Rams report, 5/25: Rams sign two

Panthers.com

* The Rams added two new players to the roster this past week: guard Travis Bond and wide receiver Jordan Harris, a rookie free agent out of Bryant College, in Smithfield, R.I.

Bond is 6'6" 330 and played college ball at North Carolina, starting at right guard his junior and senior years. He was picked by the Vikings in the 7th round of last year's draft. He made their practice squad, then was signed off it by the Panthers last November. The Panthers cut him last Monday and the Rams grabbed him on Tuesday. His nickname is "Tree Top". His scouting reports suggest he moves pretty well for his massive, um, mass, and shows some promise as a pulling blocker, with long-enough arms and quick-enough feet to keep DTs off of the QB. On the down side, he's a heavy-legged waist-bender who doesn't get off the ball well, plays too high and lets blitzers and quicker defenders get by him. Rotoworld also asks how good Bond can be when the Panthers, who are pretty bad off on their offensive line, let him go. Kind of like the Rams cutting a wide receiver. Oh, that's right, ours are all so damn good we don't need to make any significant moves.

Harris, 6'0" 212, is the first player from Bryant ever signed by an NFL team. I'll save anything else for whenever I get rookie free agent profiles going. But you can bet it will mention Coach from Cheers. And Tupperware.

The moves should mean the Rams currently have 88 players on the roster.

* Rams alumni report:
- Jermelle Cudjo did not go long without finding a new team; the Chiefs signed him this week.
- Linebacker Larry Grant, who played here from 2009-10, signed a deal with the Browns. After a couple of seasons with the 49ers, including a trip to the Super Bowl, Grant was suspended the first four weeks of last season for a PED violation and ended up playing just a couple of games for the Bears.
- Thomas Welch, who had some action late in the 2011 season here at tackle, signed with the Saints. He appeared in all 16 games for the Bills last season but did not have a start.

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Rams rookie free agent signings

(updated June 1)

Rookie free agents signed by the Rams:

Alex Bayer, TE, Bowling Green
Jarrid Bryant, CB, South Dakota
Avery Cunningham, S, Central Michigan
Austin Franklin, WR, New Mexico State
Deantre Harlan, DT, Bacone?
Jordan Harris, WR, Bryant (signed in the past week)
Aaron Hill, LB, Minnesota
Kadeem Jones, FB, Western Kentucky
Emmanuel McCray, OL, Mississippi (cut 5/15)
Johnny Millard, LB, Cal Poly State
Marcus Roberson, CB, Florida
Abasi Salimu, T, Nicholls State
Jamaine Sherman, WR, East Texas Baptist
Diontae Spencer, WR, McNeese State
Trey Watts, RB, Tulsa
Ethan Westbrooks, DT, West Texas A&M
Tavarius Wilson, LB, North Alabama

Looks like it's time to get to work on some profiles. And to figure out where the heck Bacone is.


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Ex-Rams 2014 transactions

May
5/16 - we open with a demonstration of the typical accuracy of NFL transaction reporting: STLToday reports LB Jonathan Stewart was signed by Dallas; multiple other sites report he was cut by Dallas. This kind of thing makes my job really hard, guys. (Stewart is not listed on the roster page on the Cowboys' website.)

SIU

5/12 - we try to track relatives of ex-Rams here as well, and so:
* Ray Agnew, Jr., a fullback out of Southern Illinois, signed by Cleveland as a rookie free agent; (Ray's brother Malcolm is also at SIU, at running back)
* Eathyn Manumaleuna, a BYU DT and Brandon's cousin, signed by the Giants as a rookie free agent.

Also:
* LB Jabara Williams released by Dallas. He had been signed to a reserve/future contract in January;
* and CB Nate Ness released by Detroit.

5/1 - LB Zac Diles signed by Cleveland.

Patriots.com

April
4/24 - LB Josh Hull signed by New England. He had been released by Washington April 5th.

4/21 - Indianapolis signed CB Josh Gordy to a qualifying offer. He was a restricted free agent.

4/15 - After taking 2013 off, WR Brandon Lloyd signed with San Francisco.

4/8 - TE Matthew Mulligan signed by Chicago.

March
3/21 - S Darian Stewart signed by Baltimore.

3/18 - Cleveland signed WR Andrew Hawkins, who was in Rams camp for one day in 2011, to a four-year contract.

3/17 - San Diego signed QB Kellen Clemens to a two-year deal.

USA Today

3/14 - Carolina signed TE Mike McNeill to a two-year deal;
* Miami signed CB Cortland Finnegan to a 2-year, $11 million deal, and G Shelley Smith to a 2-year, $5.5 million deal;
* Tampa Bay re-signed CB Danny Gorrer;
* Though NFL.com says he was terminated, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was signed by Houston, where he is apparently going to be the starter in 2014.



3/12 - G Chris Williams signed a 4-year deal with Buffalo;
* TE Michael Hoomanawanui re-signed with New England;
* K Josh Brown re-signed by the Giants;
* DT Leger "DOOZER" Douzable re-signed by the Jets;
* P Donnie Jones signed by Philadelphia.

3/4 - DE Adam Carriker waived by Washington.

February
2/19 - Atlanta hired Billy Devaney (below) as a player personnel scout.

2/6 - Wilbert Montgomery was named Cleveland's running backs coach. He left Baltimore in January;
* Jerry Gray named Minnesota's defensive backs coach;
* DE Hall (The Undertaker) Davis re-signed by Denver.

Sports Illustrated

2/5 - Houston retained special teams coach Bob Ligashesky. Must not have watched their game against the Rams, then.

2/4 - Richie Incognito, whose tales of idiocy are too long to tell here, had his suspension lifted by the league. No takers as of yet.

