Matt Harmon at reception perception does a really interesting analysis of draft eligible WRs. I have posted a couple, but I thought it would helpful to put them all in one place. He actually gives you data that backs up or disproves claims "limited route tree," "doesn't separate," "not good in contested situations," etc. I also like how they show how prospects stacks up against each other in their draft class and few years before since this a relatively new project. The articles are pretty long, so just CTRL F and you should be able to find the prospect you are looking for if he has completed a write up. I will post new reports as they come up.

Would you guys be pissed if the Rams took Fabian Moreau and Sidney Jones as their second and third picks?

Maybe trade back and get an extra third and take both in round 3. Both are injured and probably wont play in 2017. Jones has a torn Achilles tendon and Moreau has a shoulder injury I believe. If they both heal up the secondary would be set for a long time though.

I don't like drafting injured players but it sounds like both are expected to heal from their injuries and would be first rounders in most drafts.

These are excerpts. To read the whole article click the link below.
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http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/03/27/las-vegas-raiders-replay-review-overtime-nfl-meetings

Momentous Change Will Mark NFL Annual Meetings
The Raiders franchise relocation and changes to replay review and OT are on the docket in Arizona. Here’s a look at what the owners are expected to approve. Plus the Brady jersey caper, a good QB injury trend and more
by Peter King

PHOENIX — Usually, the media covering the annual NFL meetings, a Sunday-to-Wednesday affair, is into the story-manufacturing phase by about Monday. No such chance this week at the Arizona Biltmore, where a medium black coffee runs you $4.07. The slate of stuff:

Sunday night: NFL announces the hiring of a new chief medical officer, Dr. Allen Sills of Vanderbilt University. Sills, a neurosurgeon and the founder of the Vanderbilt Sports Concussion Center, presumably will focus on head trauma and what the league can do to limit it in a violent game.

Monday: Owners are slated to vote on the Raiders’ proposed move to Las Vegas. One source close to the process said Sunday it would be “a surprise” if the move wasn’t approved—and if you read commissioner Roger Goodell’s Friday night letter to the mayor of Oakland, I might raise “surprise” to “shock.”

If it happens, this would end a 15-month period of franchise shifts, with the Rams, Chargers and Raiders moving, respectively, to Los Angeles, Los Angeles and Las Vegas since the start of 2016.

Tuesday: Houston coach Bill O’Brien and Denver coach Vance Joseph, at the annual AFC coaches’ breakfast, find new and exciting ways to no-comment questions about their interest in acquiring in-limbo Dallas quarterback Tony Romo.

Tuesday: Dallas owner Jerry Jones is slated to meet the press for his first official comments on Romo. Expect news, though I don’t know of what variety.

Tuesday: Owners, coaches, GMs to be briefed on the league’s time-saving proposals, including the one that changes the game the most: refs no longer going under the hood on replay but rather watching on a sideline tablet—and NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino for the first time retaining final authority on all replay rulings.

Wednesday: NFC coaches’ breakfast. Some new/cherubic faces—Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay—sidling up to the omelet station at the Biltmore, and surely some Kirk Cousins talk with Washington coach Jay Gruden.

Wednesday: Owners vote on Competition Committee proposals. (The vote could be squeezed into Tuesday.) Expect the Blandino final-say proposal to pass. “The competition committee was unanimous on this,” Goodell said this week on my podcast. “I think that holds a lot of sway in the room.”

Wednesday, early afternoon: Big black SUVs line up in the driveway of the Biltmore for the annual Owners Race to the Airport.

Now for a little bit of depth on a few of those stories.

* * *


Photo: Ben Margot/AP

The NFL Ends a Relocation Era

I couldn’t find many (just one, actually) club officials or owners Sunday who thought the Raiders’ move wouldn’t be approved. The one was an AFC team official whose owner might vote against it simply because the owner thinks abandoning a rising team in America’s sixth-largest market—with some evidence that the revived Raiders could overtake the swooning Niners in the market, particularly with the 49ers playing 50 minutes to the south in Santa Clara now—for the 40th-largest market, Las Vegas.

Obviously, Vegas has some unique aspects to it. But this would be the second rabid market in California in 2017 to lose a team for either a laissez-faire place (the Chargers leaving San Diego for Los Angeles) or a mystery place (the Raiders jumping from Oakland to Nevada).

“It is painful all the way around,” commissioner Roger Goodell told me Thursday in New York. “The first thing you think about is the fans. It's disappointment that we weren't able to get to a successful conclusion—I said that when the Chargers moved.

We worked tirelessly to try to get an outcome that would allow the Chargers to stay there. We didn't get there, so I am disappointed in that. The same would be true if that is the case with the Raiders.

“We have sought to get stability for the Raiders for several years. This goes back several decades back into the early eighties and probably even into the seventies. We really want to figure out a way to make sure that all 32 teams have that stability and a stadium is a big component of that.

When we don't get that done in our current market, it is a failure, a collective responsibility on all of us—us, the community, the team, and that is disappointing to us.”

Goodell clearly didn’t want to say it’s over to me. But it’s over. On Friday night, he sent a letter to Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf making it clear that Oakland’s last-ditch efforts to save the franchise were failing. “Despite all of these efforts, ours and yours, we have not yet identified a viable solution,” Goodell wrote.

“It is disappointing to me and our clubs to have come to that conclusion.” On Sunday, Goodell told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio he felt the owners “will have a positive vote” for the Raiders, which can mean only one thing.

So Mark Davis appears to be following in the footsteps of his father. The late Al Davis spent 22 seasons in Oakland and couldn’t get a stadium deal done to his satisfaction. So he moved to Los Angeles in 1982; the Raiders stayed there until moving back in 1995.

The Raiders, again, have spent 22 seasons in their second Oakland life, couldn’t get a stadium deal done to their satisfaction, and now the family heir will move the team south again. Southeast, actually.

For years the NFL treated anything in Las Vegas like it was poison. Two years ago, even, the league made Tony Romo cancel a fantasy football convention because it was to be held at a Las Vegas convention center that was on the same grounds as a casino. Now the league is poised to vote to put one of its 32 crown jewels, and one of its most storied franchises, in that same city.

On Thursday, I asked Goodell, “Why isn't the league put off by being in a place where there is legalized gambling?”

“We are not changing our position as it relates to legalized sports gambling,” Goodell said. “We still don’t think it is a positive thing. We want to make sure that the integrity of our game is the primary concern and we do everything possible to protect that.

And that people are watching it for the outcome, and they know that it is not being influenced by any outside influences. We are very determined to continue that, and we will; that's a first priority for us.

“I think also you have to realize the changes that are evolving in society on gambling. Second: I think Las Vegas has evolved as a city. It’s not just a singular industry. While it is still dominated by [the gambling industry], there is a lot of entertainment going there, including political conventions. Our leaders in government are all going there. You see it a lot of different ways where this city has become much more diverse as far as the industry and the events it is attracting.

It is really an entertainment city now, much more broadly than it would have been thought even a decade ago, much less two or three decades ago. In our analysis, we've been able to look at Vegas and it is actually one of the fastest growing cities in the country. We project by 2037 that it will be the same size as Oakland. It isn't now, but it is continuing to grow rapidly.”


Photo: MANICA Architecture

The population of Oakland proper really isn’t the issue; it’s the entire market. The sprawling San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose area had an estimated population of 8.71 million in 2015, about four times the population of the extended Vegas market. City size, really, isn’t that significant. It’s market size that matters.

Regarding gambling: It’s understandable in an era of dried-up public funding that the league is going to try to find a way to make its gambling rules work when Nevada politicians promised $750 million in public money toward a $1.7-billion domed stadium in Las Vegas. But the NFL will now face an interesting new problem.

Instead of players in most NFL cities having a casino or two within driving distance, players on the Las Vegas Raiders could go out at night and choose from 76 casinos in Las Vegas alone, according to Vegasclick.com. Imagine being the security officials for the Raiders, and the NFL, in Vegas.

NFL people assume Raider fans will follow the franchise—especially if it keeps rising. I don’t doubt fans will support a winner. But Las Vegas is a mystery, and everyone knows it. The Black Hole was filled, even in the team’s decade-long awful period that just finished.

