22’ accomplished that.

“Josh McDaniels had a real feel for that game’s flow and how to play that game to try to win it,” McVay says. “I really respected his feel for the game, watching him call it and adjust.”

In ‘22’ McDaniels brilliantly put his best receivers, Gronkowski and the only wideout, Edelman, inside and then called a Patriots staple play where key routes worked the seams and middle.

“They got us,” Johnson says. “We were discombobulated.”

On the first snap of the spread ‘22’, the Rams went zone and Edelman caught a short ball inside, easily beating Littleton—which is exactly what New England wanted. So on the next snap, the Rams went man-to-man, but disguised it as zone. The Patriots were going up tempo, running the same play again. Brady hit Burkhead out wide against cornerback Marcus Peters.

By then it was apparent that the ‘22’ spread-empty look was creating uncertainty for the Rams, so the Pats again lined up quickly and ran the same play. Only this time, before the snap they motioned Edelman across, creating another layer of complexity for the scrambling defense. The result was a busted man coverage that left Gronkowski open down the seams. Littleton alertly recognized it but was a beat late playing the ball. Gronkowski’s 29-yarder put New England near the goal-line, leading to the game’s only touchdown. That 22 package with a spread formation presents “a lot of thinking, and they got us with it,” Littleton says.

The 22 package would get the Rams again in the closing minutes, this time more conventionally, on Burkhead’s back-breaking 26-yarder on second-and-7 after Los Angeles started using its timeouts.

“If it was a 7-on-7 game, I don’t think they would’ve beaten us at all—no shot,” Johnson says. “But things like this, we can hone in and be better. And as a defense we could have put our O in better positions to score or forced more turnovers. We can’t really point fingers, there are a lot of things we could fix.”

Back in McVay’s home office, he leans back in his chair and, looking ready for bed, reflects on the more personal side of his Super Bowl experience. On the first night in Atlanta, he had dinner in his suite with Veronika, his parents and younger brother. He didn’t know it then, but this would be the only time all week that he would relax and soak it all in.

“Adam Gase has been really good to me,” McVay says. “He sent me a text Super Bowl week saying, ‘Just make sure you enjoy the moment and what a great opportunity it is to be there. I never enjoyed a single second of it [as the 2013 Broncos’ offensive coordinator] and it was one of my biggest regrets.’ I don’t know if my [lack of enjoyment] was to THAT extent but,” and here McVay takes an introspective pause, “I didn’t appreciate it. I think there’s a lot to be said for the journey, and I appreciated what the season had entailed. But I could have appreciated the week and entirety of the event more. I kept myself kind of isolated because I didn’t want any distraction.”

Distraction will continue to be a challenge in 2019, too, as questions about a Super Bowl hangover will soon pour in as the start of the season approaches. Different members of the Rams processed Super Bowl 53 in different ways—McVay watched it immediately at home; Phillips watched it upon returning to the office the following week; Brockers watched it not at all and swears he never will (though an affable man, he did take in a few plays with me); and Johnson watched it on the bus ride from Mercedes-Benz Stadium back to the team hotel. However, what didn’t differ was L.A.’s expectations—not one Rams defender or coach expressed any surprise at having held the Patriots to just 13 points.

And with a now-more-experienced unit and savvier veterans like Clay Matthews and Eric Weddle aboard, lofty expectations—both external and especially internal—carry this defense into 2019.

Every year there is a big surprise in camp that ends up starting, or making the team as an UDFA.

Years ago Danny Amendola emerged as a great receiving target after languishing on a few teams’ practice squads.

Aaron Donald emerged as an other-world mega-star in 2014. He wasn’t a surprise, you say? Tell that to the dozen teams (including the Rams) that passed on him before being selected #13 overall.

David Wang sprang up a few years back as a camp favorite, thrusting his way into the mix at center, but ultimately was circumcised from the squad. Many of us think he got the shaft.

But seriously, who do you guys think will become a star out of nowhere? Break into the starting lineup? Or just make the team, though currently on the outside, looking in?

Let me know in the poll.

Richie’s trying to make a comeback.

So help me, if any ROD poster chimes in with, “it can’t hurt to kick the tires...”

Well, for those of us old enough to get the reference....

Login to view embedded media View: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=98qw86DsdZ0

David Edwards pegged as Rams' biggest steal in 2019 NFL draft

The Los Angeles Rams came away with some great value in the 2019 NFL draft, adding players who will contribute as rookies and eventually become starters in 2020. They did so by moving up and down the board, striking six trades in Nashville.

Taylor Rapp, who they took with the 61st overall pick, looks like a steal, considering the Rams would have been “comfortable” taking him at No. 31. David Long seems like a great value at No. 79 overall, bolstering the secondary with a future starter at cornerback.


However, Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling doesn’t see either player as the team’s biggest steal. Instead, that honor goes to offensive tackle David Edwards, who they drafted with the 169th overall pick in the fifth round.

Go to Full Article
[theramswire.usatoday.com]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...-showing-serious-support-for-chiefs-proposal/

Will NFL overtime rules be changing in 2019? Cowboys showing serious support for Chiefs' proposal

The NFL's overtime rule could be undergoing a big change this offseason and that could all happen before the end of the month.

The league's 32 owners are scheduled to get together for their annual spring meeting starting May 20, and when that happens, one of the hottest topics is going to be overtime. Back in March, the Chiefs proposed a new rule that would have called for both teams to get an offensive possession in overtime, even if the first team to possess the ball scored a touchdown.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs, owners couldn't agree whether or not to approve the new rule, so the proposal was put on ice until May. This time around, the proposal might have a better shot of passing and that's because the Chiefs are now getting some serious support from the Dallas Cowboys.

During an interview with Pro Football Talk this week, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said that his team would likely be voting in favor of making the change. However, Jones, who's on the competition committee, couldn't say whether or not the rest of the members of the committee agreed with him.
"We hadn't had our [Competition Committee] call yet, which we will, so it's tough for me to know where the Committee's leaning," Jones said. "I certainly tend to lean toward the new rule. . . . I certainly watched every play of that Kansas City-New England game, and you kind of would have liked to have seen what would have happened if Kansas City got another shot at it, and then how the thing would have ended up. It was football, in my mind, the game at its best."

According to Jones, the push to pass the overtime proposal gained some "traction" back in March, but not enough for owners to vote on it.

"I certainly don't have a problem with guaranteeing each team a shot at it," Jones said. "It's certainly something that had some traction there in the room, and certainly saw some people who were very interested in it. But we'll get on a call there, take a long, hard look at it, and I'm sure membership's gonna get to see it."

For the overtime proposal to become a rule, 24 of the NFL's 32 owners will have to vote for it to pass. As things stand now, it looks like the Chiefs and Cowboys just need to convince 22 other teams to vote "yes" on the change.

These are really cool, if you haven't seen them check them out (and note the overriding focus on what they're looking for in players):

Director of College Scouting on the Rams scouts and process
https://www.therams.com/video/scouting-the-scouts-brad-holmes-director-of-college-scouting

Darrell Henderson
https://www.therams.com/video/scouting-the-scouts-billy-johnson-the-area-scout-who-scoped-out

David Long & David Edwards
https://www.therams.com/video/scouting-the-scouts-area-scout-brian-hill

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...nfl-draft-revealed-final-haul-for-big-trades/

What did the Giants get in Odell Beckham trade? 2019 NFL Draft revealed final haul for big trades
The results of the Odell Beckham traded ended up being pretty underwhelming

The New York Giants became the focus of the offseason when they decided to trade Odell Beckham to the Cleveland Browns. It was a league-shifting blockbuster deal that vaulted the Browns into the top tier of teams as far as Super Bowl odds go, and giving everyone a very questionable opinion of New York's season.

That opinion probably won't change out of the 2019 NFL Draft, which saw us find a conclusion to the question "what did the Giants get for Odell?"

The draft also saw us wrap up various other trades that had gone down over the last season plus, including the Steelers swap of Antonio Brown to the Raidersand much more. Some of these deal are still TBD with future picks up in the air (Khalil Mack's swap, for instance, still has an outstanding future first-round pick, while Frank Clark's swap still has a 2020 second-round pick), but there are enough trades that were wrapped up that it's worth diving in and seeing how we grade the haul knowing what players were acquired.

Final results are, almost perpetually, pending. We need to see how the young players acquired in the draft pan out. But we can still get a pretty good idea of who won and lost these deals based on the value available to them.

We're going to skip past anything that involves just a player for a late-round pick (Robert Quinn to the Cowboys for a sixth-round selection, for instance) as those are essentially trades that just superseded a player being released. Let's make the arbitrary cutoff any swap involving a fourth-round pick just to wipe out any truly late-round swaps.