January
1/29 - This is your official notification that you can throw on the Ravens this year. Steve Spagnuolo named Baltimore's secondary coach;
* Patriots named Brendan Daly defensive assistant coach.

1/28 - Scott Linehan named Dallas' "passing game coordinator".

1/27 - "Bobby" Babich named Cleveland's assistant secondary coach.

1/22 - CB Jerome Murphy signed by Washington to reserve/future contract.

1/18 - Kevin Greene stepped down from his position as Green Bay's OLBs coach to spend more time with his family. Intends to return to the NFL after his children have moved on to college.

1/10 - Gill Byrd named Tampa Bay's cornerbacks coach.

1/9 - Proof that the NFL will hire anyone: LARRY MARMIE becomes Tampa Bay's senior defensive assistant coach.

1/7 - Houston fired coaching staff, including assistant defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina;
* Also, NFL.com says Arizona signed TE Daniel Fells to a reserve/future contract. Well, he's currently on the Giants' roster. I'll assume they're the ones who actually signed him.

Sports Illustrated

1/6 - New Orleans signed OT Ty Nsekhe to a reserve/futures contract.

1/4 - Green Bay signed OT Kevin Hughes to a reserve/futures contract.

1/2 - Tampa Bay named Lovie Smith head coach, in case you haven't figured out the explanation for Larry Marmie ever having a job in the NFL again.

I'll try to do periodic postings/corrections of what various ex-Rams are up to, but this should be plenty to chew on for now...

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Rams 2014 transactions

So, here's the problem with trying to keep track of NFL transactions. None of the organizations with the time and resources to do it right actually care enough to do it right. The National Football League should hang its head in shame that it does as bad a job as it does of reporting its own transactions. Or ESPN.com. The leader in sports? Not in transactions. Both those sites are the best at having transaction history that you can actually navigate, but with many errors and omissions. They'll list players as having signed with the wrong team, show players signed who were actually cut, and vice versa, or list transactions that didn't even happen. According to NFL.com, Zach Potter signed with the Rams as a free agent on February 26th. He's sure not very, you know, ON THE ROSTER, for that to have actually happened.

Pro Football Weekly used to be the best site at logging transactions. They'd fall behind at times, but proved the most reliable source on the Web. Unfortunately, they're long out of business. And nobody's picking up their slack. Fox Sports looks thorough but I couldn't get history before April. Which beat the crap out of Yahoo Sports, which only gives you the past week. And KFFL, which has a promising-looking history search function but still didn't give me anything but the past three days. Rotoworld looks very thorough but you think you're reading a post about one player and they stick four other players in there. Not good for catching up from way behind like I've been, but probably good going forward.

So anyway, reader beware. This is what I have for the Rams' transactions so far in 2014.

STLToday

May
5/16 - Cut DT Jermelle Cudjo, OL Emmanuel McCray, OL Graham Pocic, and RB Daryl Richardson. McCray had been signed 5/12 as a rookie free agent.

5/13 - Signed long snapper Jorgen Hus, one day after he'd been cut by Seattle.

5/6 - Signed WR T.J. Moe, who had been cut by New England in March.

ESPN

April
4/28 - Exercised the fifth-year option on Robert Quinn's rookie contract.

4/25 - Re-signed exclusive rights free agent Tim Barnes.

4/23 - Re-signed exclusive rights free agent Justin Veltung.

4/7 - Signed unrestricted free agent WR Kenny Britt, originally announced, fittingly, on April Fool's Day.

ESPN

March
3/31 - Signed UFA QB Shaun Hill.


3/26 - Signed UFA DT Alex Carrington.

3/24 - Signed OLB Etienne Sabino.

3/23 - Signed CB Greg Reid.

3/21 - Re-signed exclusive rights free agent Austin Davis.

3/14 - Re-signed UFA OLB Jo-Lonn Dunbar and UFA OT Rodger Saffold, whose contract with Oakland was voided due to a "failed physical".

3/11 - Deadline to make ERFA qualifying offers to TE Mike McNeill and CB Quinton Pointer passed without an offer being made. McNeill later signed with Carolina.

3/10 - Cut G Harvey Dahl, who remains unsigned.

UPI

February

2/12 - Hired Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator.

January

1/7 - Signed practice squad LB Caleb McSurdy to reserve/future contract.

12/31/2013 - Signed practice squad players to reserve/future contracts: DL Mason Brodine, WR Emory Blake, TE Justice Cunningham, OT Sean Hooey, and CB Darren Woodard. Brodine has sinced moved to tight end.

I will endeavor to keep these much more up-to-date; the Ex-Rams transactions, as well, which are coming up in a little bit. Ideally this would be a weekly Saturday mornings thing.

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Daryl Richardson signed by Jets

Less than 24 hours after the Rams cut him, Daryl Richardson has been signed by the New York Jets. Maybe Richardson's the RB they should have tried to trade during the draft and Isaiah Pead's the one they should have cut yesterday.

It's been a busy off-season for the Rams and ex-Rams around the league, and it looks like today might be a good day to catch up on my five-month transactions lag. Stay tuned.

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Rams cut a RB, and he's not Isaiah Pead?!?!?

Busy Thursday afternoon for the Rams, as they cut a rookie and three veteran players:

- Emmanuel McCray, an undrafted rookie free agent from Mississippi, was a Ram almost as long as Rodger Saffold was a Raider. He was signed Sunday, cut today. No idea why you sign a player and cut him before he ever takes the practice field for you. If he failed a physical, I'd think it would have been mentioned, but that's my guess for now.

AP

- Veteran defensive tackle Jermelle Cudjo was waived. The Rams ran out of roster room at DT pretty quickly after drafting Aaron Donald and acquiring Alex Carrington as a free agent. Cudjo doesn't get upfield as well as either one of those two, and wasn't on the field a lot last year anyway. About the only time Michael Brockers or Kendall Langford got a blow last year was when the Rams went to a 4-DE personnel group.