Will the transients in Vegas, and those who come to gamble, stay for a Sunday afternoon football game? Will Raiders season-ticket-holders from California follow the team to Nevada? No one knows.

By the end of the day today, the NFL likely will have traded fervor in two California cities for shiny stadiums in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Add in the Rams, and these three transient franchises, in the past seven seasons, have combined to win zero division titles and one playoff game. They’d better just win, baby, or the honeymoons in shiny new places won’t last long.

* * *


Photo: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

Is Dean Blandino Ready for the Heat?

In the 2014 playoffs, Dallas receiver Dez Bryant was ruled on the field to have caught a crucial fourth-down, fourth-quarter pass while trailing Green Bay, 26-21. The Packers challenged, and ref Gene Steratore went under the hood on the sideline to view replays, and consulted with the New York officiating command center, run by vice president of officiating Dean Blandino. But ultimately it was Steratore’s call.

Steratore overturned the call. Steratore announced to the crowd in Green Bay, and to the rest of America watching on TV, that the pass was incomplete. Steratore explained why. And after the game, Steratore issued a statement to a pool reporter further explaining the call.

If the NFL has its way (likely it will), and owners vote this week for new mechanics on replay reviews—and for Blandino to have the final authority on replay calls—think how that scenario will change:

• The ref on the field won’t walk up to 40 yards to a hooded monitor next to the stands. He will walk several yards to the nearest sideline, and a replay technician will bring him a tablet and headset, and he’ll watch replays and discuss the outcome with Blandino or his lieutenant, Al Riveron, at the command center in New York.

• The ref will consult but not make the final call.

• Blandino, the decider-in-chief, will be the one getting the grief on the overturn, not the ref who made the call and took responsibility in the stadium.

Between meetings at the Biltmore late Sunday afternoon, Blandino, the career office guy, swore he didn’t think the likely vote to give him replay power would be much of a change. (How likely? The influential Competition Committee endorses it unanimously.)

“I really don’t see it as a major difference compared to what we’ve been doing,” Blandino said. “Other than New York having the final say, we’ve been doing this for three years. It’s been a collaborative effort, with the ref giving input.

Ultimately, we’ll make the final decision, but it doesn’t feel like any more pressure than what we’ve been handling since 2014. I don’t think it’s going to change very much. The logistics of the referee having the hand-held device [the tablet] is different, but it’s more efficient.”

In 2014, I spent part of an afternoon in the command center to see how the mechanics of the replay review system worked. It was intriguing to see the refs on the field consulting with the league office in New York, but it was also clear that there was some time to shave from the process. On a Giants-Cowboys review of a fumble/non-fumble play, Blandino was occupied and so Riveron took control of the play, watching it at one of the replay stations in the Art McNally GameDay Central room.

It was soon ruled the Giants’ player didn’t fumble, but now there was the matter of ball placement. And instead of ref Jerome Boger taking charge of the situation, it was Riveron taking control, because he’d seen more angles of the play by the time Boger got under the hood.

“Guys,” said Riveron, “let’s get this straight. Listen up, listen up. Put the ball down at the 46-and-a-half and let’s measure.” The measurement confirmed the placement. End of review. Time: 3 minutes, 41 seconds. Waaaay too long. Later, Blandino told me, “Let’s get to the point, versus taking the scenic route.”

It made sense to me that day that New York should make the call. By the time Boger went under the hood to review the play in question, by my count, Riveron had already spent 20 seconds or so at the monitor looking at the fumble/non-fumble.

On most replay reviews, that’s enough to make a call. It’s redundant for a referee to then look at one or more of the same plays that already show the result. Now, there are going to be some plays that are painstakingly close that the ref and Blandino or Riveron could discuss. But they’re not the majority. This is not only more efficient, it’s the smarter choice for consistency of the calls.

Blandino said the only issue from the membership was something a bit conspiratorial. “The concerns that I’ve heard is, Who’s in the room?” Blandino said. “We’ve been very clear. Access to the room … As an NFL employee, you get a key card.

That key card gets you in the building and it gets you to your floor. It does not get you in GameDay Central. You have to have a working function. There’s a select group that has access to that room, and that’s it. Everybody in there has a working function.”

I’d be surprised if this failed. It’s a better way to run replay, and it still leaves the ref on the field with input in extenuating circumstances, or in the event that the decision is so close the eyes of the referee could sway the call. Either way, it’d be a new way to run a game.

A better way, I think. As one member of the Competition Committee told me on Sunday, this has been the aim of the system since the ref-command center combination was introduced in 2014, to have Blandino and his team be the final arbiters.

Now, regarding the time of game, Goodell has been known to call his staff while watching games at home on Sunday. Occasionally, he rails about time wasters and the back-to-back commercial breaks used after some touchdowns. So he formed a working group last year of league employees to examine all time-sucks.

The measures owners will vote on here are a result of those meetings and studies. For instance, when commercial breaks in a quarter have been exhausted and a touchdown is scored, a 40-second clock will be started after the extra point or two-point conversion is attempted.

Once that 40 seconds expires, the ball will be handed to the kicker, and a 25-second clock will start. If the kicking team doesn’t kick by the time the 25 seconds ticks off, a delay-of-game flag will be thrown. Formerly, there wasn’t a rule about timing between PATs and the ensuing kickoff.

“We have 156 plays in a game,” said Goodell. “We are not talking about changing that at all. What we are trying to do, and what I believe we'll be successful in doing, is making the game from an overall fan standpoint both in the stadium and at home more compelling. We won't judge ourselves simply on does the game go from 3:07 to 3:02. What we’ll judge ourselves on is did we make it more compelling by taking out some downtime?”

* * *

PAT Leaps, Kickoffs Through Uprights, More

Also of note this week:

• Credit John Madden when the NFL this week votes to abolish the field-goal or PAT play in which a defender leaps over the center to try to block the kick. (Exciting, I know, but risky.) The abolition of the play is expected to be approved. Madden, in retirement, is co-chair of the NFL’s safety committee and chairs the NFL coaches subcommittee.

Madden turns 81 on April 10. He’s still a mentor to Roger Goodell and others on football and football-safety matters. When the subject of the kick-block-leaper came up, Madden told the Competition Committee: “Why should we wait till somebody gets seriously hurt on a play like this before we do anything about it? It’s got to be outlawed.”

• Buffalo and Seattle advanced a proposal to allow a challenge on any play during the game, without increasing the number of challenges. In a season when cutting time of game is of importance, that one has no chance of passing.

• Could a rule pass that incentivizes a kickoff through the uprights? Possible. Washington proposed it, and the one worry is that a team like Denver, in high altitude where balls carry better, could have an edge for eight games a year. (I’m serious. That is a concern.)

Under the proposal, a kickoff through the uprights would result in ball placement at the 20-yard line instead of the 25 on first down. This could be close, but I would guess it will not pass.

• Now here’s one out of left field: Hall of Fame GM Bill Polian suggested to Goodell at the Super Bowl that the overtime be shortened from 15 minutes to 10. Goodell liked it (safety reasons—fewer plays), as did the Competition Committee.

It’s not a huge deal, but the two overtime games that ended in ties last year had 39 and 36 plays in the overtimes. Not a big deal, but if those two games had 26 and 24 plays, respectively, that would reduce the threat of injuries a bit.

• Regarding the addition of the “double-box” on the telecasts: NBC has used this on NASCAR while cars are circling the track, and on the Ryder Cup. NFL Network actually, quietly, experimented with the double-box in Week 16 last year, doing a commercial on half the screen and showing a team timeout in Houston-Cincinnati on the other half of the screen. I’d expect this to be used during some replay reviews in 2017, to see if the system works.

• If the NFL is serious about limiting house ads on game telecasts, I’d be all for it. On my podcast this week, I brought it up with Goodell, and he talked about wanting to make the drama the late-game focus, not the league or network promotions.

He said, “All of that is great. All of that is drama. That’s what we’re trying to get [networks and league merchandisers] to focus on, rather than seeing a promotion of, ‘This is how you buy a jersey,’ or ‘This is what’s going to be on the network next week.’ And we’re going to address that.”