If there's a trade I missed you want broken down, holler at me on Twitter @WillBrinson. And make sure to check out the latest edition of the Pick Six Podcast, our DAILY NFL pod and your bridge through the rest of the offseason maw.

Giants trade Odell Beckham to Browns
Giants get: Dexter Lawrence (2019 first-round pick, No. 17 overall), Oshane Ximines (2019 third-round pick, No. 95), Jabrill Peppers, Kevin Zeitler

Browns get: Odell Beckham, Olivier Vernon

Everyone was shocked when the Giants dealt OBJ to the Browns, and the end results are even more shocking when you compare the players the two teams got. You could scratch Vernon and Zeitler off this list if you truly want to make it about OBJ. I think a flip of those two players is fairly even in terms of production, value and contract situations. I'm not so sure the swap for Beckham is an even one on paper, though. There's very little chance the Giants could call the Browns and offer to flip Peppers, Lawrence and Ximines straight up for Beckham in a reverse deal. That being said, if Dave Gettleman correctly identifies star talent in the draft and makes his defense substantially better, it's not hard to imagine him justifying this trade down the road. The guys involved know the score too.

"I don't feel pressure," Lawrence said when asked about being a part of the OBJ compensation package. "When they called my name [on draft night], that wasn't on my mind. I'm a defensive tackle. He's a receiver."

New York clearly doesn't care for OBJ and wants to put the focus on Saquon Barkley. If the Giants are decent this year -- opinions are very mixed on whether that's possible -- and Peppers/Lawrence/Ximines help fuel an average or better defense, Gettleman might be able to throw this in everyone's face. If the Giants stink and the Browns are as good as people believe, this is going to look like a disaster.

Steelers trade Antonio Brown to Raiders
Steelers get: Diontae Johnson (2019 third-round pick, No. 66 overall), Zach Gentry (2019 fifth-round pick, No. 141)

Raiders get: Antonio Brown

The Steelers made a big first-round trade up to get Devin Bush, but they stood pat with their picks from Oakland and the guys they got are very interesting. Both are weapons in the passing game and the guy taken with the top pick, Johnson, is a mid-round MAC receiver. Just like ... Antonio Brown. Who knows if that was on purpose, but it feels like a spite-filled "watch me replace you pick"from Kevin Colbert, easily the most successful GM at selecting mid-round receivers over the last decade. Brown is a HOF guy, but he's also just another name in a long line of dudes plucked out of nowhere by Pittsburgh who blossomed into Pro Bowl receivers. If Johnson is the next one it'll make this return a lot more interesting than it looked. The Raiders have to feel pleased about how this played out though -- they landed one of the best receivers in football and gave up minimal draft picks.

Raiders trade Amari Cooper to Cowboys
Raiders get: Jonathan Abram (2019 first-round pick, No. 27 overall)

Cowboys get: Amari Cooper

Cooper was the second big-name player shipped out of Oakland last year. The Raiders ended up sticking with all three original draft picks in Mike Mayock's first run as GM and apparently got the top three players the Raiders front office wanted. (Everyone says that, but it really did feel like this worked out well for Oakland based on their board.) Abram is a heat-seeking missile who can help address the Raiders defensive woes, a guy who huddled up with Jon Gruden and his coaching staff during the Senior Bowl despite being on the opposite roster. The Cowboys bragged all offseason about watching Cooper highlights instead of tape on first-round picks; if their offense is as productive as it was after integrating Cooper down the stretch, this will look like a win for them in a big way, as long as they don't have to make Cooper the highest-paid receiver in the NFL or anything. I'm fine calling it a win both ways given where these teams stood/stand/will be standing next year.

Ravens trade Joe Flacco to Broncos
Ravens get: Justice Hill (2019 fourth-round pick, No. 113 overall)

Broncos get: Joe Flacco

Wow. Hill is a pretty talented running back and the Ravens picked him up by shipping Flacco out, when most people thought that the quarterback would be released. This isn't highway robbery or anything and Hill isn't topping the depth chart, but that's pretty good value for Flacco. If Flacco plays 16 games the Broncos won't flinch, but if Drew Lock is the starter for half the season in Denver, this could end up looking disastrous. There were some potentially legitimate contributors on the board when Hill was drafted. It just didn't feel like Denver needed to pay up for Flacco and they did anyway.

Jets trade for Sam Darnold, Colts get picks
Jets get: Sam Darnold (2018 first-round pick, No. 3 overall)

Colts get: Quenton Nelson (2018 first-round pick, No. 6 overall), Braden Smith(2018 second-round pick, No. 37), Kemeko Turay (2018 second-round pick, No. 52), Rock Ya-Sin (2019 second-round pick, No. 34)

There's no way the Jets are going to feel bad about this deal after landing Darnold, but it's important to see what the Colts ended up pulling in the haul. And it was quite the haul. Chris Ballard did great work here, getting two starting offensive linemen out of the deal and landing a top 35 pick in this year's draft to pull Ya-Sin, a guy many people believe is the top corner in this class. Turay was acquired in a trade down, so there's also the bonus of picking up running back Jordan Wilkins out of Ole Miss. This is a win-win for both sides, though, as New York ended up with a franchise quarterback. Credit Indy for doing a lot with the draft capital they got back: that's part of the process here. It's a reminder to always trade down too.

Dolphins trade Jarvis Landry to Browns
Dolphins get: Durham Smythe (2018 fourth-round pick, No. 123), Myles Gaskin(2019 seventh round pick, No. 234)

Browns get: Jarvis Landry

Miami put the franchise tag on Landry, another in a long line of "floating in space" moves for this franchise the past decade plus, before shipping him off to Cleveland. Landry's contract he got from the Browns isn't ideal and the Dolphins are better off not having him in their current state of rebuild. On the other hand, it's clear Landry is a big locker room guy for the Browns and there's little doubt his close personal connection with Beckham helped grease the wheels for this deal. Cleveland has the better player here, but Miami's haul is fine for its situation.

Chiefs trade Marcus Peters to Rams
Chiefs get: Armani Watts (2018 fourth-round pick, No. 124), Juan Thornhill(2019 second-round pick, No. 63)

Rams get: Marcus Peters

It's hard to really evaluate the last pick the Rams got because they packaged it with Robert Quinn and got a fourth- and a sixth-round pick back in the 2018 NFL Draft in return. But we can basically put the two players the Chiefs drafted up against Peters for the sake of simplicity. And honestly, I don't mind the haul, with the Chiefs picking up a potential first-round value in UVA safety Juan Thornhill late in the second round with the future second-round pick. This was a good draft to have second-day picks and the Chiefs needed defensive help. Watts wasn't an impact guy but they have depth in the secondary. Of course, they need defensive backs because they traded a good one in Peters. Peters hasn't signed a long term deal with the Rams, yet, though, and if he ends up walking away this might look like a nice move by Kansas City for the long haul. I'd prefer Thornhill to whatever compensatory pick Peters might net. The Rams shot their shot and nearly won a Super Bowl, so it's hard to fault them.

Browns trade Danny Shelton to Patriots
Browns get: 2019 third-round pick (traded to Giants)

Patriots get: Danny Shelton, 2018 fifth-round pick (No. 159)

This one is crazy complex. But, as part of this deal, the Browns ended up getting a third-round pick, which they packed with all that other stuff and sent to the Giants for OBJ. Suffice to say they don't regret this deal. The Patriots got Shelton and then used that fifth-round pick to trade to the Raiders in order to get Cordarrelle Patterson and a sixth-round pick, which they would then use to select Braxton Berrios. So the Patriots got Shelton, Patterson, Berrios (and won a Super Bowl) with a third-round pick. Not too shabby.

Texans trade Duane Brown to Seahawks
Texans get: Martinas Rankin (2018 3rd round pick), Lonnie Johnson (2019 second-round pick, No. 54)

Seahawks get: Duane Brown, Shaquem Griffin (2018 fifth-round pick, No. 141 overall)

This deal shouldn't be lost in the mix when we talk about the Seahawks ability to re-tool their entire team on the fly. Brown was a helpful addition during the 2017 season, but he was a big part of why Seattle was able to actually field a dominant offensive line last season. Brown held out in Houston for a new deal, which led to him being moved and while Houston got a second-round pick out of the deal and a nice player in Lonnie Johnson, I would venture a guess they'd prefer to have someone who could protect Deshaun Watson instead.