Matt Conrath, with his work very much cut out, is still on the roster. As far as production on the field, Cudjo vs. him is a coin-flip. Conrath's advantages: a) the Rams gain more cap room cutting Cudjo, who freed up about $1 million; and b) Conrath's a Snead/Fisher pickup; Cudjo's a Spagvaney pickup.

I would think Cudjo showed enough here to catch on with another team; good luck to him either way.

Washington Post

- Save the surprise for last: Daryl Richardson. Not surprising the Rams would cut a RB after drafting Tre Mason. After a solid rookie year, D-Rich had a dreadful 2013. He was hampered by a foot injury that put him out for most of the season, and trying to play with it, he showed none of the interior running ability he had as a rookie. He just seemed to run up his blockers' backs all the time. He was also a flop as a receiver, flubbing a screen pass into a defensive TD that helped turn the Atlanta game, which looked like a reasonable loss at the time but by the end of the season became an unforgivable one. I'm a little taken aback D-Rich didn't get to prove he was all the way back from the foot injury, but I shouldn't be. He's got three young backs ahead of him on the depth chart and the NFL is a cruel business.

Then again, how cruel can it be if useless Isaiah Pead is still on the team? My only explanation for now is that there's scuttlebutt that the Rams tried to trade Pead over draft weekend. Maybe they got a feeler or two.

- Graham Pocic might actually count as a rookie; I don't think he has any NFL games to his credit. He was also cut today after spending last year on injured reserve.

- Recent veteran signings by the Rams: long snapper Jorgen Hus, who's back after spending training camp here last year; T.J. Moe, a slot receiver from Mizzou, and last month, because this is an awesome Rams blog that's always up to date, punter Bobby Cowan, who I believe also place-kicks and will be this summer's camp leg.

Per Jim Thomas earlier this week, Hus' signing brought the Rams' roster size to the 90-man limit, so with today's four cuts, they're back down to 86. I'll try to do a better job of staying on top of things than I have been.

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Wide receiver follies

Wikipedia

Like clockwork, right after the draft every year we find out about players that Jeff Fisher has "known for some time" will be suspended for part of the upcoming season. Ding! This year it's wide receiver Stedman Bailey, who's suspended for the first four games of the 2014 season for a performance-enhancing drug violation. There's an as-yet unidentified friend of Bailey's saying that Bailey didn't take anything illegal, but short of hiring Ryan Braun's lawyers, it looks like the Rams are going to be missing one of their two promising young receivers for the first month of the season.

This is starting to look like a locker room that doesn't exactly learn from the examples of others. Isaiah Pead, anyone? Jo-Lonn Dunbar? Rok Watkins? The message seems simple. And certainly repetitive enough. Can Jeff Fisher not get it across?

Washington Post

Meanwhile, though we should probably be happy Kenny Britt's lasted this long as a Ram without getting arrested, Fisher and the Rams must feel really great that he had an explicit sex video up on his Instagram account over the weekend. (The much-safer-for-work photo on the right is Britt on stage at a Britney Spears concert in 2011.)

So, while Bailey's gotten in trouble and Britt's already actively looking for ways to get into trouble, it's a good thing the Rams drafted all those wide receivers, huh? Oh, that's right. They didn't draft any wide receivers from one of the deepest wide receiver classes in years. No matter, they must have signed plenty in free agency, right? Well, they did sign a whole two. We will rally behind Brian Quick, and we will... Oh, forget it.

Lotsa luck, Sam Bradford.

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Rams draft Michael Sam

I know I skipped a few players here, but the Rams, the team that broke the NFL's color barrier and was one of the first NFL teams to have a woman owner, broke another barrier with pick #249 by drafting Mizzou defensive end Michael Sam.

In football terms, I think it's a terrible pick. Sam (was commonly projected as) a 3-4 linebacker and the Rams run a 4-3. Though he might have been fighting a lot of distraction, he had a poor Combine and a poor Senior Bowl week. It looked like some of his very good senior year stats - he led the SEC in sacks - were puffed up by big games against bad opponents.

But history came calling, and the Rams answered the call, again, where many NFL teams didn't. More important to a lot of people than getting a good scheme fit, so I'll roll with it. Good luck to Michael.

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Rams draft Maurice Alexander

The Rams' 4th-round pick is a big, hard-hitting safety from Utah State and a St. Louis-area native, Maurice Alexander. Alexander served 45 days in jail in 2012 for aggravated assault and was kicked off the football team, but knuckled down, graduated early, got a second chance from the team and had a good senior year on the field. He used to be a janitor at the Edward Jones Dome and is a really good story and a player we'll really root for around here. (And Snead/Fisher fulfill their annual rap sheet quota.)

Alexander is a much better athlete than you'll usually see as an in-the-box safety, but I think the Rams really reached here, especially with a clear need for another QB and needs at WR, o-line depth and LB depth that could have been filled at #110 at better value. Most of the time you can find a good in-the-box safety late in the draft or in free agency. And there's no scouting report that thinks Alexander can cover anybody, at least right off. He'll fit well in the Fisher/Williams defense, but I think the pick is a reach.

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Rams draft Tre Mason in third round

Well, it doesn't look like we can expect the Snead/Fisher regime to quit their Auburn bias any time soon, but Tre Mason looks like a heck of a pick. Zac Stacy's fine 2013 rookie season didn't make RB look like much of a need this high, but now Mason, who may be the most complete RB in this year's draft, gives the Rams a strong, 2-headed running game to compete with the rest of the NFC West. Two more benefits to having Mason: I expect him to become the Rams' kick returner and biggest threat at that position in at least a decade; and the Isaiah Pead era appears to be drawing quickly to a close.