* * *

Kudos to Fox, and to Jay Glazer

A short conversation with the Journalist of the Week, FOX’s Jay Glazer, after he and his crew broke the story of Tom Brady’s stolen Super Bowl jersey being recovered in Mexico. Glazer later showed the video of Mauricio Ortega of Mexico’s La Prensa in and around the Patriots’ locker room, which implicated Ortega in the theft.

The MMQB: Tell me a moment that stunned you in the wake of the story.

Glazer: “It is so amazing how [Ortega] had it down to a science. He was a professional, acting like he belonged in the locker room, being very calm, very natural. He never fidgeted, never got nervous. We gathered a lot of video on him, obviously. When I showed it to Danny Amendola and Julian Edelman [of the Patriots], who were training at my gym in L.A., their reaction was incredible. It was like they’d been violated. ‘This guy was in our locker room and he didn’t belong! This is crazy!’”

The MMQB: How did you narrow it down to this one guy?

Glazer: “Seriously: just old-fashioned legwork from FOX, from the FBI, from Patriots security, NFL security, Mexican authorities. It is amazing. My bosses at FOX—Eric Shanks, who was huge through the whole process. He respected the NFL, and he respected the journalism that was being done. I remember being in his office when we realized it was this big figure in Mexican media, like if the editor of Sports Illustrated went to the World Cup and stole jerseys out of locker rooms there.

Our jaws dropped. Seriously, I cannot say enough about how hard the team at FOX worked to get the footage and to get the story right. Joel Santos, one of our producers, and Ted Kenney going through hours of footage with our whole team. I know it’s corny, but just a real team effort.”

The MMQB: What’s the story mean to you?

Glazer: “I have never worked on anything like an international crime caper in my life. But that's what this was. You cannot be wrong on anything. Anything! At the end of it, though, we’re sports reporters.

I am just happy at the end of the story one of the great players in NFL history gets something back that was stolen from him—and a game that was so significant to his family because of everything his mother was going through. I’m proud we were able to play some small part in getting that jersey back for him.”

* * *

Stats of the Week

I

Interesting byproduct of NFL injury research from 2016: This was the least-injurious season for starting quarterbacks in at least 12 years. Charting games missed due to injury by starting quarterbacks over the past four seasons:

2013: 76.

2014: 77.

2015: 59.

2016: 35.

The average number of games per season missed by starting QBs since 2004: 75.

The NFL defines this statistical category as being games missed by the declared starting quarterback of a team. So even though, for example, Cody Kessler did not open 2016 as the starting quarterback, he was knocked out of two games that he started (concussions) and missed a total of four games because of them. Those count on this list.

Why so low in 2016? Could be an outlier. Could be the start of a trend. The Competition Committee believes it’s because defensive players are getting wiser about late hits on quarterbacks, and officials are watching hits on quarterbacks with more focus, because the league office is harping on it so much.

II

Per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, NFL coaches threw the challenge flag an average of 5.38 times in the 2016 season. Bill Belichick was dead last of the 32 coaches in challenge flags thrown. He threw one. “Overall, I haven’t really had many issues at all with the officiating,” Belichick told Reiss.

* * *

This week’s conversations: Hall of Fame GM Bill Polian and Tennessee GM Jon Robinson.

• Polian, the GM of the expansion Carolina Panthers in 1995, on the late quarterback Steve McNair, and picking between McNair and Kerry Collins in the first round: “Now Steve was an absolutely arresting talent. I have never seen a guy throw the ball better than Steve McNair. He was outstanding. And he was outstanding in every other way and he was Johnny Manziel long before Johnny Manziel was ever thought of. He was more scintillating than Johnny Manziel because he could do more things. He could hit it at 60 yards at a string.

We knew we were taking either Steve McNair or Kerry Collins. We get through all the psychological testing and we found out that Steve had a little bit of a learning disability. While not debilitating or disqualifying in any way, it would put him in a position where he was going to be slower to develop. We were in a situation where we had to sell PSLs and we were going to try to come out of the box really good …

We thought Kerry was ready to play sooner and I was a little concerned that because Steve ran so much, he would get hurt. And it did take Steve awhile in Tennessee but of course, when he got it he was tremendous and we remained good friends until his unfortunate passing.”

• Polian on the choice between Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf with the first pick of the 1998, when he was GM of the Colts: “I queried the scouting staff and it was 50/50 split right down the middle. So I said, okay, we are going to go back and look at all the film and we'll start from scratch, ground zero … We get to March and as much as I told everybody to block out the noise, you couldn't. It was all anybody ever talked about. Ryan Leaf or Peyton Manning?

So the things we had heard were, with Peyton, number one, he is a poor athlete. Number two, he has a weak arm. Number three, he is a product of the system. To this day I don't know what that meant. But we went down to work them both out and we found out that Peyton is a much better athlete than you think. He just looks awkward but he's not. Secondly, he throws a terrifically tight ball. Really a good spiral. Every once and awhile he would throw a duck, but I found out that was only because he gripped the ball too tight on certain occasions.

Two days later we go work Ryan Leaf out and he was out of shape and I remember saying to Tom Moore, ‘Holy mackerel. Peyton’s arm is much stronger.’ All these misnomers about Leaf existed out there in the ether. And then, I have to take you back to the combine, Leaf blew us off, he missed our appointment. Leigh Steinberg said that I had given him the wrong time. That's not true and Leigh has since came clean on it, I'm glad he did after all these years. So we hadn't interviewed Leaf. Peyton came in, he had his yellow legal pad, he sits down.

Remember you only have 15 minutes to interview. We get through the pleasantries and he says, ‘I have a few questions if you don't mind.’ So he begins to ask us a ton of questions, about the offense, about the city, how we view things, how we view his role in the organization, etc. All of a sudden the horn blows. BLOOP. It's over. He gets up, he says, ‘Thanks guys, I really appreciate it, great meeting you.’ And walks out. I turn to our personnel director and Jim Mora and said, ‘He just interviewed us!’

Little did we know that is what we could expect for the next 14 years! We get through the workouts and we are interviewing Ryan, and Jim Mora says to him, 'We have minicamp opening on such and such date, and that's the first date you are allowed to report and I want to let you know, because if we take you, we are looking forward to having you there.'

And he said, 'Well, I can't make it.' And the room went silent. Ryan says, 'Well, we have this trip planned to Las Vegas, my buddy and I, and we've had it planned for about a year, so I will be about four days late.' Jim didn't say anything. Jim said nothing to me. He didn't have to.”

• Polian on his last pre-draft interaction with Manning: “He gets up to leave, shakes hands and walks out and he says, 'I just want to leave you with this thought. If you pick me, I promise we will win a championship. If you don't, I promise I'll come back and kick your ass.’”


* * *


Photo: Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Things I Think I Think

1. I think there’s one thing to add to what Joe Thomas wisely tweeted (in Tweets of the Week, above) about Colin Kaepernick still being unemployed 17 days into free agency: Think owners. Think of owners having to approve contracts of signees. Think of even quarterback-needy teams going to owners to sign off on signings. Think, for instance, of Houston. Think of the owner there, Bob McNair. TV cameras find McNair in his box at Texans home games, and who is sitting next to him, very often? Former President George H.W. Bush.

Think of his private life; McNair is huge in the Republican Party, and according to USA Today, he has contributed more than $3 million to the campaigns of Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell. Think of Houston GM Rick Smith going to McNair and asking about signing Kaepernick, saying something like, We’re not sure if he’s going to start or be third-string, but we’d like to bring him to camp and see what he’s got and see if he’s a fit for our offense.

Think of what McNair would think. McNair is one of the nicest men in the league—truly. But he’s not signing a man who knelt for the national anthem last year. I’m not defending that thought, the thought that Kaepernick doesn’t have the right to do that. He certainly does. I will defend it forever. But owners have the right, then, to not sign him when he comes available as well. You know how Kaepernick can fix that? Talk. Say something.

We have heard nothing from Kaepernick since the end of the season. If my professional life were on the line, I know I’d take a proactive stance and make sure people know exactly where I stand. NFL owners, GMs and coaches have no idea what they would be getting in Kaepernick right now. All football? Part-time football and part-time protestor? What? Say something, Colin.

2. I think if we take away the emotion of this story—are teams blackballing Colin Kaepernick?—and bring the story down to football, the one thing that is undeniable about Kaepernick is that he does not attempt the throws into downfield windows like some of the consistent veteran quarterbacks. This is not to say he can’t do that; it is simply to say he bypasses throws the Tom Bradys and Drew Breeses and Russell Wilsons will try (and complete, often).