Future deals still pending
Raiders trade Khalil Mack to Bears
Raiders get: Josh Jacobs (2019 1st round pick, No. 24 overall), 2019 sixth round pick (traded to Jets), 2020 1st round pick, TBD; 2020 3rd round pick, TBD

Bears get: Khalil Mack, 2020 2nd round pick, TBD

The obvious swap here is Mack for Jacobs + two players to be determined, although two things remain on this pick. The Bears still have a second-round pick coming back from Oakland next year (Gruden is going to be annoyed when that pick is made) and the Raiders had that sixth-round pick this year. It's hard to follow, but the Raiders packaged that pick and Kelechi Osemele in a deal to the Jets, then used the fourth-round pick they got back as part of a package to move down from 35 twice and acquire a bunch of additional picks before eventually landing Travyon Mullen out of Clemson. You can't put him in the equation, but the additional draft capital certainly helped produce more players in this draft for the Raiders. It's going to be really awkward if David Montgomeryis better than Jacobs, but regardless I think the Bears are probably fine with the deal, even after paying Mack a ton of money.

Chiefs trade Dee Ford to 49ers
Chiefs get: 49ers 2020 second-round pick, TBD

49ers get: Dee Ford

The Chiefs tagged Ford and then dealt him to San Francisco and promptly took that pick from the 49ers and POTENTIALLY packaged it in a deal below. You sort of have to look at the Chiefs end of this deal through the prism of the Clark deal -- they gave up Ford and a first-round pick for Clark. Hmm. The 49ers clearly needed pass rush now and doubled down by trading for Ford and drafting Nick Bosa. If they give up a top 50 pick for Ford it's a huge disappointment. Anything higher and they'll be thrilled having made the playoffs.

Seahawks trade Frank Clark to Chiefs
Seahawks get: L.J. Collier (2019 1st round pick, No. 29 overall), 2020 2nd round pick, TBD

Chiefs get: Frank Clark

The Seahawks also tagged Clark before swapping him for a nice haul from Kansas City. The Chiefs will send the "worse" of their two second-round picks next year to the Seahawks, meaning if they send their own pick instead of San Francisco's, things may have gone south in KC. Seattle's run defense and pass rush will be a focal point of discussions if it struggles. We'll see if Collier can fill the shoes Clark vacates, but certainly this is a case of Seattle needing some lower cost players and being willing to gamble on their player evaluation in the draft.

https://www.turfshowtimes.com/2019/...rofile-lb-dakota-allen-texas-tech-red-raiders
2019 Los Angeles Rams NFL Draft profile: LB Dakota Allen

Reviewing the final pick in the draft for the LA Rams, Sosa states that Dakota Allen could very well crack the 53-man roster.
By Sosa Kremenjas


After reviewing all previous seven selections for the Los Angeles Rams in the 2019 NFL Draft, we’ve finally made it to the end. This time we’re taking a look at Texas Tech Red Raiders LB Dakota Allen.

Allen was only a three-year prospect at Texas Tech due to an arrest (charges dropped) that ultimately got him kicked off the team. Allen was eventually re-instated due to the teams belief in his character, and it payed off to the tune of 249 total tackles, 17.5 tackles-for-loss, two sacks, four interceptions, seven pass deflections, and one forced fumble.

Let’s take a look at the write-up:

Has a lot of short area quickness/burst. Does a good job eyeing quarterbacks and timing his jump to affect passing lanes/bat passes. Aware in zone coverage though he lacks the top-end speed and range to cover a large area. Willing to take on blockers in the run game in an aggressive manner, though he doesn’t put himself in a position to stack and shed. Capable blitzer. Gets stuck on blocks. Powerful hitter who’s a decent tackler.

This rep shows Allen’s ability to play in today’s NFL. He’s in zone coverage towards the flat. Once the quarterback lets go of the pass, Allen breaks towards the running back, closes the gap between them, and secures the tackle for a minimal gain:

(Google AMP and Apple News readers can click here to view the clip)


Ultimately, Allen is a longshot, though he’s one worth taking in the seventh round of the draft. He’s not the most athletic linebacker by today’s standards, though his quickness in short area spaces allows him to minimize a lot of those concerns. His IQ and aggressiveness towards the ball are positives to his game. Allen is likely to contribute on special teams, particularly because that’ll be the easiest way for him to work his way onto the 53-man roster.

Here is Long’s athletic profile via MockDraftable:

Now this is some great stuff!:banana:


Login to view embedded media View: https://twitter.com/Steel_Faithful/status/1124548446919196673

http://www.espn.com/blog/tennessee-...cus-mariota-heading-into-make-or-break-season

No excuses for Marcus Mariota heading into make-or-break season

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- This offseason has been about putting quarterback Marcus Mariota in position to succeed.

The Tennessee Titans exercised the fifth-year option on his rookie contract during the 2018 offseason, but Mariota still hasn't proved he can be a franchise cornerstone -- never finishing higher than 13th in Total QBR during his four seasons in the league -- and he's not under contract beyond 2019.

There have been plenty of excuses for Mariota's inability to firmly establish himself after being the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft, with injuries certainly a factor. Let's take a look at some of the reasons beyond Mariota's control for his up-and-down career so far -- and why he's better positioned heading into 2019.

Offensive systems

Mariota has not been able to play in the same offense between seasons once in his career. Going through five offensive coordinators in five seasons is hardly a recipe for success. Fortunately, new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith was promoted from tight ends coach to foster a sense of continuity for Mariota. The scheme and most of the terminology will be very similar to what former offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur installed last season. That's a bonus for Mariota, who was looking forward to the prospect of having the same coordinator before LaFleur became head coach of the Green Bay Packers.

"For what it's worth, it will be nice to get back into the building and be familiar with what's going on," Mariota said while cleaning out his locker in January. "Everybody will be able to go out there and get ready to play and not try to engulf a new system."

There will be some newness to Smith's scheme, but the core concepts will be the same. Smith has been with the Titans since before Mariota joined the team. He knows Mariota's strengths and areas that need improvement as well as any coach. Smith also has a firm understanding of the personnel on Tennessee's roster. Now his job is to find ways to showcase Mariota and a talented group of players on offense.

Playmakers

A lack of weapons has hampered Mariota since he arrived in Nashville. Tight end Delanie Walker has been Mariota's favorite target and most consistent pass-catcher over the past three years, averaging 77.7 receptions and 898.3 yards per season. Walker figures to regain a key role once he returns from the broken ankle he suffered last season. In Walker's absence in 2018, wideout Corey Davis established himself as Mariota's go-to receiver. Davis was on pace for his first 1,000-yard season before the offense shifted behind Derrick Henry, who exploded for 625 yards and eight touchdowns in December. Maintaining a strong running game should open up more passing lanes for Mariota.

The big addition in free agency was Adam Humphries, a consistent pass-catcher who hauled in 72.4 percent of the targets that went his way in 2018. Despite being only 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, Humphries has no fear when it comes to working the middle of the field and taking big hits from linebackers. Humphries will play an integral role as a slot receiver, especially on third down.

The team's selection of 6-foot-1 wideout A.J. Brown in the second round (51st overall) gives Mariota a big target with a huge catch radius. Brown made a living in the slot last season (85 receptions, 1,320 yards, six TDs), but he also showed that he could play on the outside in 2017 (75 receptions, 1,252 yards, 11 TDs). His ability to gain yards after the catch will be imperative for the Titans' offense. Getting the ball to Brown on various in-breaking routes and screen passes will give him a chance to showcase his playmaking ability.

O-line issues

The interior part of the offensive line struggled mightily last season, as Mariota was sacked a career-high 42 times. Guards [URL='http://www.espn.com/nfl/player/_/id/16403/josh-kline']Josh Kline and Quinton Spain were replaced with high-priced free agent Rodger Saffold (four years, $44 million) and third-round selection Nate Davis. Saffold should be a huge upgrade, especially when taking the field next to left tackle Taylor Lewan[/URL]. Saffold was third among all guards in ESPN's Pass Block Win Rate powered by NFL Next Gen Stats last season (minimum 300 blocks), holding his blocks for at least 2.5 seconds 87.4 percent of the time. With Spain moving on to the Bills, the Titans now have a more natural fit for their zone scheme in Davis, who should develop into a starter at some point in 2019.