Snead and Fisher have to feel like they're shooting fish in a barrel right now. Most of the league is reaching madly for 5th-6th round quality linebackers and tight ends, while the Rams appear mainly to be having the top guy on their board consistently falling into their laps, and filling important holes in the roster, too. Thus far:

- Needed big mauler on offensive line. Filled.
- Needed defensive tackle who can get upfield in pass rush. Filled.
- Needed nickel back with "spunk". Filled.
- Needed complement to Stacy at RB who can be taken seriously. Filled.

This draft grade's probably an A-minus at worst, and if they can land a decent safety tomorrow, we could be looking at an A-plus.

It's so nice to have a front office that knows how to draft.

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Rams take Lamarcus Joyner in second round

The Rams traded up three spots with Buffalo, giving up their fifth-round pick, to claim the Florida State mighty mite (5'8" 180-something), Lamarcus Joyner. Joyner's made a late run up draft boards and was a favorite sleeper pick of a lot of analysts despite being far from special athletically. That's why I don't like the pick. His play on the field, though, tells a different story, and is good reason to like the pick. Smart, great hitter, great effort player, ton of great intangibles, Joyner has "Jeff Fisher DB" written all over him. His playing style gets compared a lot to Tyrann Matthieu's, and I definitely missed the boat on the Honey Badger last season. Joyner's the Honey Badger without the rap sheet. I assume he'll assume the lead nickel role, even with plenty of concern about his ability to hang in well there at the pro level.

I wouldn't call a second-round pick on an undersized, average-speed tweener DB a good draft pick for a team in general, but I think the Rams will have the perfect place to put Joyner.

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Rams take Aaron Donald at #13

Donald, a DT, is impressively quick off the ball, but I really would have gone with a safety or a cornerback here. Much bigger needs. Also very disappointed Les Snead didn't hijack somebody looking for Manziel.

Donald's a fine player, I just don't think the Rams made a very good needs match here. They did put a heck of a turbo-charge into their already strong pass rush, though, so maybe they won't need any new DBs.

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Rams draft Greg Robinson with second overall pick

Just quick reactions and links to the RamView website tonight.

Picking Greg Robinson makes a ton of sense for the Rams. I assume he starts at left guard this year (depending on Jake Long's knee) and gives the Rams a lot more pushback on the offensive line than they got from Chris Williams last year. I don't know about him as a tackle because he has so little pass-protecting experience from college, which is why I liked Jake Matthews, but Robinson is definitely a pick who can work out for the Rams long-term.

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RamView Accu-Draft 2014: draft notes by position

QB
Rams outlook: The Rams have got Sam Bradford on a shaky knee, Shaun Hill on a one-year deal and Austin Davis just happy to be around after flunking out of training camp last year. The need for a long-term backup plan is apparent, and the Rams will probably address it before the end of Friday night.
Sleeper: Logan Thomas, Virginia Tech. Outstanding athlete who put on a good show at the Combine, throwing one beautiful 40-yard deep corner route after another with just a flick of the wrist. A project with considerable upside. Another strong-armed QB who'll get drafted a bit later: Dustin Vaughan, the heir to Keith Null's throne at the West Texas A&M QB factory.
Please avoid: Aaron Murray, Georgia. The Rams have shown a lot of interest in Murray, who would give them a second QB coming off a season-ending ACL injury. He's also smaller than any QB Fisher/Snead have suited up, and "small" doesn't always equal "Drew Brees" or "Russell Wilson", gang.
Worst name: David Fales, San Jose State. A player you have to hope doesn't live up to his name.

RB
Rams outlook: The Rams have a very likely 1,000-yard rusher in Zac Stacy, but plenty of questions behind him. Will Bennie Cunningham hang on to the ball and continue to develop? Will Darryl Washington get past last year's injury troubles and become a needed edge rushing threat? Will Isaiah Pead hurry up with my Quarter Pounder Extra Value Meal already? I said no catsup!
Sleepers: Charles Sims, West Virginia; JC Copeland, LSU (fullback). Sims would be perfect for the Rams imo; he caught about a million passes out of the backfield in college, and the Rams lack a true 3rd-down back or receiver out of the backfield (depending how you think of Tavon Austin, I suppose). Also, please use a 7th-rounder on Copeland if he's still hanging around. Yes, he's a 285-pound RB, but he's actually a good athlete who can catch, run-block, protect the QB and who should be a major goal line weapon.
Please avoid: James Wilder, Florida State. I appreciate the pedigree, but he's had several arrests and I think he may still be running his Combine 40.
Favorite name: Lorenzo Taliaferro, Coastal Carolina. With that name, if the NFL doesn't work out, he can start a sports car company, design shoes or go into opera.

WR
Rams outlook: Even with Tavon Austin's late-season breakout and some encouraging games from Stedman Bailey, the Rams still had the most dreadful receiving corps in the league. Thanks to Chris Givens regressing into Eddie Kennison, the team lacks a reliable vertical threat, and thanks to Brian Quick continuing to have no clue how to get open, ever, they also lack a legitimate #1 big go-to receiver. A couple of slot guys and a possession receiver (Austin Pettis) ain't going to get the job done, though Les Snead continued to insist the Rams "don't need a wide receiver" and actually made a bad group worse with the free-agent addition of Mr. Most Likely To Get Arrested, Kenny Britt. The Rams could use their first four picks on wide receivers and I wouldn't flinch.
Sleepers: Martavis Bryant, Clemson; tall flyer would be an upgrade on Quick; Josh Huff, Oregon; slot receiver showed a lot of toughness getting off jams and catching in traffic at the Senior Bowl; Isaiah Burse, Fresno State; the best route-runner in this class. Great after the catch on quick screens and drags and can get deep. Steal him late in the draft, you won't regret it.
Please avoid: Brandon Coleman, Rutgers. Led the nation in dropped passes. So unless the Rams are going for the league record, they can let Coleman go to another team. Shaq Evans, UCLA and "Philly" Brown, Ohio State are among the very few receivers who didn't look good at the Combine, with dropped passes or bad route-running.
Favorite name: Gerald Ford, Valdosta State. Whip Interference Now!