You’ll look at Kaepernick’s 16-to-4 touchdown-to-pick ratio in 2016 and think he’s efficient in a sea of badness in San Francisco. But people who watch the tape think otherwise. They see a jittery guy in the pocket who either doesn’t, or won’t, make downfield throws that other quarterbacks do. The thing is, it’s easy to say he’s getting blackballed based on 2012 and 2013. But life changes. Priorities change. Who is he now? The people Kaepernick needs to convince have no idea who he is right now.

3. I think you can just feel Deshaun Watson rising.

4. I think it is absolutely absurd, still, that Vernon Davis will get fined and flagged for scoring a touchdown in an NFL game and celebrating by faux tossing the football over the crossbar as if it’s a free throw. Man, loosen up, NFL.

5. I think I can’t get over what a great job that was by Jay Glazer and his FOX team, combing through hours of video in a Where’s Waldo search for clues in the Tom Brady jersey caper. I don’t want to come across as a fan boy here, and I realize Glazer had home-court advantage; FOX owned much of the video he and the team combed through to get to the bottom of the story. But that is great journalism there. FOX should be proud of Glazer, and of those who helped him on this story.

6. I think they’ll never say it, particularly with all the ramifications. But the Jets sure look like a team playing for opening day 2018. A stopgap veteran quarterback (Josh McCown), a dumping of veteran contracts (Revis, Mangold, Marshall, etc.), no aggressiveness in free agency while the Patriots keep getting better.

Mind you, I think there’s nothing at all wrong with this. And this is true whether the Jets pick a quarterback with the sixth overall pick or not. No quarterback in this draft will hit the ground running in 2017 anyway.

7. I think the draft is a month from today. I’d like to invoke the mercy rule. Have it April 6. That way, we won’t have to read or hear or watch another month of speculation on 9,000 draft-related things—and hey, The MMQBwill contribute to that, blatantly, because it’s big news. NFL teams simply don’t need that long to study the draft.

Rams New Look O-Line Is Reason For Hope

Nick Fox
Cover32Mar 26, 2017, 2:17 PM
http://cover32.com/2017/03/26/rams-new-o-line/

Andrew Whitworth Tackle, Los Angeles Rams
(through aggressively yelling at the TV), the Rams moved quickly, signing perhaps the top LT Free Agent available in Andrew Whitworth from the Bangles in the opening ours of free agency on March 9th. After making an offer to C Ryan Groy of the Bills, which Buffalo would ultimately match, the Rams added veteran center John Sullivan as a stop gap and to help transition the line to McVay’s system. Thus, having added several new starters to this group, consider how they look going into camp.Rams new head coach Sean McVay and returning GM Les Snead have clearly identified the offensive line as a key area in need for improvement this offseason. As if every fan hadn’t already identified this weakness (through aggressively yelling at the TV), the Rams moved quickly, signing perhaps the top LT Free Agent available in Andrew Whitworth from the Bangles in the opening ours of free agency on March 9th. After making an offer to C Ryan Groy of the Bills, which Buffalo would ultimately match, consider how they look going into camp.



Projected Starter (difference from last year)

LT Andrew Whitworth (Major Improvement): Whitworth joins as not only one of the top Left Tackles in the league last year, but a reason to bump former #2 overall pick Greg Robinson down the depth chart. The downside with Whitworth? He is an old man (35) and the Rams will be lucky to get 2 good years out of him. In the meantime, he shores up one of the most important positions on the field and provides leadership in the locker room.

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LG Roger Saffold (Even to Slight Improvement): Though Saffold started the season at LG last season, he moved around a lot as the utility lineman, even starting a couple games at LT. Though you wouldn’t think the same guy starting could be an upgrade, consistency of position and better play around him could lead to a solid year for Saffold, if he can stay healthy (injuries have been a consistent mark of Saffold career thus far).

C
(Slight to Significant Improvement): This is the position that is still pretty unclear. For a while I expected the Rams to sign a stopgap veteran like John Sullivan (who has visited). That could still happen, or the Rams could draft someone on day two. Either way, two things are all but certain: (1) they will add players to this position group and (2) it will be an upgrade. While Tim Barnes brought a blue-collar work ethic and hustle to the O-line, he was mostly offering backup level talent with flashes every now and then. Rhaney has had chances, but couldn’t beat out Barnes. Adding a veteran stopgap or a day 2 pick could be a significant step forward for this line.



RG Jamon Brown (Even to Slight Improvement): Some hope that Greg Robinson makes the move to right guard, as McVay/Snead suggested he would move to the right side. However, I think Brown wins the position, and with better play around him contributes to a better season than previously. Another candidate for this spot is Cody Wichman.

RT Rob Havenstein (Even to Slight Improvement): After a solid rookie year, Havenstein had a sophomore slump. I sound like a broken record, but more consistency around him and another year with professional level coaching should allow Havenstein to put forth another solid season.

(yes, you read that correctly). That was Boras’ first game as OC where TG put up 140 yards rushing and two scores against the Lions. Since then, Gurley has gone over 80 yards only twice. Certainly a big part of this comes from the abysmal offensive line play. But might we also assume that a big part of this has to do with who was leading the offense and calling the plays?

“feed Gurley” and get the most out of the young star. The new bodies up front (i.e. Whitworth and Sullivan) will help as well, but don’t under estimate the ability of a gifted offensive mind to create opportunities and capitalize on talent. McVay seems primed to “feed Gurley” and get the most out of the young star. The new bodies up front (i.e. Whitworth and Sullivan) will help as well, but don’t under estimate the ability of a gifted offensive mind to create opportunities and capitalize on talent.

. Look for Gurley to return to his rookie of the year form—where he rushed for 1,100 yards in 12 starts—in 2017.Consider: Washington had 3 players average over 4.0 yards per carry last season (R. Kelley, M. Jones, Chris Thompson) with at least 350 yards rushing. The most successful of these, third round Rookie out of Tulane Robert Kelley, had 704 yards and 6TDs. News flash: Todd Gurley is better at football than Robert Kelley. Look for Gurley to return to his rookie of the year form—where he rushed for 1,100 yards in 12 starts—in 2017.

for those radio hosts that pimp a product in a personal way. Not just that, that same product will become a personal epiphany of on-air radio personalities, as the greatest thing ever that they personally experienced. When they do this, it totally breaks trust with me...I doubt everything they say after that....Maybe just me, but I may never buy a "my pillow" even though I might need a better nights sleep.....Who wants to be a sucker?

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Over at Bleacher Report Sean Tomlinson went through every NFL team and tried to predict the breakout player for each this upcoming season. Out of all the candidates for the Rams, who did Tomlinson choose?

Tyler Higbee.

Higbee, who was drafted in the fourth round by the Rams in 2016 out of Western Kentucky, will be entering his second NFL season in 2017. In his rookie campaign, the tight end started seven of 16 games, managing 11 receptions for 85 yards. Most of his production came during the latter half of the season when Jared Goff took over starting QB duties, including his only score, which happened in week 16.

But at 6-6 and 250 lbs the 24-year-old Higbee has a lot of upside, and Tomlinson sees a big opportunity:

"Higbee became the Rams' starting tight end after the departure of Lance Kendricks, who was released and signed by the Green Bay Packers. It's likely only a face plant during OTAs and training camp will remove him from that position. That's certainly the impression you get when listening to Rams head coach Sean McVay shower praise on his new tight end.

"McVay was the Washington Redskins' offensive coordinator in 2016, and his unit finished with the most tight end receiving yards. So he knows what a tight end who can thrive in his system looks like."

Well, I decided to make a thread about the DT position woes we have had this Millenium.
I will list draft choices (3Tech and NT) since 2001. I am only including declared DT's that don't also include those that played DE and DT like James Hall and William Hayes. I also can't name a 5th round and after draftee, a bust.....Let the barfing begin....uke:


The Draft:

2001 NFL draft
DT Damione Lewis- rookie (1st round BUST)

DT Ryan “Grease” Pickett-rookie (1st round Mediocre, therefore BUST!)