The defense

Tennessee's defense hasn't been a problem -- it's been a strength. For the most part, that unit remains intact in 2019, which is the cherry on top for Mariota. Dean Pees' squad finished last season with the NFL's third-best scoring defense, allowing only 18.9 points per game. Mariota shouldn't find himself in many shootouts next season. Coach Mike Vrabel's formula for wins is relying on a stingy defense and a physical running game.

https://lastwordonprofootball.com/2019/05/04/can-los-angeles-rams-go-death-row/
Can The Los Angeles Rams Go Death Row In 2019?
By
[URL='https://lastwordonprofootball.com/author/tonylopez/']Tony Lopez
-
May 4, 2019
[/URL]
GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 30: Washington Huskies defensive back Taylor Rapp (21) watches the play during the Fiesta Bowl college football game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Washington Huskies on December 30, 2017 at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona(Photo by Kevin Abele/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
It would certainly strike us as either odd or so him, the sight of Wade Phillips sporting dark shades and looking all street hard…or attempting to. But no, Southern Cal and rap/hip-hop enthusiasts everywhere. To my knowledge, the team has no plans to revive the record label founders Dr. Dre and Suge Knight made famous. However, with drafting two University of Washington Huskies one might ask, can the Los Angeles Rams go Death Row in 2019 and beyond? They can, if so inspired.

Can The Los Angeles Rams Go Death Row?
The 2019 NFL Draft is now done and in the books. The Rams added eight new players via the NFL draft. Two of the eight, safety Taylor Rapp and interior defensive lineman Greg Gaines, are former Washington Huskies. This is increasingly interesting and social media is starting to notice. But why?

In this case, because defensively the Huskies are known, at least regionally, as the “Death Row” defense. And make no mistake, it’s with reason. As indicated on each helmet, they are the “DAWGS” of the Pac-12. A potent defensive squad that has led their conference in points allowed the last four years and counting. Their list of accomplishments in recent years are ongoing and include:

• Pac-12 leaders in points allowed (2015 through 2018)
• Pac-12 leaders in defensive points scored (2015 through 2018)
• 2nd or better (Pac-12) against the run each year since 2014
• 2nd (Pac-12) in sacks four of last six seasons
• Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year 2017 (DL Vita Vea) and 2018 (LB Ben Burr-Kirven)
• Holding opponents to 10 points or less (2015 through 2018): more than doubled total games of any other Pac-12 football team.

Love at first sight for the Washington guys.

Scouting the Scouts: How did @trapp07 + @GregGaines99 impress area scout Vito Gonella? pic.twitter.com/w1eQC9kyuP

— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) May 3, 2019

The Making Of Dawg Central, California
The Los Angeles Rams already have two ex-Huskies expected to return starters on defense in Marcus Peters and Cory Littleton. The two new additions put the NFC conference champions at the top of the league in Death Row hires. The Arizona Cardinals currently have four Huskies on their roster but only three play defense. What’s more, the horned dawgs have a much better chance of filling starting roles and sooner. Conceivably on defense, there could be four starters from the University of Washington.

The Fight In The Dawg, Greg Gaines
The first thing people notice in getting to know Greg Gaines is that his arms are worryingly short. In fact, the word “stubby” instantly comes to mind and scouts have been quoted using it. After reading these numerous scattered criticisms you can find yourself buying in and fear he won’t fill Ndamukong Suh’s shoes. Fear not.

The truth is, the Los Angeles Rams don’t exactly need him to fill Suh’s kicks, they need him to absorb some of the double-teams Aaron Donald commands more effectively. Listed at 6’2″, 316lbs, Gaines is stout like Donald. He’s got natural strength like Donald but brings to the table the ability to bull rush somewhat like Suh. What’s more, he’s liable to do it more often because – unlike Suh, allegedly – he doesn’t fancy taking plays off.

Gaines stays motivated and was a fan favorite at Washington because of his tenaciousness. He’s slow off the ball and has competition in camp there, for sure. But even that could actually be a compliment at times. Opposing defenses must game plan away from Donald, first and foremost. The means – as you’ve seen all too often in 2018 alone – that teams often call plays designed to take advantage of the Rams overzealous attacks on defense. Should Gaines win a starting spot and with free agent additions, I doubt this happens as much going forward.

As a whole, Gaines should rarely get pushed off gaps being a true 2-gap DT. Having played alongside 2017 teammate Vita Vea and now possibly Aaron Donald, running backs may become dawg food. He’s probably more effective in 4-3 packages but more important, he’s a real football player. A scrapper. A junkyard dog that simply needs to be turned loose.

The Fight In The Dawg, Taylor Rapp
Rams fans are going to love this kid for years to come. With his boyish charm, his natural ability and under Eric Weddle’s wing, how can they not? This will become especially true when he solidifies himself with a few more pounds of seasoned NFL Grade A beef. He flies to the ball from any and everywhere on the field so expect the effort to be contagious.

Rapp’s three years at Washington includes 168 tackles, seven interceptions and six sacks. In 2018, he led his team in sacks and the entire Pac-12 in tackling percentage, according to Pro Football Focus. He plays the run exceptionally well and knows how to tackle. Improving consistently, his pass game is fluid with excellent pursuit and recovery. One of PFF’s highest-graded safeties, he plays all over the field at what can be considered elite level. His play recognition is also top tier and the reason he could have very few better mentors than Weddle.

Taylor Rapp's passer rating when targeted of just 12.0 was by FAR the lowest mark in the Pac-12! #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/Nh5PyOHvQ6

— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 27, 2019

One dimension I would not overlook in the progression of Taylor Rapp is his motivation.

“There’s not a lot of Asian-Americans in sports…In football there’s none,” Taylor said in a Rolling With The Rookies video installment. He went to say that it’s his mission is to be that role model Asian-American kids are inspired by. He knows what it’s like to feel the awkwardness of looking and being treated differently. This drives him going forward and the Rams and their fans stand to reap the benefits.

The End Game, Dawg
No, seriously. The end game is just that. The Rams have dawgs coming in this off-season and that’s not limited to draft selections only. Don’t be too stunned if a UDFA signing or two make the final roster at some point soon enough. What they recently lost in size and experience with starters they may have gained in determination and dawgedness (equals doggedness on ‘roids — your new word for the day).

From the safe distance of springtime, the Rams have a fair chance to excel to the next level defensively. Truth be told, it’s about time. Total team defense on Wade Phillips’ watch is 19th-ranked now in back-to-back years after becoming a top 10 unit in 2016. Sure, there has been mitigating circumstances but fan patience is slowly thinning. Frankly, I see the opposite of what some experts think in that the Rams inexperience will be costly. I think we can expect to see better overall pursuit and tackling backing the defensive line. I see more hunger and yes, I see Wade letting the dawgs out (barking here is optional).

#Rams 2019 NFL Draft selections begs the question: Will being the new #1 employer of @UW_Football "Death Row Dawgs" inspire #MobSquad to adopt the nickname? #Ramily, #LARams #Dawgs (Photo: Johnny Andrews/The Seattle Times) pic.twitter.com/8wlY7ne1Yt

— Mob Times (@GridDawgs247) May 3, 2019

If The Shoe Fits, Why Not?
You have to admit; Death Row Dawgs sounds pretty good. And I’m pretty sure we would own it first in California at the pro level, if not league-wide. Yes, the defense first has to be deserving so go calling Big Whit Big Suge anytime soon.

But it can work. Multiple nicknames are acceptable and yet there’s always the risk of a new tag threatening to replace the still well-received nickname of the St. Louis years, MobSquad.

After the double boink by last years PK, the Bears have brought in several place kickers.

My favorite to make the team? Chris Blewitt Really? a PK named blew-it? I can just imagine announcers description over the air when this guy comes in to make the game wining kick at the end of a game when he misses.

Talk about living up to your name.....

wwww.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/bears-kicker-compen-gets-off-to-laughable-start-ar-AAARCOv?ocid=spartandhp


Chris Blewitt, what a great name for a PK.

https://www.therams.com/news/inside-the-draft-room-one-last-trade-to-pick-up-greg-gaines

Inside the draft room: One last trade to pick up Greg Gaines

After a flurry of trades to pick four players on Friday night, there’s not much time before the Rams get back at it in the draft room on Saturday morning.

There are positives to living in pacific time during the draft. The first two nights start at 5 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively — so you’re not picking players late into the night. But the drawback is that Saturday’s fourth-round proceedings begin at 9 a.m. It’s an early morning.

As the day begins, Los Angeles has four picks — No. 162, No. 167, No. 169, and No. 251. The first three are in the fifth round, and the final in the seventh.

Rams assistant director of college scouting Ted Monago enters the draft room at about 8:58, saying that this is the day where it’s time to find gold.

“You can always find gold,” he says.

In this case, that starts with the Rams finding a way to move up for defensive tackle Greg Gaines. General manager Les Snead would say later that afternoon at the post-draft press conference that acquiring Gaines was the team’s “first priority” for Saturday. According to Snead, he and McVay had met that morning, and came to the conclusion that Gaines would be the right fit to compete for the nose tackle spot vacated by the departed Ndamukong Suh in Los Angeles’ base 3-4 defense.