TE
Rams outlook: Given what they've got sunk into Jared Cook, the Rams won't do anything significant in the draft at TE, but they should do something, both to fill Mike McNeill's roster spot and to have an eye on Lance Kendricks becoming a free agent in 2015.
Sleeper: Jacob Pedersen, Wisconsin. Definitely has the speed of a blocking tight end but ran nice routes, made nice catches and actually looked like one of the few TEs at the Combine who could run a decent deep route.
Please avoid: Colt Lyerla, Oregon. Drops too many passes and has too many COCAINE POSSESSION ARRESTS for my blood. Let's see if Jeff Fisher can resist.
Favorite name/school combination: Joe Don Duncan, Dixie State. Somehow I don't think Duncan is the only Joe Don who goes to Dixie State.

OL
Rams outlook: The Rams offensive line has significant holes, but it could have been worse. They still have three starters: Scott Wells, Joseph Barksdale and Raider-for-five-seconds Rodger Saffold. They need a left guard to fill the spot Buffalo vastly overpaid Chris Williams to leave. Jake Long's knee injury leaves them needing tackle depth at a minimum, possibly another guard if Saffold has to go out to LT, or possibly a new starting tackle. The #2 pick overall figures to go a long way toward addressing that situation.
Sleeper: Michael Schofield, Michigan; Gabe Ikard, Oklahoma; Jon Halapio, Florida. Schofield is a guard/right tackle and late Senior Bowl roster addition who dominated there from the moment he arrived. He's as good as Zack Martin but won't go near as high. Ikard's a center who isn't high on any lists even though he doesn't lag the rest of the centers athletically and looked pretty flawless in technique at the Combine. Halapio projects as a late-round pick at guard. Far from a workout wonder but I think he has really good feet and wouldn't be lost in pass protection.
Please avoid: Seantrel Henderson, Miami, Fla., though he checks off what seems like many of the Rams' boxes at times. Played only about half his senior season? Check. Suspended twice for failing drug tests? Check. Added a failed test for marijuana AT THE COMBINE? Welcome to Rams Park!
Favorite name: Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, McGill (Canada). Le Trait D'union!

DL
Rams outlook: Robert Quinn's given the Rams one of the league's most lethal pass rushes, and if the Rams would happen to add Jadeveon Clowney or Khalil Mack to that, good grief, look out, NFL. They've been looking pretty hard at defensive tackles in the run-up to the draft, too. Michael Brockers and Kendall Langford both had very good and very underrated 2013s, but the Rams didn't get much off the bench. If you like to hedge your draft night bets, put a little loose change on the Rams taking defensive linemen with both first-round picks. It's not out of the question.
Sleepers: Scott Crichton, Oregon State. Can already get after the QB (22.5 sacks in 3-year career); now put him with one of the NFL's best d-line coaches and see what you get. Johnnie Farms, Memphis and Jamie Meder, Ashland: a couple of deep, deep sleeper DTs from the NFLPA all-star game. Farms was really quick off the snap and Meder got a lot of good pocket push and made several clutch plays.
Please avoid: Will Sutton, Arizona State. Played heavy as a senior and was ineffective, but at his junior weight I think he's much too undersized. Had a strong junior year, though, and the Ram front office pays as much attention to junior years as senior years.
Favorite name: Ego Ferguson, LSU. His brother Id has great instincts but is uncoordinated.

LB
Rams outlook: The Rams are set at all three starters but there is precious little experience (though a lot of special teams penalties, ER, energy) behind them. A player with a lot of college LB experience who fell to them at the right time would be a nice pickup.
Sleepers: Christian Jones of Florida State, for instance, an OLB with 39 career college starts. Showed good pass coverage and blitzing skills at the Senior Bowl. (News that he failed a drug test at the Combine probably just moved him up the Rams' board.) Inside, there's Jeremiah George of Iowa State, undersized but a playmaker supreme who led the Big "12" in tackles.
Please avoid: Jordan Tripp, Montana. Which will be a problem, because Jeff Fisher has love for Montana players. One of his sons went to Montana State iirc. Tripp must have tried his spin move a million times on people Senior Bowl week and never even came close to beating anyone with it.
Favorite name: Andrew Jackson, ILB, Western Kentucky. Another President who could be drafted this year! Not to be confused with the guard Andrew Jackson who was in Buffalo's camp a couple of years ago.

DB
Rams outlook: After Cortland Finnegan bombed and got hurt early last season, the Rams were left with a thin and greener-than-green secondary with Rodney McLeod, a safety by trade, at nickel. No offense to McLeod, but the Rams need to look to upgrade on him at nickel and at safety, and look likely to expend early-round draft capital to do so.
Sleepers: Rashaad Reynolds, CB, Oregon State; Dan Sorenson, FS, BYU. A couple of the top guys at the Combine in the 3-cone and short shuttle. Les Snead is usually all over the 3-cone times. Reynolds would be an ideal nickel without a high draft price. Sorenson would bring good athleticism and a ton of safety experience for a late third-day pick.

Please avoid: Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State. Nice player and one of everybody's favorite sleeper picks. But the Rams already have Lamarcus Joyner; his name's Rodney McLeod.
Favorite name: Stephen Obeng-Agyapong, Penn State. Hope his game has the bang in it that his name has.