2003 NFL draft
DT Jimmy Kennedy-rookie (1st round BUST)

2006 NFL draft
DT Claude Wroten-rookie (3rd round BUST)

2007 NFL draft
DT Adam Carriker-rookie(1st round, ok…BUST because of that)

DT Clifton Ryan-3rd year (5th round, poor)

2009 NFL draft
DT Darrell Scott-rookie (4th round BUST)

2012 NFL draft
DT Michael Brockers-rookie (1st round STUD, thanks Fish!)

2014 NFL draft
DT Aaron Donald-rookie(1st round STUD. HOFer GOAT? THANKS FISH!)

Short answer IMO yes. With Brockers banged up last season Easley played the second most defensive interior snaps behind Donald and was the second best pressure generator after Quinn went down. Similar to Donald, Easley excels attacking gaps and penetrating the hallmark of a Wade Phillips defense. He has an explosive first step, plays with good pad level, and has active hands. Stunt him slant him and let him wreck havoc opposite Donald. Ideally the Rams don't play him as many snaps as you would Donald, but you can still start him and rotate him.

Login to view embedded media In the play above Easley is lined up outside the tackle not his customary 3 tech position. He is explosive and has great movement abaility for a bigger man so he is able to come all the way around to the A gap on a stunt and hit the QB forcing a quick throw.

Login to view embedded media Easley is lined up outside the tackle once again. This time the pats slant him and he fires low off the ball bull rushes the guard right into the QBs grill forcing a quick errant throw.

Login to view embedded media Every Rams fan should watch Easley's 2013 Sugar Bowl game against Louisville. He dominated playing against NFL talent like our own Jamon Brown and former Kroemer pupil John Miller. Wherever he lined he was wrecking havoc with his penetration, even when they tried to double team him. They played him everywhere 5 tech, 3 tech, NT, 4 tech, and lined up outside the tackle.

Ten prospects that could fall out of the first round of the draft and into the Rams lap

https://www.downtownrams.com/single...irst-round-of-the-draft-and-into-the-Rams-lap

The NFL Draft is approaching and the Los Angeles Rams will not have a pick on the first night. So why should you care about the first night? Perhaps we are in for some moving and shaking up in the draft. With that being said here are ten players that could be the most likely candidates to fall out of the first round and possibly into an L.A. Rams jersey.

Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama

It's amazing how much the draft will shift during the off-season. Here is a player that many had going in the top 15 of the NFL draft back in January. Now, he could fall into the second round? Seems crazy but it's how the NFL draft works. If a player like Patrick Mahomes joins the media's top three QB's (Watson, Trubisky and Kizer) in the first round then expect a player to be pushed down into the second round. The Rams would surely love to swipe a CB like Humphrey especially with the question mark in the form of Trumaine Johnson whether he will remain a Ram or not and the lack of depth outside of him and newly signed Kayvon Webster.

Jalen Tabor, CB, Florida

If there is anyone I would jump on in the second round faster than anyone else, it's Jalen Tabor. He's my No.1 overall corner in this draft he brings size, physicality and the ability to literally break games. Tabor, Johnson and Webster would make for an extraordinary secondary that the Rams haven't had. Tabor ran really well at the combine and looked smooth in all of his drills but the nature of the NFL draft is someone like this could always fall down the board. May not seem likely but with how deep this draft is at the CB position teams may opt to wait on one.

Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt

Perhaps not the biggest need now after the Rams free agency but Zach Cunningham is a great player that could play inside for the Rams. Right now Alec Ogletree and Mark Barron are penciled in for the inside backer spots but Barron is arguably not a great fit in this new defense. Cunningham is bigger and is more of a linebacker than Barron is. Cunningham is really lean which will scare teams off so that is why I believe he could fall into the second round.

Obi Melifonwu, S, UConn

He's a first rounder in my book but there are still teams that don't believe he's an automatic first rounder. Obi Melifonwu has the crazy size and speed you would die for at safety but his issue is the fact he doesn't play with the same speed he shows and he is a little too passive at times. If you watch his tape his play doesn't match up how it should match up. Melifonwu obviously has clear talent and a high ceiling but there are better players out there that can contribute right away and that's why he could fall into the second round.

Dan Feeney, G, Indiana

Here is a player that is a true "plug-in-play". Dan Feeney can come in right away and provide his mean streak and give your offensive line a nastiness about them. He's a high-quality starter at the next level no doubt, but he could fall into the second because he is a guard. Feeney is projected to be a late first round which could land him at the top of the second. The Rams don't have a need at guard like they do at center but Feeney might be too good to pass up.

Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama

The Rams obviously have a question mark at LT not now, but the future. With Andrew Whitworth coming in and immediately being able to fill the hole at LT, for now, there is still a giant void in the Rams future plans. Whitworth is 35 and not getting any younger. The Rams do have Greg Robinson who they drafted No.2 overall but he hasn't looked good at all and might not be able to play left tackle in the NFL. Cam Robinson might be the best left tackle in this draft and he also may fall because of his off-the-field concerns. If he's there in the second round it will give the Rams something to consider.

T.J. Watt, EDGE, Wisconsin

T.J. Watt isn't just benefiting from his brother's last name. Let's get one thing straight, T.J. Watt is a good football player that could be like Clay Mathews at the next level. I personally like Watt as an inside linebacker like how the Packers used Mathews. I believe if the Rams are not sold on Barron, Watt could be the pick and he could be the inside backer next to Ogletree. It is likely he will get picked in the second but he could also sneak into the first.

Caleb Brantley, DT, Florida

Brantley coming into the combine was mocked to go as high as top 15. Now his stock has cooled off a bit and there is a chance he falls into the second round. Brantley has been compared to Aaron Donald with the short area burst he has (obviously not a freakish athlete) and if he was the there in the second round it would give the Rams something to think about. This is a guy who can start at defensive end if the Rams don't believe in Dominique Easley so that would decide a lot.

Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State

Another defensive lineman who was dubbed as the Spartans' one man army. Malik McDowell is falling down draft boards but I can't give you slightest idea as to why. He is clearly a top notch athlete with the potential to blow up in the NFL. He's a lot like DeForest Buckner of the San Francisco 49ers who went seventh overall last year. So why is McDowell a late first/early second round? Who cares, if he's there when the Rams pick they may have to take him.

Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida

The last player but not least that could fall into the Rams lap is Quincy Wilson. Another Florida cornerback who is falling down boards after being considered the top CB before all the pre-draft workouts. Wilson is another physical play-maker that will make a living in the NFL as a press man cover guy. Wilson was going high as No.10 overall in mock drafts but now he is falling into the second round according to draft experts around. I think the Florida CB duo is a better duo than the Ohio State one but if the rest of the NFL doesn't think so then the Rams could have a tough decision to make at 37th overall deciding between Wilson and Tabor.

Thoughts? Sound off below and tell us who you think could fall into the Rams lap in the second round.

Had to build some suspense. The answer is:
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I think very highly of Zay Jones, Chris Godwin, Juju Smith, and Evan Engram, but Kupp is my pick if we go WR somewhere in the second or third round. Why? There are three things I want to highlight: 1) production, 2) physical talent, and 3) technical skill.
Production
Kupp's Career Stats
Four-year starter (52 games)
428 catches
6464 receiving yards
15.1 yards per catch
73 receiving TDs
*Holds every career receiving record across all divisions of college football

Kupp's Per Season Averages Over His Career
107 catches
1616 receiving yards
18 receiving TDs

Kupp's Career Production vs. the Pac-12
4 games (Oregon, Washington*, Oregon State, and Washington State)
40 catches
716 receiving yards
11 receiving TDs
*Against Washington as a sophomore, Kupp posted 8 catches for 145 yards and 3 TDs. His three TDs were a 7 yard TD against Marcus Peters in zone coverage, a 41 yard TD against Marcus Peters in man coverage, and a 26 yard TD against Bubba Baker in man coverage. Peters is one of the NFL's best CBs. Baker is a projected late-first to mid-second round pick this year.