But because the Rams opened the day with selections toward the end of the fifth round, there was work to be done in order to make the priority reality.

Knowing this was the plan in retrospect fills in a few blanks as the fourth round plays out. Snead and McVay enter the draft room after ostensibly meeting about Gaines and stand in front of the defensive draft-board screen at the front of the room. After a while, it becomes clear that McVay has a player in mind who he believes can fill a specific role to help complete the makeup of Los Angeles’ defense. It also becomes clear that McVay feels like L.A. will have to trade up in order to get him.

Executive vice president of football operations Kevin Demoff and vice president of football and business administration Tony Pastoors are working the phones, and they discuss with Snead and McVay the potential trade options. Much like it happened on Friday night, some teams are willing to deal if a player they want to select comes off the board. But for a while, none of those deals come to fruition. Those in the room also discuss which teams they know Gaines has met with, just to make sure they’re ahead of any other club that might want him.

At one point, a team Snead had called about a potential swap calls the Rams’ GM back when that team is on the clock. But it’s a courtesy call, as that club’s time to make a selection is winding down — not a call to trade.

“I appreciate the call. I was just expecting you to pick and not call us,” Snead says — since that’s the way most of these non-trades have gone. “I’ll remember that.”

With the group of Snead, McVay, Demoff, and Pastoors in and out of the room, all working together to find a suitable partner, one proposal emerges that will clearly work around pick No. 132. As it turns out, it’s with the Patriots, who have back-to-back picks at No. 133 and 134. After both sides confirmed that New England didn’t plan on picking the player Los Angeles wanted at No. 134, McVay, who’s on the phone with the Pats, spells out the terms of the deal: L.A. gets No. 134 and No. 243 in exchange for No. 162 and No. 167.

Pastoors phones the league to officially execute the trade, and Los Angeles selects Gaines at No. 134.

The Rams have their nose tackle.

Following Snead, McVay, and defensive line coach Eric Henderson, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips gets on the phone with Gaines to welcome him to the team and says it outright — the Washington product has a chance to make an impact right away.

“It’s going great now, we’ve got you on our team!” Phillips says. “We’ve got a place for you — you know, Ndamukong Suh left, so you’ve got a spot. We’re looking for you to get after it, OK?”

“Big shoes to fill — I’m up for it,” Gaines replies.

“Hey, you can do it,” Phillips says. “That’s why we got you now.”

As the pick is announced on NFL Network, the room applauds. Then there are a few hoots and hollers when a graphic displays the Rams’ defensive front: Clay Matthews, Michael Brockers, Greg Gaines, Aaron Donald, and Dante Fowler.

After selecting Gaines, the Rams now have a long time to wait for their next pick at No. 169. And, finally, it appears Los Angeles isn’t going to make a trade.

As the selections turn to the 160s, the discussion on who the Rams should pick centers around building depth at certain spots versus picking players who can definitely make the gameday roster. Both are important, and the Rams come up with a plan to select players who can, hopefully, check off both boxes.

In addition to the usual personnel staff, there are a few coaches in the room as the Rams come on the clock at No. 169.

“Anybody feel different than that?” McVay asks, as the group comes to a consensus on who to pick. No one does, and L.A. turns in the card for Wisconsin offensive tackle David Edwards.

When the sixth round becomes the seventh, scouts and assistant coaches essentially have to become recruiters. At one point, assistant head coach/linebackers coach Joe Barry jokes that it’s taking him back to his days as a coach for USC.

Coaches and the personnel staff go back and forth, in and out of the draft room throughout the final round of the draft. But in the lead up to No. 243, the Rams discuss a player special teams coordinator John “Bones” Fassel is particularly fond of. Penn State safety Nick Scott was apparently Fassel’s favorite special teams player in this draft, so he’s understandably quite happy when L.A. turns in the card for Scott at No. 243.

And to close out the Rams’ selections, Barry advocates for taking Texas Tech linebacker at No. 251, touting his quick-twitch movement and football instincts. And yes, he’s most known to the public as one of the stars of the Netflix show Last Chance U. But inside the draft room, the talk is more about his ability as a player and what he’s overcome to put himself in position to play in the NFL.

“Love the way you handled adversity,” McVay tells Allen when the Rams call him to tell him the good news.

That completes the Rams 2019 draft — six trades to net eight players. And while the selection process is done, each player’s NFL story is only beginning.

This is the final installment of our Inside the Draft Room series. If you missed them, catch up with Part I here and Part II here.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft...ct-rookies-based-on-talent-fit-and-situation/

2019 NFL Draft: Five biggest instant impact rookies based on talent, fit and situation
Kyler Murray, Nick Bosa and Quinnen Williams are obvious, but here are five others who could make a huge impact

Which first-round picks from the 2019 NFL Draft are truly in "instant impact" situations?

Sure, every team believes its Round 1 pick will be a Rookie of the Year candidate at the end of the season. In actuality, some rookies simply find themselves in more advantageous situations than others based on the roster makeup of their respective new team.

Based on talent, fit, and situation, these are the five biggest instant impact rookies from this draft class. Kyler Murray was left off on purpose. Listing him would've represented the low-hanging fruit. The same goes for Nick Bosa and Quinnen Williams.

Clelin Ferrell, EDGE, Raiders
Not counting Boston College's Zach Allen, who's a hybrid more than anything else, this is how I ranked the edge rusher position in the 2019 NFL Draft: Nick Bosa. Montez Sweat. Ferrell. And the latter was ranked No. 17 overall.

Considering those rankings, you're probably not surprised I was among the few who liked the Raiders going Ferrell at No. 4 overall. Purely based on the rankings, Sweat would've been the highest-ranked prospect at that position on my board when Oakland went on the clock, but who knows if the Raiders' medical staff saw his heart condition as a red flag? Sure, Ferrell at No. 4 was technically early. Yet Oakland had a gigantic need on the outside of its defensive line and there was no guarantee he'd be there at No. 24.

Ferrell is in prime position to be hugely impactful to the Raiders in 2018 because of the club's well-documented pass-rush problems. I tracked defensive pressure rates last season to get a good sense of truly how productive each team's pass rush was, instead of solely looking at sack figures. The Raiders not only finished with the fewest amount of sacks in football, with 13, but the second-lowest number was a whopping 30. Jon Gruden's club had the league's lowest pressure rate. The Raiders pressured the opposing quarterback on 23.3% of drop backs they faced. The Lions had the second-lowest pressure rate at 29.0%.

Arden Key, Oakland's 2018 third-round selection, will likely open as the team's "top" pass rusher. Ferrell has a higher motor, better hand use, and more strength to push offensive tackles backward. While I don't expect Ferrell to win Defensive Rookie of the Year, his size, length, power, and ascending pass-rushing ability will likely keep him on the field for 60-70% of the snaps -- Key played 62.6% as a rookie -- and his well-rounded game will lead to him loading the stat sheet. Oh, and my pre-draft comparison for Ferrell was Chandler Jones.

Devin White, LB, Buccaneers
Before the aftershock of Ferrell at No. 4 subsided, White to the Bucs was one of the most obvious prospect-team pairings in the entire first round mainly due to the free-agent departure of Kwon Alexander, an athletic but vastly inconsistent linebacker.

Lavonte David is and has always been a stud at the weak-side spot. He's needed a reliable running mate for a while now and gets that with White, a ferocious, athletic, ridiculously fast second-level defender who did a marvelous job cleaning up tackling issues that popped on film in 2017. Also, he was much more comfortable in coverage in his final year at LSU than he was the season before.

In 2018, the Buccaneers had Football Outsiders' second-worst run defense DVOA, and David had two times the amount of tackles (120) of the linebacker with the second-most on the team (60, Adarius Taylor). There'll be plenty of opportunity for White to fly across the football field to make plays against the run. While he's not the most efficient blocker-shedder, the former LSU star often beats blockers to the ball and can lay the lumber. My pre-draft comparison for him was Myles Jack.

White doubled his pass breakup total from three as a sophomore to six as junior. He can strike quickly on underneath throws after sinking in zone and proved capable of turning and running with backs and tight ends alike in 2018. He'll have to be key cog to Tampa's pass defense in a division with tight ends like Austin Hooper, Jared Cook, and Greg Olsen.

Ed Oliver, DT, Bills
This is the best combination of value and fit in the entire first round. Buffalo was active in free agency, yet entered the draft with a gaping hole at the play-making three technique defensive tackle spot vacated by the retired Kyle Williams.

Oliver was born to play three technique. He's an athletic marvel, the most electric mover we've seen at defensive tackle since Aaron Donald joined the league in 2014. Oliver was able to overcome playing predominately at the nose tackle spot at 6-foot-1 and 280-plus pounds -- basically coaching malfeasance -- to amass 53 tackles for loss and 13.5 sacks in his three seasons at Houston.