ST
Rams outlook: The Rams are set for the long term at punter, kicker and punt returner but have yet to establish much of a threat returning kicks. With all the touchbacks in the league now, I'm not even sure the Rams care about that position, or if they should.
Sleeper: Solomon Patton, Florida. The wide receiver was 5^th in the nation with 29.2 yards a kick return and ran one back for a TD.
Please avoid: NEVER DRAFT A KICKER. Yeah, yeah, they drafted Greg Zuerlein. They didn't draft Johnny Hekker!
Favorite name: Nate Freese, Boston College. Did opposing coaches call timeouts to freeze Freese?

The Texans are on the clock!

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RamView Accu-Draft 2014: 7-round Rams drafts

Every year I go through the ridiculous exercise of trying to guess all of the Rams' draft picks even though it's a minor miracle for me to get a single one right. Here's a couple of futile flings at it this year, based on other seven-round draft projections and rankings:

RamView as GM:
1 / 2 - Jake Matthews, T, Texas A&M
1 / 13 - Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville
2 / 44 - Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State
3 / 75 - A.J. McCarron, QB, Alabama
4 / 110 - Brandon Thomas, G, Clemson
5 / 153 - De'Anthony Thomas, RB, Oregon
6 / 188 - Khyri Thornton, DT, Southern Miss
6 / 214 - Corey Linsley, C, Ohio State
7 / 226 - JC Copeland, FB, LSU
7 / 241 - Albert Wilson, WR, Georgia State
7 / 249 - Kevin Danser, G, Stanford
7 / 250 - Alex Bayer, TE, Bowling Green

My first three picks fill big needs on offensive line, in the secondary, and for a big target. McCarron gets me QB depth, starter potential, and of course, a really hot girlfriend. Brandon Thomas has a blown knee, but with 12 picks, I can afford to redshirt a top talent. De'Anthony Thomas gives me more edge speed and receiving ability out of the backfield; he and Tavon Austin together would be a ton of speed on the field at the same time. Thornton gives the DT rotation a good bump. Linsley is a very smart tree stump kind of lineman. Copeland is my secret goal line weapon. Wilson is as fast as Sammy Watkins and jumped 3 inches higher at the Combine. But is three inches shorter. Danser and Bayer give me some blocking depth and a blocking TE to replace Mike McNeill.

Flaws: I should have looked a lot harder for a nickel back, a field-stretching WR, and linebacker depth.

Fisher/Snead 7-round projection:
1 / 2 - Greg Robinson, T, Auburn
1 / 13 - Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
2 / 44 - Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State
3 / 75 - Will Sutton, DT, Arizona State
4 / 110 - Aaron Murray, QB, Georgia
5 / 153 - Isaiah Lewis, S, Michigan State
6 / 188 - Charles Leno, OL, Boise State
6 / 214 - Brandon Dixon, CB, NW Missouri State
7 / 226 - Colt Lyerla, TE, Oregon
7 / 241 - Kevin Pierre-Lewis, LB, Boston College
7 / 249 - Daniel Sorenson, S, BYU
7 / 250 - Silas Redd, RB, USC

This addresses o-line, nickel, big receiving target and the DT rotation right off the top, all with players who made pre-draft visits to Rams Park, of course. Verrett should be picked off a trade down but I didn't try to project that trade. I think the Rams really, really like Murray and won't be concerned if they have to redshirt him. Lewis looks like a steal to me in the 5th round and justifies the Rams not sweating it at safety. Leno is a versatile lineman with a lot of upside. Dixon's a value pick, a pure press corner that Gregg Williams ought to like. I'd frankly be surprised if all these 7th-rounders actually last to the 7th round. Lyerla's a tantalizing athlete who will either really reward the team drafting him late or end up in jail by minicamp. Pierre-Lewis was one of the quickest and strongest LBs at the Combine. Sorenson doesn't have great straight-line speed but had some of the best times in the Combine change-of-direction drills. Redd's a reclamation project who's a good fit for the Rams running game.

Flaws: Not enough playmakers, didn't add any outside speed. The flipside of the RamView 7-round draft - heavy on secondary, light on offensive line. This draft also could have looked harder for linebacker depth. What can I say, LB's not my position.

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RamView.com is up again

My thanks to the good folks at the Google Sites forum.

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Mock draft-a-palooza!

With 5 days to go until the 2014 draft starts, here's a mass listing of various "expert"'s projections for the Rams' early picks:

ESPN.com:
Mel Kiper: #2, Greg Robinson; #13, Hasean Clinton-Dix
Todd McShay: #2, Greg Robinson; #13, Hasean Clinton-Dix 

NFL.com:

Charles Davis: Robinson and Johnny Manziel. Pass that bowl my way!
Daniel Jeremiah: guess who, Robinson and Clinton-Dix
Brian Baldinger: Jake Matthews and Calvin Pryor. Go Baldy! 

Bucky Brooks' 4-round projection:
1 - Robinson and Clinton-Dix
2 - Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State
3 - Phillip Gaines, CB, Rice
4 - Jimmy Garoppalo, QB, Eastern Illinois

CBSSports.com:
Pat Kirwan projects a first round I particularly like: Rams trade down to #4, still get Robinson, take Pryor at 13. Kirwan, interestingly, has Cleveland trading up for Sammy Watkins. 
Rob Rang: Robinson and Pryor, the conventional way
Pete Prisco: Robinson and Bradley Roby, the troubled Ohio State CB. I can see that happening.

FoxSports.com (Peter Schrager):
1 - Robinson and Pryor
2 - Davante Adams, WR, Fresno State

Ourlads: 
1 - Matthews and WHOA! Deone Bucannan?
2 - Jace Amaro, troubled TE, Texas Tech
Not the greatest mock draft there.