Physical Talent
This is where you might see people knock Kupp. Kupp measured in around 6'2" 205 at the NFL Combine. He posted a 4.62 40 yard dash, a 31 inch vertical jump, a 9'07" broad jump, a 4.08 short shuttle, and a 6.75 three cone drill. His 40 and jumps were below average at best. People will latch onto those, but the agility drills are what should stand out. They match the tape. Kupp's quickness, change of direction ability, burst off the LOS, and fluid hips all stand out as special attributes on tape. The Patriots are known for putting a heavy emphasis on the three cone drill. There are not many 6'2" WRs who move like Kupp does. It makes it very difficult for CBs to stay in his hip pocket.

Technical Skill
Kupp's father played QB in the NFL and his grandfather played OG. You can definitely tell that he was the kid of a pro QB. He's a well-schooled player who's technical skills are beyond advanced for his age. As a route runner, Kupp changes speeds to keep CBs on their toes and earn him separation on deep routes. He understands how to use leverage, subtle fakes, and body control to tilt CBs to gain extra separation out of his breaks. He displays tremendous body control and balance throughout his routes using his phenomenal agility and cutting ability to separate at all levels of the field. You can also tell that he studies his opponent's and understands how to attack each player he lines up against. When he comes out of his break, he works aggressively back to the QB to cut off defenders paths to the football. And even when he isn't the primary receiver, he runs his route in such a way to draw defenders away from the primary read and is always ready to find open spaces when his QB scrambles. He's absolutely lethal against zone coverage because of his football IQ, fearlessness, and quickness. He finds the soft spots of the zone quickly, settles, and makes catches in traffic with no regard for his safety. His releases against press coverage are also gorgeous. His footwork and hand usage are textbook, and his quickness/burst make it absolutely unfair at times. He embarrassed Oregon's CBs in 2015 when they tried to press him in the red-zone.

That all said, I don't even think route running is his best skill. His best skill is his ability to catch the football. Kupp's grip strength and hand technique are both outstanding. He snatches the ball away from his frame when the situation calls for it, he bodies it when the situation calls for it, and he attacks the ball in the air when the situation calls for it. He also tracks the ball over his shoulder with ease. Kupp is the type of player who makes the hard catches look so easy that you want to call it a drop when he actually fails to make one. He has a large catch radius, rarely ever drops the football, and can be counted on to come down with the ball when bodies are around him.

Oddly enough, Larry Fitzgerald is the name that keeps coming to mind for me when I watch Kupp. It's not because they have similar body types or the same style of play. Kupp isn't the dominant 50-50 ball WR that Larry is. It's because Kupp, like Fitzgerald, makes playing WR look easy despite not having vertical speed. He catches anything and everything you throw his way. He always seems to find a way to be open no matter the coverage when you need him. And even when he isn't open, he finds a way to make a key catch if you throw it his way. Kupp isn't Larry Fitzgerald, but he has that same sort of naturalness to his game. Whether he's in the slot, at split end, or at flanker, he's going to find a way to be an absolute headache for the opposition. In 52 games as a starter, Kupp was held under 50 receiving yards only twice during his career. Simply put, nobody could figure out how to stop the guy. I expect him to continue to produce on Sundays.

In the past 10 years only 8 teams have averaged fewer points per game than the 2016 Rams. Two of those 8 teams were also Rams teams :yay::yay::yay:,

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/b...r-rey-maualuga-after-signing-his-replacement/

When the Cincinnati Bengals signed former Cardinals linebacker Kevin Minter last week, it was not hard to connect the dots and see that Rey Maualuga’s time with the team was nearly up. On Saturday, the Bengals made that theory a reality, officially cutting ties with Maualuga.

The team announced via its official Twitter account that he had been released.

Maualuga was headed into the final year of a contract that was set to pay him approximately $3.7 million during the upcoming season, but none of that money was guaranteed. Releasing him instead tacks that total onto the Bengals’ approximately $22.9 million in cap room, per Spotrac.

Maualuga was Cincinnati’s second-round pick back in 2009, and he started 104 of 128 possible games since that point. A consistent presence in the middle of the defense, he racked up 599 combined tackles, four sacks, seven interceptions, and six passes defensed during his time as a Bengal. His play steeply declined in 2016, and he wound up playing only 34 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. His previous career low was 50 percent, back in his rookie season.

Still just 30 years old, there is likely a place for him elsewhere in the NFL as a sub package linebacker. The Bengals will move forward with Minter, Vontaze Burfict, Vincent Rey, and Nick Vigil as their primary options at the position.

Two Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coaches....Eddie Grayer & Blair Wagner not much available from bio standpoints, but did look at their Linkedin and Twitter, but IMHO this is a good thing.

Grayer


Blair Wagner


http://www.therams.com/team/coaches.html

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/h...terson-reportedly-wants-on-his-next-contract/

Adrian Peterson was set to count $18 million against the Minnesota Vikings’ cap during the 2017, so the Vikings decided shortly before free agency opened to cut their ties with one of the best players in the franchise’s history. Nearly a month later, Peterson is still sitting on the open market, unsigned.

Why? According to ESPN.com, his asking price is simply way too high.

Adrian Peterson might have priced himself out of signing with a team early in free agency.

Peterson is still on the market in part because of a hefty initial asking price, league sources told ESPN.

One source from a team in the market for a running back believes Peterson wanted more than $8 million in the first year of a contract.

An $8 million salary in the first year of his contract would make Peterson the second-highest paid running back in the NFL next season, per Spotrac. For a player entering his age-32 season and coming off both a serious injury and a year during which he averaged a career-low 1.9 yards per carry, that is not at all realistic.

A contract more in the $4 million to 5 million range, like the one recently signed by Eddie Lacy, seems like a much more likely eventual settling point. Whether there is a team willing to offer Peterson even that much remains to be seen. He is one of the best running backs of all time, but also not necessarily on that is well-equipped to be a part-time player. It doesn’t currently appear that anyone is interested in him as a lead back (at least not at his price point), so it could be a while before this situation gets resolved.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/r...t-wear-color-rush-uniform-because-its-garish/

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The Redskins are not fans of the “Color Rush” uniforms. Specifically, they’re not fans of the their “Color Rush” uniform, which looks like mustard and ketchup got in a fight and mustard won in a mustard-colored bloodbath.

We know this because of the 2017 NFL rules proposals were announced Thursday and Washington proposed an amendment “to permit clubs to opt out of the ‘Color Rush’ jerseys created for ‘Thursday Night Football.’” The reason: WAY TOO GARISH.

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As it stands, teams playing on Thursday nights are required to wear the “Color Rush” unis which, according to Nike, feature “a full head-to-toe monochromatic look ... that draws inspiration from both current and historic uniform schemes -- celebrating the hallmarks of each club’s distinctive identity.”

Because the Redskins weren’t on the “TNF” schedule last season, they didn’t have to don their homage to Ronald McDonald, and owner Daniel Snyder would like to keep it that way.

This would be the wisest move for him to make at this point. Take an analyst's job and stop doing more damage to his body.
***********************************************************************************
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...oys-wanted-fox-john-lynch-replacement-analyst

Fox interested in having Tony Romo in booth as analyst, sources say
Todd Archer/ESPN Staff Writer

Sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter that Fox Sports would like Romo to be an analyst, replacing John Lynch, who left to become the San Francisco 49ers' general manager in late January.

Retirement has always been among Romo's options. He turns 37 next month and has battled through a number of injuries, including collarbone and back ailments that have limited him to parts of five games the past two seasons.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/03/24/cbs-is-pursuing-romo-too/

CBS is pursuing Tony Romo, too
Posted by Mike Florio on March 24, 2017

Getty Images

FOX isn’t the only network that hopes to hire Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. CBS reportedly wants to sign him up, too.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that CBS is “making a strong push” to add Romo.

At FOX, Romo reportedly would be the replacement for John Lynch, the 49ers G.M. who had been the No. 2 analyst at FOX. At CBS, it’s unclear where Romo would land on the pecking order.

In 2016, the No. 1 team at CBS was Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, following by Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts, Greg Gumbel and Trent Green, Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon, Spero Dedes and Solomon Wilcots, Andrew Catalon and Steve Tasker/Steve Beuerlein, Tom McCarthy and Adam Archuleta, and Carter Blackburn and Chris Simms. Romo could supplant an analyst, or potentially slide into a spot and bump everyone else down a peg.

So how high would Romo land on the pecking order as a first-year analyst? Based on the routine social-media reaction, many will hope that he rockets to the top of the stack, bumping Phil Simms from the primary crew. (And, of course, once Romo has the job, he’ll be the guy from CBS that people constantly complain about on Twitter.)