With an open gap staring him in the face when he looks up from his three-point stance on the outside shoulder of the guard -- or at the one-technique outside the center -- Oliver's elite first step and sustained speed will allow him to create consistent havoc. And in 2018, Oliver flashed more pass-rushing moves than in his first two years with the Cougars. The run-stopping prowess has been there since his true freshman season in 2016.

The Bills actually finished sixth in defensive pressure rate in 2018 at 37.1%. But outside of Kyle Williams and a sprinkling of pass-rush production from Jordan Phillips and Harrison Phillips, most of Buffalo's pressure was created by Jerry Hughes on the outside.

Oliver is in prime position to be "freed" on the inside with the Phillips duo and the massive Star Lotulelei eating double teams. The No. 9 overall pick in this draft will be the definition of "instant impact" on Buffalo's deep defensive line, both against the run and the pass. My pre-draft comparison for him was John Randle.

Noah Fant, TE, Broncos
In 2016 and 2017 combined, Joe Flacco's final two years as the 16-game starter in Baltimore, tight ends accounted for 24.8% of the team targets and 25.5% of the team receptions. In his Super Bowl winning season of 2012, an even more sizable 28.1% of the Ravens' team targets went to tight ends.

Last year in Denver, just 18.5% of team receptions and 19.1% of the targets were tight end targets. The Broncos understood their new quarterback would want to get the tight ends more involved in the offense, so they drafted one of the top two tights in this class in Fant.

While he doesn't necessarily play to his measured athleticism -- 4.50 in the 40, 39-inch vertical, 6.81 three-cone -- Fant is a big receiver with some blocking chops. You want him accelerating down the seam. He's the definition of a matchup nightmare with that type of speed at 6-4 and 249 pounds.

It won't be surprising if Fant takes a considerable bite out of the target shares of Jeff Heuerman and Jake Butt on Sundays and is utilized in the intermediate and deep portions of the field with Flacco under center. My pre-draft comparison for him was O.J. Howard.

Jerry Tillery, DT, Chargers
Tillery is a nearly 6-7, 295 pound interior wrecking ball who just so happens to be a superb athlete for the position and regularly deploys heavy hands to guards and centers on his way to the football.

He was my No. 4 defensive tackle -- behind Oliver, Quinnen Williams, and Jeffery Simmons -- and No. 7 overall prospect in the entire class. Because he's so stellar athletically and has long, active hands, his height isn't an issue in the leverage battle very often. Why? Offensive linemen can't get their hands into his chest and keep them there.

And he lands with a team in Los Angeles that desperately needs push up the middle, with their two bookend edge rushers Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa drawing significant attention every week.

Corey Liuget is gone. Brandon Mebane is in the twilight of his career and has been a reliable block-eater at nose tackle. Justin Jones, the team's third-round pick in 2018 who plays defensive tackle, appeared on just 28.9% of the defensive snaps in 2018 and registered a half sack. Tillery is bound to eat immediately in Los Angeles. My pre-draft comparison for him was Chris Jones.

This isn’t a traditional class. This is a thread to keep the curious mind up to date, and to share personnal experiences about particular drinks.

A few weeks back I went to this joint called Craft Hill in Covina @ the bottom of Kellogg Hill for the So Cali people. I ended up going through the drink menu saw an interesting drink that had almost everything I liked.

The Vieux Carre


Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon Benedictine
• 1 dash Peychaud’s Bitters
• 1 dash Angostura Bitters
• 3/4 ounce rye whiskey
• 3/4 ounce cognac
• 3/4 ounce sweet vermouth

I was impressed, taste, look definitely a must try if your curious. It is strong so sip wisely. Its basically a Grand Manhattan...

I've been watching Dirty Harry movies from the early 70's, where each movie has a signature phrase/word from Harry Callahan. I liked Charles Bronson's Death Wish, but the sequels were not that good.
1. "Dirty Harry"
'Well, to tell you the truth, in all this excitement, I've kinda lost track myself. But being this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?'

2. "Magnum Force"
'A Man Has Got to Know his Limitations.'

3. "The Enforcer"
'Marvelous'

4. "Sudden Impact"
'Go Ahead and Make My Day.'


5. "The Dead Pool"
'Well, opinions are like assholes, everyone has one.'

Found this on msn.com. Rams are really tight against the cap, but Demoff is good a finagling. Might be able to sign one at most. Getting a vet O lineman who has C experience would be my best guess. Allen is unproven. If he sucks, then what? Move Blythe over? That creates another hole.


https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nf...s-intrest-the-rams/ar-AAANXfY?ocid=spartandhp

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...r-josh-rosen-to-the-first-round-deal-at-no-1/

2019 NFL Draft: Ranking all 40 trades, from Cardinals' poor return for Josh Rosen to the first-round deal at No. 1
Want to know who won and lost every deal made during the 2019 NFL Draft? You've come to the right place

When it comes to the 2019 NFL Draft, you've probably read about the winners and losers, and you've assuredly checked in with Pete Prisco to see what grade he gave your favorite team's class. Now it's time to look specifically at all the trades made over the course of the three-day draft to separate the master negotiators from the marks.

The process is completely, not-at-all scientific: I look at the value of each pick involved in a trade, based up on a draft value chart created by Rich Hill at Pats Pulpit that estimates the values of picks based upon trades that have actually happened in recent years (I used the 2018 study; apologies if I missed a more recent version). That provides a base score for whether a team over- or underpaid.

I then look at the asset they targeted in the deal -- and here it's important to note that we're grading the team that either moved up for a pick that was on the clock at the time, or that added a veteran in a deal that involved picks yet to come -- and use my subjective opinion on whether the acquiring team landed a prospect that wouldn't have been there at their previous pick, and whether the targeted prospect made sense as someone who could have an impact.

Confused? Probably. It boils down to this: I graded every team that felt the need to make a trade in the draft to go get someone. Then I ranked them from worst to best. Let's get started.

40. Josh Rosen finds a new home

• Cardinals get No. 62 (WR Isabella), 2020 5th
• Dolphins get QB Rosen

Depending on how you want to score this, this is either the best (for the Dolphins) or worst (for the Cardinals) trade in the draft. The Cardinals landed a package worth about the 60th pick in this year's draft for a quarterback they took at 10th overall. Not only that, a year ago I ranked their move up for Rosen my best trade of the 2018 draft. What a difference a year makes.

There's zero downside for the Dolphins in this move, while the Cardinals opted to sell a potential franchise quarterback at pennies to a dollar a year after trading him. And there's no guarantee the guy they're going with instead (Kyler Murray) is any better than Rosen would have been. This one's an easy winner of the worst trade of the 2019 draft award.

39. Rams add Gurley insurance

• Rams get No. 70 (RB Henderson)
• Buccaneers get No. 94, 99

I'm not surprised the Rams would want to bring in a plan B at the running back position after Todd Gurley dealt with injuries at the end of last year. I'm just surprised how big a price they paid to do it. They lost the value of the No. 167 pick to make the move, and I'm not sure about overpaying that much to go get running backs in this era of the NFL. I like Darrell Henderson as a prospect, but after bringing back Malcolm Brown, I think the Rams would have been smarter just keeping their pair of late third-round picks and going a different route at running back.

38. Rams, Patriots make another deal

• Rams get No. 97 (OT Evans), 162
• Patriots get No. 101, 133

The Rams initially got No. 101 by moving down in the second round in a deal with the Patriots, then got impatient once the end of Round 3 drew near and traded it back to the Patriots to move up a few spots for tackle Bobby Evans. The problem isn't just the four-pick jump wasn't worth falling back 29 picks in the rest of the deal, but that the Patriots at No. 101 took a tackle that could very well be better than Evans in Yodny Cajuste.

37. Colts pay big price for safety

• Colts get No. 109 (S Willis)
• Raiders get No. 129, 135

If the Colts wanted to make a move up in the fourth round for a safety, it should have been for Amani Hooker, who went a few picks later. I don't think Khari Williswas worth taking at No. 129 if they had stayed put, but if he was their guy, I wouldn't have minded taking him there. But I certainly wouldn't have sacrificed an additional pick to get him.

36. Panthers leap for O-line help

• Panthers get No. 37 (OT Little)
• Seahawks get No. 47, 77

This qualifies as one of the biggest overpays in the entire draft, with the Panthers losing the value of the 121st pick in the deal. And the guy that had to go get was Greg Little, a first-round talent to some but not someone I'm moving 10 spots to get with Cody Ford and Dalton Risner on the board. Even if the Panthers couldn't wait on Little specifically, they should have made a better deal -- no other trade in that part of the draft was anywhere near as lopsided against the team moving up.