Sports Illustrated Draft Preview Issue: Matthews and Clinton-Dix

Draftcountdown.com (Scott Wright):
Texans take Blake Bortles, Rams trade down to #6, still get Robinson
#13, of course, Clinton-Dix
2nd round, they get Jason Verrett with Atlanta's pick and take Kyle Van Noy (WHAAA?) with the #44 pick
Aaron Murray in round 3, because you can never have enough QBs on your roster coming off torn ACLs. Let's just say I hate this mock and move on.

Walter Football 6-round draft:
2 - Khalil Mack. Hoo boy.
13 - Clinton-Dix
44 - Jawuan James, T, Tennessee
75 - Allen Robinson, WR, Penn State
110 - Brandon Linder, G, Texas
153 - Kelcy Quarles, DT, South Carolina
188 - A.C. Leonard, TE, Tennessee State
214 - Denicos Allen, LB, Michigan State

OK, that's a terrible draft. Next?

DraftTek 7-round draft:
2 - Robinson
13 - Justin Gilbert. Hooray, someone besides Clinton-Dix!
44 - David Yankey, G, Stanford
75 - Paul Richardson, WR, Colorado
110 - Tom Savage, QB, Pitt
153 - Marqueston Huff, FS, Wyoming
188 - Caraun Reid, DT, Princeton
214 - Cassius Marsh, DE, UCLA
226 - Colt Lyerla, TE, Oregon. Well, we were doing great up to here.
241 - Khairi Fortt, OLB, California.
249 - Jerrick McKinnon, RB, Georgia Southern.
250 - Antonio Andrews, RB, Western Kentucky.

The best draft I've seen anyone project for the Rams so far.

RamView Accu-Draft 2013: the rest of the first round

14. Chicago - Aaron Donald, DT, Pitt.
They're telegraphing this pick so badly in the Windy City that they've probably talked themselves into having to trade up.

15. Pittsburgh - Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA.
Steelers were near the bottom of the league in sacks last year. It's actually impressive they got as close to the playoffs as they did; this has to be the least-talented Steeler roster I've seen in years.

16. Dallas - Kony Ealy, DE, Mizzou.
Figure Jerrah to see those 9.5 sacks in the SEC last year and reach for need.

17. Baltimore - Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan.
Zack Martin was strongly in play here, but I had a hard time seeing Baltimore let a top play-making corner get away from them.

18. Jets - C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama.
Do you really think Rex Ryan will take an offensive player? The Jets are far from spectacularly talented at LB, and their secondary also needs a lot of help. I had Calvin Pryor here originally, but then Mosley dropped ridiculously far. He's a steal here, let alone the end of the round.

19. Miami - Zack Martin, T, Notre Dame.
Dolphins thank me for painting a dream scenario. Their o-line was so decimated by the Richie Incognito mess that their hand is almost forced to draft o-line, and they get as versatile and as good a blocker as there is left. Speaking of Incognito, yes, he made the Pro Bowl after leaving the Rams, but dumping him is still one of the best moves the Spagvaney regime made. He's now Exhibit A reminding teams to always be careful with character risks.

20. Big Dead - Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon.
OOH, I HATE THIS PICK if the Big Dead make it, because it's the last piece to what should be a hell of a team in 2014. Hopefully this idea will encourage Philadelphia to trade up to 13. About the only thing Arizona's missing heading into this season is a speedy slot receiver, a position that's almost always underperformed for them. So plug in the fastest receiver in the draft and a guy born to play the slot. Good luck covering that.

21. Green Bay - Odell Beckham, WR, LSU.
Didn't see good values at pass rush, tight end or right tackle here, but Green Bay's fearsome WR depth of recent years is thinning down pretty quickly, too.

22. Philadelphia - Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State.
I'll be honest, I have no idea who Philadelphia should pick. Pass rush is their biggest need imo, but the d-line values here were all DT's I didn't see faring very well with all the time Chip Kelly's offense would keep them on the field. I also didn't like any of the WRs here as replacements for DeSean Jackson that could be picked reasonably. They do look a little thin at corner, though, and if Roby's upside is as big as his rap sheet, this pick will be golden.

23. Kansas City - Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech.
Because they gave up 13 catches, 224 yards and 2 TDs to ONE GUY - T.Y. Hilton - in their epic playoff choke in Indianapolis.

24. Cincinnati - Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State.
Value stepped in over Andy Dalton's need for another receiver here. I've seen Shazier called this year's Alec Ogletree enough times to know he shouldn't fall too much farther, and he looks like a very nice fit in the Bengal D.

25. San Diego - Ra'Shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota.
Hageman, an absolute athletic freak who plays like Warren Sapp some times and Damione Lewis other times, has also been due to come off the board for a while now. For instance, he'd be another pick I'd hate the Big Dead to make. San Diego almost got pushed off the field in Denver in the playoffs, so a more traditional anchor tackle like Louis Nix also looks sensible for them.

26. Cleveland - Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville.
Although we're talking Cleveland here. No way they could actually luck their way into this, is there? Knowing Cleveland, they'll screw it up and take Derek Carr, whose super-charged roar up the mock board is something for which I have no explanation.

27. New Orleans - Marquise Lee, WR, USC.
It still surprises me how speed-deficient the Saints are on offense. And that was last year when they still had Darren Sproles. I know I'm predicting way too many receivers to be picked in the first round, but the Saints need to start stretching the field again, then maybe pick up De'Anthony Thomas or Charles Sims in a later round to field the quarter-million screen passes they're still going to throw in that offense.

28. Carolina - Cyrus Kouandjio, T, Alabama.
The Panthers have nothing at tackle or receiver and will happily take the big 'Bama mauler here.

29. New England - Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville.
The Patriots' website listed two safeties on their roster. Pryor's a ridiculous value by now, mainly dropping in this mock just because he's a safety and that isn't a key need for a lot of teams. So, psst, Les Snead, I think you can trade down and still get him if you want. Also considered Nix here because New England also really got pushed around by Denver in the playoffs.