The answer also depends on whether Romo is willing to conclusively slam the door on football. In theory, he could take a TV job and keep an eye on potential football opportunities for a mid-to-late-season jump back to the game. CBS likely wouldn’t install him as the No. 1 analyst unless he’s fully committed to the TV gig.

All right, are we ready for another insane mock draft? All right, here we go!

Trade:

Trumaine Johnson to the Cleveland Browns for #33 and #108.

(Makes all sort of sense. The Browns have a ton of cap space and a need for a cornerback after the Justin Gilbert failure.)

Rams second round pick (#37) and seventh round pick (#234) to the Minnesota Vikings for #79 and #86).

(Minnesota trades up to get an offensive lineman who falls to our pick, most likely Dan Feeney. In return, we get their third round picks.)

#33 - T.J. Watt, OLB, Wisconsin.

(Dominant pass rusher who can lock down one side for the next five years.)

#69 - Akhello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado.

(Witherspoon immediately makes us forget who Tru is.)

#79 - Sidney Jones, CB, Washington.

(Jones falls because of his Achilles injury. Redshirts one year, and proves to be a dominant starting corner.)

#86 - Tanoh Kpassagnon, DE, Villanova.

(My favorite prospect in this class. His height and burst are a rare combination.)

#108 - Damontae Kazee, CB, San Diego State.

(Small nickelback with solid ball skills.)

#112 - Chase Roullier, C, Wyoming.

(Right now, he's my favorite center prospect in this class. Big, strong, mean, and athletic.)

#141 - Josh Reynolds, WR, Texas A&M.

(Deep threat with height and ability to pinpoint the ball and catch 50/50 contested catches.)

#149 - Jeremy Sprinkle, TE, Arkansas.

(Arrested for shoplifting. One of the best blocking tight ends in this class.)

#189 - Ejuan Price, OLB, Pittsburgh.

(Undersized, but has a nice motor and underrated athleticism.)

#206 - T.J. Logan, RB, North Carolina.

(Logan will back up Gurley in the near future. He's an explosive athlete who can catch and run routes out of the backfield.)

With

I believe that the Rams are impressed by this rookie class of press man CB's. VERY impressed, and they wish to take full advantage.

I believe that Tru will be traded pre draft. Even if it requires dropping their price to a 3rd plus a 5th, or so.

I believe that the Rams want to draft TWO of these press CB's after trading Tru. That's right, TWO. A classic intersection of great need and great value.

I believe that the Rams have given up all hope of keeping Tru for themselves by extending him to a reasonable contract. So they will make lemonade out of this TruJo lemon.

I believe that they have contingency plans for FA acquisitions if they can save that $16.7 million after trading TruJo. Might be a few more tier 2 players for depth, might be for extending Donald or Tree. I suspect that they would prefer to add a few more depth FA's, myself. Then they would be more free to take BPA after the 2 CB's, as well. No other "holes" would remain after these predraft moves.

So, that's my take on this TruJo situation. I just don't see them wanting to roll with TruJo at the rate of $16.7 million this season. It just makes little sense, the more one thinks about it. They have a better chance of improving the team and winning games by making the above suggested moves.

Am I in the ballpark here? Or out in the parking lot?

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Full list here;

http://www.goliath.com/sports/rogue...bdafd472a8a59f46&utm_content=nfl_premium_2017

7. Los Angeles Rams – Eric Dickerson
We could have picked current Rams owner Stan Kroenke and called it a day. But, he hasn’t, and won’t, play a down in the NFL, so we went with former superstar running back Eric Dickerson. In the sordid history of the Rams, from L.A. to St. Louis and back to L.A. few players have raised the ire of the team’s fans (and ownership) more than Dickerson. The Hall of Famer was the team’s best ever running back and had the accolades and statistics (four rushing titles) to back it up. Yet it was the endless contract disputes with the team, staining his legacy, that he will be remembered for. The Rams, sensing he would never sign and tired of his whining, traded him to the Colts in one of the biggest deals ever in 1987.

The Rams made another signing today (Tyrunn Walker). I'm a fan of the move. It addresses our depth issues on the DL. I don't know what our plans are for Center, so I won't assume that we do or don't sign one.
Trade
Rams trade Round 3 Pick #5
Redskins trade Round 3 Pick #17 and Round 4 Pick #17

NFL Draft
Round 2 Pick #5 - T.J. Watt OLB Wisconsin
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Summary: Watt is probably my favorite prospect in this draft. He's a paradox of sorts because he's a raw player who is also polished. Watt has only played defense for two years and only started for one year. Yet, he already shows high-level recognition of blocking schemes, a strong understanding of how to exploit his opposition, and polished hand use. Watt possesses a powerful punch, outstanding flexibility throughout his body, and the speed to threaten the edge. He also has flashed the ability to overwhelm OLs with power. Watt needs to get stronger to take the next step as a pass rusher. With a consistent power game, he'd be capable of posting double digit sacks year in and year out. Additionally, Watt needs to continue to develop his pass rush moves/counters and work on finishing plays. He has to play more under control when finishing. He cost himself at 4 or 5 sacks this year (if not more) because he failed to finish the play. Ultimately, Watt provides a high-upside player to develop behind Barwin, a very talented rotational pass rusher, and insurance for Robert Quinn.

Round 3 Pick #17 - Jourdan Lewis CB Michigan
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Summary: With Lewis getting arrested for domestic violence, it seems likely that he'll fall further than he should. After reading about the circumstances preceding his arrest and considering his track record, I think it's pretty flimsy. As a player, Lewis is a tenacious competitor who makes up for his lack of height (5'10" 188) and elite long speed (4.54 40) with sticky cover skills, fluid hips, and extremely quick feet. Lewis camps out in the hip pocket of the WR. He's constantly challenging passes at the catch point, he displays polished footwork, and he uses his hands well while pressing. Despite his short stature, he's a highly effective press CB because of his quick feet, long arms (relative to his size), feisty nature, patient approach, and sound technical skill. I think Lewis is an outstanding fit in our scheme because he possesses the versatility to play both in the slot and outside the numbers. He can be our Chris Harris Jr. I think Wade will highly value Lewis's skill-set, and he seems to be getting underrated as people get caught up on the measurables of CBs who don't cover like Lewis does.

Round 4 Pick #5 - Eddie Vanderdoes NT UCLA
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Summary: Vanderdoes is an interesting player due to his backstory. He was a top ranked recruit out of HS who put a lot of good play on film between major injuries in college. Vanderdoes played heavier in 2016 than I would want him to play in the NFL (he was around 6'3" 325). He was pretty much immovable against the run, but it limited his ability to penetrate. Vanderdoes came into the Combine at 6'3" 305 and ran an impressive 4.99 40. Vanderdoes is country strong and uses it to stack blocks and disrupt the run game. As a pass rusher, he's pretty raw at this stage. He's been described as a bull in a china shop. He goes all out in terms of effort but plays a bit out of control. Still, Vanderdoes has a lot of potential if he stays healthy and should be at home attacking in Wade's scheme. As it is now, he has the ability to be a a quality run stopper with the potential to maybe develop into a solid to good pass rusher down the line.

Round 4 Pick #17 - Chase Roullier C/OG Wyoming
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Summary: I stumbled onto Roullier late, but I really like this kid. As I said before, I like his skill-set for our scheme more than I do Pocic's and Elflein's. He's exactly what Kromer wants. Despite coming from Wyoming (small school), Roullier is a well-coached player exiting a pro style offense (his HC, Craig Bohl, was Carson Wentz's HC). Roullier spent his first two years as a starter at LG before moving over to Center this year. At 6'4" 312, Roullier fits what Kromer looks for in his interior OLs. Roullier is a strong player at the POA with the lower body strength, leg drive, and nastiness to move guys out of the way. Roullier does an excellent job of staying on his blocks and playing through the whistle. He displays sound technical skill and quality body control while blocking on the move. As a pass protector, Roullier shows nimble feet, sound footwork, polished hand usage, and a strong base. Roullier's weaknesses are his lack of experience at Center, his short arms, and his balance in pass protection. Roullier needs to do a better job of adjusting to stunts and twists. He also needs to get used to playing in the Center spot, as he lost his footing due to the bodies around him too often this year. All in all, Roullier is a quality all around player who fits our scheme and has few true weaknesses.