35. Patriots move up for a ... punter?

• Patriots get No. 163 (P Bailey)
• Eagles get No. 167, 246

This isn't terrible value as far as pick swaps go, but what are you doing moving up four spots to get a punter, especially one in a pretty blah class for the position? I get that the Patriots have so many picks to burn that losing that seventh-rounder isn't that big of a deal, but I just don't see the need to move up for a specific punter in the first place.

34. Seahawks find a linebacker

• Seahawks get No. 88 (LB Barton), 209
• Vikings get No. 92, 159

The Seahawks spent the early portion of the draft trading down and amassing picks, but this is one deal they felt they had to make to move up and get their guy. But I'm not sure why -- Cody Barton is a bit of a reach in the third round, and I think you risk missing out on him by staying at No. 92 rather than trading 50 spots back with a later pick.

33. Bills move up for tight end

• Bills get No. 96 (TE Knox)
• Redskins get No. 112, 131

I like the player the Bills went up to get and he fills a need, but this was a big overpay, equivalent to a pick around No. 178. I would have liked to see Buffalo get a pick back in this deal, or give up a later pick than No. 141. Worst case, you don't land Dawson Knox but instead get a different tight end (like Foster Moreau) in Round 4 and still have another pick to use helping elsewhere on the roster.

32. Falcons make a move for corner help

• Falcons get No. 111 (CB Sheffield)
• Lions get No. 117, 186

The Falcons reached a bit on their first pick at No. 14 overall, then looked like they spent the rest of the draft trying to make up for it, moving up multiple times. This was my least favorite of their moves, as it wasn't good value and I don't think Kendall Sheffield was head and shoulders better than the other available options at the position (Amani Oruwariye, for instance, who went one round later).

31. Patriots hop up in Round 2

• Patriots get No. 45 (CB J.Williams)
• Rams get No. 56, 101

You can throw this in my face when Joejuan Williams is a star, but this was a rare overpay for the Patriots, as they shouldn't have had to give up a second Day 2 pick to make such a modest move up. Plus, it's arguable whether they got the top corner on the board -- many people's No. 1 corner in the class, Greedy Williams, went one pick later. If Greedy is great and Joejuan isn't, this move looks much worse.

30. Bengals make Day 3 trade for QB

• Bengals get No. 104 (QB Finley)
• 49ers get No. 110, 183

A little bit of an overpay here, and I'm not sure trading extra picks to go get the right backup QB is a wise move. Now, if new caoch Zac Taylor thinks Ryan Finleycan be a starter in the offense he wants to run and he's right, this will end up being a great move. But if Finley maxes out as a QB2 like many believe he will, I don't like the trade.

29. Broncos add veteran linebacker

• Broncos get LB Watson, No. 212
• 49ers get No. 148

I like getting a solid player in Dekoda Watson to help the depth of the defense, but this was a massive trade back in order to land him. This values Watson, who has one year left on his deal at $1.55 million, worth the 160th pick. The fifth round was a good spot for linebackers this year, and I would have rather rolled the dice with one of them than make this trade for Watson.

28. Seattle swaps 2020 pick for WR

• Seahawks get No. 236 (WR Ursua)
• Jaguars get 2020 6th

I'm fine with this from a value perspective, but the reason the Seahawks made a bunch of trades down the board this year was because they started draft week with only four picks (and added an extra one in the Frank Clark deal). Now they're dealing from next year's capital for a guy that could have been a priority free agent for them? I'd rather just keep the 2020 pick.

27. Patriots target D-line help

• Patriots get No. 159 (DL Cowart)
• Vikings get No. 162, 239

Not great value for the Patriots in only moving up a couple spots here, but if Byron Cowart pays off then the price paid is negligible. There were plenty of players of similar value available and I didn't really see him as a standout, must-have guy where the Pats got him, which is why this one ranks so low.

26. Falcons land sleeper DE

• Falcons get No. 135 (DE Cominsky)
• Raiders get No. 137, 230

This is similar to the Patriots trade above, but I'm a little more bullish on John Cominsky and I give the small-schooler a better shot at making an impact on a barren depth chart in Atlanta. I could also see the Cowboys wanting him at No. 136 (they ended up trading out of the pick), so this was probably a smart move for Atlanta all in all.

25. Ravens target athletic receiver

• Ravens get No. 93 (WR Boykin)
• Vikings get No. 102, 191, 193

Don't love the value here, especially trading three picks to make this move and with a deep receiver class leaving guys like Hakeem Butler and Riley Ridley still on the board. But Miles Boykin blew the doors off his athletic testing and his upside is massive. I think the Ravens could have afforded to wait but I do like the prospect they got.

24. Jets climb one spot for Edoga

• Jets get No. 92 (OT Edoga)
• Vikings get No. 93, 217

The Vikings spent the third round trading back over and over again, and here they only had to move one spot back to get a solid pick late on Day 3. I don't think the value was there, but if they really thought the Vikings were taking Chuma Edoga, I like the move to go get him. He fills a clear need for the team and I can see him playing sooner rather than later for the Jets.

23. Broncos grab a receiver

• Broncos get No. 187 (WR Winfree)
• Panthers get No. 212, 237

I think this was a reach for the prospect, as I'm not sure Juwann Winfree is going to stick on the roster. But the reason this deal doesn't rank lower is that the Broncos got really good value in this trade, especially considering some of the others moves made a little before this pick.

22. Chiefs land Tyreek Hill insurance

• Chiefs get No. 56 (WR Hardman)
• Rams get No. 61, 167

Clearly this pick was made with the potential absence of Tyreek Hill due to off-field issues in mind, as Mecole Hardman can be a similar type of game-breaking weapon, albeit without Hill's ceiling. But I think it was a reach to take him in the second round. This trade would rank much lower, but I think the price paid was great value for the Chiefs so it's hard to knock it too much.

21. Raiders make a move for WR help

• Raiders get No. 149 (WR Renfrow)
• Cowboys get No. 158, 218

The Raiders have spent their offseason remaking the weapons Derek Carr will have at his disposal, and the Raiders decided Hunter Renfrow had to be their slot guy for the offense. I think a few better options were on the board (Kelvin Harmon isn't a traditional small slot guy but he went much later), which is why this doesn't rank higher despite being a relatively fair deal.

20. Vikings move up for guard

• Vikings get No. 114 (G Samia)
• Seahawks get No. 120, 204

Everything about this deal was solid for the Vikings. They paid just about fair value in the move up, they addressed a position of need with the pick, and they got a guy at good value in Dru Samia. I can see him emerging quickly as a starter for a Vikings team that has to do a better job with protection, and he should have been on the radar for multiple teams between No. 114 and 120.

19. Bengals like Mike in deal

• Bengals get No. 136 (OL Jordan)
• Cowboys get No. 149, 213

Just like the Vikings deal above, this was a solid move all round for the Bengals. Michael Jordan can fill a need on the interior of the line, and they actually got him for a better price in the move up the board. He might even be better than Dru Samia, who the Vikings landed, despite going at a later point in the draft.

18. Giants can't wait on corner

• Giants get No. 30 (CB Baker)
• Seahawks get No. 37, 132, 142

The Giants got trashed for how they handled Round 1, but I actually think this was a pretty solid move value wise. They didn't overpay at all, especially when you consider they'll get a fifth-year option on Deandre Baker with the move. I'm just not sure if he should have been the only corner selected in Round 1. Make this pick Byron Murphy or Greedy Williams and it looks even better.

17. Rams jump for D-line help

• Rams get No. 134 (DT Gaines), 243
• Patriots get No. 162, 167

Good value here for the Rams thanks to getting that extra pick back in the deal, and Greg Gaines is a solid prospect who can help offset the loss of Ndamukong Suh to free agency. After they missed out on the top D-line talent in Round 1 and decided to trade back, Gaines was a solid fall-back option who didn't come at a prohibitive price.

16. Lions jump as Vikings start falling back

• Lions get No. 81 (S Harris)
• Vikings get No. 88, 204

The great part of this deal for the Lions was the price, as they came out on top by the equivalent of about the No. 196 pick despite being the team to move up. I think Will Harris might have been a bit of a reach, but let's talk instead about the Vikings, who made this the first of four trades down in the third round, going from No. 81 to 88 to 92 to 93 to 102. Just make a pick already.

15. Steelers go get Devin Bush

• Steelers get No. 10 (LB Bush)
• Broncos get No. 20, 52, 2020 3rd

I wanted to put this deal higher, because I love the Steelers getting aggressive to go get one of the two impact linebackers in this draft. But the simple fact is that they overpaid to make the move, losing out on an early fourth-round pick in value. The Broncos clearly had them over a barrel and made a great deal here, but you can only knock the Steelers so much when Devin Bush is the prize.

14. Eagles land veteran D-lineman

• Eagles get DT Ridgeway
• Colts get No. 246

There were surprisingly few trades for veteran players during the three-day draft, and while I think the Broncos overpaid to get their guy, the Eagles gave up virtually nothing to land a solid rotational defensive tackle in Hassan Ridgeway. In fact, No. 246 was the pick they got from the Patriots, who had to have that punter, and the Eagles still got value in Clayton Thorson after they moved back. And the extra draft pick from the deal also gets them Ridgeway. That's how you do it.

13. Bears can't wait on running back

• Bears get No. 73 (RB Montgomery), 205
• Patriots get No. 87, 162, 2020 4th

The Bears were clearly looking to upgrade the running back position, doing plenty of work on those prospects in the run up to the draft. Some feel David Montgomery was the second-best back in the class, so it made sense to the Bears to make the move as there was a run on the position in the third round. And they didn't even have to overpay to get him. Nice job on this deal.

12. Seahawks stop Metcalf's slide

• Seahawks get No. 64 (WR Metcalf)
• Patriots get No. 77, 118

This wasn't good value at all in terms of the draft capital Seattle gave up, losing about the value of the 195th pick here. But D.K. Metcalf had no business being on the board at the end of Round 2, so in that sense it was well worth the overpay to get up and snag him at No. 64. The top receiver on many people's boards, Metcalf was the ninth player selected at his position. That matters, and I can't ding the Seahawks too much on what they gave up.

11. Browns get Greedy

• Browns get No. 46 (CB G.Williams)
• Colts get No. 49, 144

Like the Seahawks trade above, the Browns overpaid to move up for the prospect they wanted. And like the trade above, I don't really care that they did. Greedy Williams was the top corner on plenty of draft boards and someone I'm sure most felt would be a first-round pick. When he got within three picks of the Browns, they couldn't wait any longer, and it's easy to understand why. I would have paid a little extra to make the move as well.

10. Bills stop Ford's fall

• Bills get No. 38 (OT Ford)
• Raiders get No. 40, 158

This overpay wasn't nearly as bad as the ones for D.K. Metcalf and Greedy Williams, and considering the Cody Ford fills a big need for the Bills on the offensive line and that he should have also been a first-round pick, it's worth paying a little more than they should have to go get him. If you want to rank any of the last three trades higher despite the pick value not being there, I wouldn't mind at all.

9. Falcons trade back into first

• Falcons get No. 31 (OT McGary), 203
• Rams get No. 45, 79

While Kaleb McGary wasn't as big of a steal as the three players we just mentioned, the Falcons got him for a steal rather than overpaying in the deal, and that's before you factor in landing the fifth-year option. It would have been better if an impact defensive lineman had been there to grab, but the Falcons deserve credit for the value of this trade anyway.

8. Titans leap for safety

• Ttans get No. 116 (S Hooker), 168
• Jets get No. 121, 157

The Titans made this move at a good price, as it only cost them a small move back later in the draft to jump five spots for a safety in Amani Hooker who could have gone a round earlier. He could have easily been taken in that five-pick wait until No. 121 -- the Browns in fact nabbed a safety of their own during that stretch. The Titans got a player that shouldn't have been available at a price that was fair to tilted in their favor. That's what makes a great deal.

7. Saints can't wait any longer to pick

• Saints get No. 48 (OL McCoy), 116
• Dolphins get No. 62, 202, 2020 2nd

The Saints benefited here from the Dolphins wanting to give the Cardinals a lower second-round pick for Josh Rosen for some reason. Sacrificing their second-round pick is tough, but between the move up and the fourth-rounder they also landed, they actually came out well in the black when it comes to pick value. And Erik McCoy was a sleeper to go in Round 1, so the prospect they moved up to get was a good value pick as well.

6. Packers jump for first safety

• Packers get No. 21 (S Savage)
• Seahawks get No. 30, 114, 118

The buzz leading up to draft day was that Darnell Savage had emerged as a first-round pick on some boards, but it was still a bit shocking to see him as the first safety chosen, in a trade up no less. I didn't love giving up multiple fourth-rounders, but the value is actually really good on the Packers' end, as a nine-pick jump in the first should have been more expensive.

5. Saints stop CGJ's slide

• Saints get No. 105 (DB Gardner-Johnson)
• Jets get No. 116, 168

This is a decent value for the Saints, maybe a small overpay, but I don't know what Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was doing available on Day 3 in the first place. His versatility to play either corner or safety should have had teams targeting him in Round 2, and I love the Saints got aggressive in order to land him at No. 105.

4. Jaguars target sliding tackle

• Jaguars get No. 35 (OT Taylor), 140, 235
• Raiders get No. 38, 109

We're in the range now where you could make any of the final four trades No. 1 and I wouldn't put up too much of a fight. Many experts matched Jawaan Taylorto the Jaguars at No. 7, but they passed on him when Josh Allen fell further than expected. Imagine their surprise when Taylor was still on the board to open Day 2. The Jaguars wisely struck a deal to go get him and paid almost exactly fair value in the deal.

3. Eagles jump Texans for left tackle

• Eagles get No. 22 (OT Dillard)
• Ravens get No. 25, 127, 197

The Eagles probably slightly overpaid here, and giving up three picks is tough. But even though this involved a shorter move up the board than the Packers-Seahawks trade above, it was a monumental move up in terms of quality of the prospect acquired in Andre Dillard, who can take over as the team's franchise left tackle pretty quickly. And there was zero chance he was getting by Houston at No. 23, so the Eagles had to make this deal to get him, yet didn't have to break the bank like the Steelers did to go get Devin Bush. Love this deal for the Eagles.

2. Broncos land QB of the future

• Broncos get No. 42 (QB Lock)
• Bengals get No. 52, 125, 182

Another 3-for-1 pick swap that can be tough to stomach, but in this case it landed the Broncos a potential franchise quarterback. Many projected Drew Lock to go the Broncos at No. 10 overall; instead they traded back to No. 20, where they took Noah Fant. Then they went with an offensive line prospect they had their eye on in Dalton Risner and finally used the extra second-rounder acquired from the Steelers to make a move for Lock. Fantastic job moving around the board by John Elway and his team, and Lock is the type of guy who can pay major dividends on this draft slot if he hits.

1. Redskins add extra first-round talent

• Redskins get No. 26 (OLB Sweat)
• Colts get No. 46, 2020 2nd

From a value perspective, this is the best deal of the draft, as it should have cost Washington more to move up 20 picks and back into the first round. That's not a major knock on the Colts -- they obviously missed out on the guy they were eyeing at No. 26 and decided that Redskins pick could end up being high next year. But Washington spends to go get a prospect they could have drafted at No. 15 without many people having a gripe, especially when it was reported Montez Sweat's medical issues were a little overblown.

Sweat was a home-run pick at No. 26, and the Redskins paid a bargain-bin price to get up to that spot and get him. That's what makes this the best trade of the 2019 NFL Draft.

There is a lot of honor going on in that draft room (see the vids of how Rams include everyone in the process---position coaches et al)....and 'niceness' maybe, too.

REally the Rams culture all changed with McVay, not the the owner and not the GM.
Same with Pats, the owner is a guy who knows when to say 'yes' to Belliboy, and that is it.
The owner doesn't have to have class, or honor or that stuff, the coach has to--and McVay has
that in spades! THe owner only has to honor what he says...which is not so hard for most of them.

With all the 'nice' guy stuff going on with the Rams towards the players, the staff is intentional, serious and joyful...all things that business can be.

The only change I see that McVay needs:
he has to become less glorifying of players---that will lead to his downfall. Fisher was a lapdog to lazy players like Jenkins....who after he left the Rams became the pro bowler he should have been with he Rams.

He is young and so it is ok to kiss the players butts, but that has to stop. Players get away with being dogs (Suh) and a few others. Players like Fowler don't need the kiss butt, they need discipline...and the Rams ration that through "accountability" I guess....

Thoughts? I am I too dogged here

Just had an Estrella from Spain that sat in the back of the fridge for 2 years. It was alright but definitely had a certain vinegary taste to it. Followed it with a 333 Sabeco from Vietnam again 2 years in the fridge. The 333 was extremely good. Makes me wonder if it was even better 2 years ago or if in some way it aged to be this good? I'm not aware of beer being able to age (in this case lager) anywhere near that long.

Attaboy!
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