Round 4 Pick #35 - George Kittle TE Iowa
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Summary: George Kittle is one of the most interesting guys in this class. He was unheralded going into the Combine out of Iowa. He had solid production as a pass catcher in college but nothing eye popping (other than his yards per catch average). At the Combine, the 6'4" 247 pound Kittle surprised a lot of people by running a 4.52 40 and posting incredible jump numbers for a man his size. However, Kittle is more than just an athlete. What separates Kittle from your typical athletic project is that Kittle is a phenomenal blocking TE. Kirk Ferentz puts out a lot of polished TEs and OLs from Iowa. Kittle is another guy cut from that cloth as a blocker. He is a tenacious run blocker who uses his athleticism, body control, polished technique, and quality strength to create lanes in the run game and take his defender out of the play. Kittle plays through the whistle as a blocker and looks to bury his man. As a pass catcher, he needs a lot of development as a route runner, but he has shown that he has the athleticism, YAC skills, and hands to be a threat.

Round 5 Pick #5 - Josh Reynolds WR Texas A&M
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Summary: Honestly, I don't know why Reynolds is rated as a 5th round pick. This is a deep WR class, but Reynolds should go two rounds earlier than this. However, I'm going to take advantage of teams not giving him the respect he deserves. Reynolds posted nearly 2800 yards and 30 TDs in 3 years in the SEC. Aside from his TDs, the stat that stands out with Reynolds is his career 17.0 yards per catch average. At 6'3" 195, Reynolds is very thin for a NFL WR. This is probably the biggest reason why he's underrated. He doesn't have a normal body type. He doesn't have much, if any, growth potential, so he'll always be thin. Play strength is definitely a concern at the next level. However, Reynolds displays the toughness, physicality, effort, and work habits to overcome his physical limitations. And frankly, Reynolds's thin frame gives him advantages other big WRs don't usually have. Reynolds is a gliding long-strider who preys upon CBs who don't respect his deep speed. Reynolds also displays incredible quick-twitch athleticism, foot quickness, and hip flexibility for a 6'3" WR. This makes him a highly effective route runner. To top it all off, Reynolds is as good as it gets at tracking the deep ball, has very reliable hands, and has shown the ability to make circus catches. All in all, Reynolds is a legitimate deep threat, red-zone threat, and dangerous route runner. He's also a high character kid who will do all the little things and give full effort at all times.

Round 6 Pick #5 - Vince Biegel ILB/OLB Wisconsin
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Summary: I am not a huge fan of Biegel as an edge rusher in the NFL, and there are legitimate concerns about his injury history. However, I love the thought of Biegel at SILB. Biegel lacks the power, length, ability to bend the edge, and explosiveness to win consistently as an edge rusher. However, Biegel has tremendous instincts, good speed for his size (4.67 40), good agility for his size, and a non-stop motor. At 6'3" 246, Biegel's size and athletic traits make him a perfect fit for SILB in Wade's scheme. He can hold his own in coverage and will be able to stack and shed blocks in the run game. He also has the speed and agility to run sideline to sideline. Biegel is a smart, high energy player who has quality athletic traits, but his traits simply don't fit on the edge. In addition to Biegel's value as a SILB, Biegel also has the makings of a studly core special teamer. That only increases his value on Day 3 of the Draft. Biegel provides a lot of value for us as a depth OLB, a possible starter at ILB (if we move Barron to SS), and a core special teamer. If Biegel gets drafted before this (a real possibility), I'd take ILB Blair Brown from Ohio in this spot.

Round 6 Pick #22 - Joshua Holsey CB Auburn
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Summary: Holsey is on my list of underrated CBs. This is such a deep and talented class that a guy like Holsey can go unnoticed. Holsey had two torn ACLs in his career, so that is a concern with him. However, he has exceptionally quick feet, the speed to run with WRs deep, loose hips, and good ball-skills. He can get a little grabby at times, but as we all know, some CBs use that to their advantage (*cough* Richard Sherman). Holsey is a CB who hides it well and uses it to his advantage. Holsey handled a number of top college WRs, including Mike Williams, during his senior season at Auburn. Plus, we do Holsey a favor by drafting Josh Reynolds; he was the only WR I saw get the better of Holsey this year.

Round 7 Pick #16 - Chad Williams WR Grambling State
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Summary: Chad Williams is a flyer and the first major character risk in this draft (I don't see Lewis as a character risk). Williams had a strong showing at the NFLPA Game and earned an invite to the Senior Bowl. He also had a strong showing during Senior Bowl practices. He reportedly showed the burst to separate out of his breaks and caught the ball well. He's still a very raw route runner and needs a lot of development before he's ready to play, but he has a lot of upside. Williams posted 90 catches for 1337 yards and 11 TDs this year at Grambling. In 2015, he posted 64 catches for 1012 yards and 10 TDs. Williams's basketball background has given him impressive body control and the ability to come down with jump balls. Williams proved he has NFL athleticism when he ran a 4.37 40 at his Pro Day at 6'1" 205. Williams plays the game with a chip on his shoulder, isn't afraid to get physical, and runs hard after the catch. However, he was arrested before this season on a marijuana and firearm possession charge.

Projected Starters
QB: Jared Goff
HB: Todd Gurley
FB: Cory Harkey
XWR: Robert Woods
ZWR: Josh Reynolds
SLWR: Tavon Austin
TE: Tyler Higbee
LT: Andew Whitworth
LG: Rodger Saffold
C: Chase Roullier
RG: Greg Robinson
RT: Rob Havenstein

LDE: Michael Brockers
NT: Eddie Vanderdoes
RDE: Aaron Donald
LOLB: Connor Barwin
LILB: Mark Barron
RILB: Alec Ogletree
ROLB: Robert Quinn
LCB: Trumaine Johnson
RCB: Kayvon Webster vs. E.J. Gaines
SLCB: Jourdan Lewis
FS: LaMarcus Joyner
SS: Maurice Alexander

K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Johnny Hekker
LS: Jake McQuaide
KR: Pharoh Cooper
PR: Tavon Austin

The parenthesis at the end is where these players graded within their positional group using Sparq guidelines. For example, Robert Davis, not a widely regarded WR, finished 1'st among all WR's in the analytical measurables department. Chuck Clark graded 2'nd of all the Safeties, Rollier graded 2'nd of the Centers, etc.

This new mock is to justifiably appease those concerned with not going early and often at a position of need which is also very deep in this draft, CB. Something had to give to make room, so I eliminated an OLB which will be explained, and also eliminated the NT/DT as I believe our back-up/reserve NT/DE arrived today via free agency (Tyrunn Walker).

2) TE - Davis Njoku, Mi. (4)
3) DE - Tanoh Kpassagnon, Vil. (1)
4a) CB - Sidney Jones, Wa. (15)
4b) WR - Kenny Golladay, N.I. (10)
5) CB - Shaquille Griffin, C.F. (3)
6a) C - Chase Roullier, WY. (2)
6b) FS - Chuck Clark, V.T. (2)
7) WR - Robert Davis, G.St. (1)



For the sake of this draft, I was assuming a free agent or traded for Center being on the roster, either a John Sullivan or Mangold (1 year contract) or Cameron Erving, or ... ?

Also for this Sparq draft, assume Tru Johnson back in his regular starting role.

For a 2017 starting WR opposite Woods, free agent Boldin on a 1 year contract. Will revisit WR with the 2018 1'st round draft pick.

I've added what I believe is another inexpensive free agent as an OLB/DE to make room for a drafted CB, ... yes, that being our old friend Chris Long, for what would be one more 1 year contract and an opportunity to retire as a Ram. With Chris back, maybe both he and dad could help mentor Howies fellow alumni, Tanoh Kpassagnon.

As most are aware, Sidney Jones was injured at the Combine and will likely miss the entire 2017 season, but his current draft stock will probably drop by a round or two, so he is an investment in the future, when TruJo is apt to leave thru free agency in 2018.

Njoku remains because I really want him, even it appears daily that his stock is rising higher and probably getting out our reach. jmo.

jmo.