30. San Francisco - Joel Bitonio, G, Nevada.
Man, I hate the 49ers. Why do I give such great picks to the Rams' division opponents? Anyway, here's the best player available, and he's a classic pick of the current 49er regime, and they can start him at guard immediately and bump Mike Iupati over to center, getting weak link Jonathan Goodwin off the field and keeping weaker link Adam Snyder off the field.

31. Denver - Xavier Su'a-Filo, G, UCLA.
Look out, it's a run on guards! The Broncos are insanely deep at every position except guard, where Zane Beadles insanely jumped from the AFC champs to... the Jagwires?!?!?!?, but Su'a-Filo (a two-punctuation-mark name!) is a near-perfect fit.

32. Seattle - Keith McGill, DB, Utah.
McGill just looks like a classic pick of the John Schneider/Pete Carroll regime, doesn't he? Kiper and McShay and Mayock will all tell us what a bad draft value he is, and why are they drafting secondary anyway when they have Sherman and Thomas and Chancellor? Well, that secondary did take a couple of hits in free agency, with Brandon Browner going to the Patriots and Walter Thurmond to the Giants. McGill's a prototype Seattle DB at 6' 3.5". They'll get him to work there where he wouldn't work for a lot of other teams.

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RamView Accu-Draft 2014: Pick #13

NFL.com

Jason Verrett, CB, TCU.

Tons of possibilities for the Rams at #13, including Louisville safety Calvin Pryor, who would be RamView's pick here. He'd fill a pretty big hole in the defense and his playing style is right up Jeff Fisher's and Chuck Cecil's alley.

But if I'm trying to guess who the Rams are going to pick, I'm puzzled by the lack of a report that they had any safety in at Rams Park for a pre-draft visit. They've talked primarily to offensive tackles, wide receivers, corners and defensive tackles. That tells me their priorities are on those positions.

And here's where the fingernail-chewing sort of starts, because the way this mock is breaking down, the best value is probably Aaron Donald. There's a lot about Donald I like, but would the Rams really prioritize a third DT, and an undersized one at that, over a corner, when they couldn't cover anybody last year? I say not.

If they're thinking corner, Darqueze Dennard is a better value than Verrett, but everything you read about Verrett has "Jeff Fisher DB" all over it. He's feisty. Aggressive. Tough. Competes. He's a pest. He compares to, you guessed it, Cortland Finnegan. (The Tennessee version, I hope, not the St. Louis one.) Superb athlete with excellent instincts and quickness the Rams could plug in at nickel right away.

Verrett would be a bit of a reach at #13, I think. He's small and has had a lot of injuries. Dennard is a better all-around corner, but not nearly as well-suited to nickel as Verrett would be. The Rams probably will put Trader Les to work and trade down, but I really think Verrett's their guy.

Up next: a quick rip at the rest of the first round.

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RamView Accu-Draft 2014: Picks 8-12

Sports Illustrated

8. Minnesota - Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M.

Premature comparisons to Fran Tarkenton aside, think Norv Turner wouldn't like a natural rollout QB? Who knows, the Rams could actually see Johnny Football on opening day. Manziel almost has to be the pick if he falls to the Vikings. How could you pass on the chance to have a Manziel/Adrian Peterson backfield? IF Manziel's even partially the real deal, that's a backfield that could take the Vikings places in a hurry.

CBS Sports

9. Buffalo - Hasean Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama.

I just refuse to call a grown adult football player "Ha Ha". Similarly, Buffalo usually refuses to pick who the "experts" think they should pick, with offensive line, tight end or wide receiver usually projected here. Nobody thinks they'll put a high priority on replacing departed Pro Bowler Jairus Byrd? Buffalo seems to like to take the top player at his position when they can do it, and they've never been afraid to reach a little. Or more.

NewsOK.com

10. Detroit - Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State.

Shouldn't the Lions have figured out by now they're going to need to be able to cover people in the division they play in? Have they had a decent corner since Dre Bly? Get that secondary fixed, already.

USA Today

11. Tennessee - Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida.

I just had the Vikings bail on the failed Christian Ponder experiment, so I might as well call for the Titans to bail on Jake Locker, too. Locker doesn't strike me as Ken Whisenhunt's kind of QB at all, (and he stinks, anyway) while the big, strong-armed pocket passer Bortles does. Corner's a strong need since they lost Alterraun Verner to Tampa, but with Gilbert off the hypothetical board, Bortles is becoming too big a value to pass up.

Wikipedia

12. Giants - Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina.

Hell, I'd be thinking QB here if I drafted for the Giants; Eli Manning was that brutal last season. I'm not sure he'll even get drafted in the Manning Family Fantasy League, even by himself. Jokes aside, Eli didn't get much help from his offensive line or most of his receivers in 2013, either. Zack Martin should be in play here, but Manning really needs somebody to target besides Victor Cruz. Hakeem Nicks, who was dreadful last year anyway, is a Colt now and no one there sounds very thrilled with Reuben Randle as a starter. That also puts someone like Odell Beckham very in play, but the Giants also don't have a TE to speak of, and Ebron is a TE/huge WR type who's pretty far ahead of the rest of the class at his position. Eli neds the big target and clicks pretty well with his TEs when he has a decent one to throw to, which wasn't last year.

And, up next, what do you know, it's the Rams again...

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RamView Accu-Draft 2014: Picks 3-7

NFL.com

3. Jagwires - Khalil Mack, LB, Buffalo

Johnny Football's got to tempt the Jagwires here. Gus Bradley just left a team that won a Super Bowl with a very mobile, undersized QB. If he's going to build a team like the one he left in Seattle, he needs his Russell Wilson, right?

The Russell Wilson lesson, though, is that you can find top QBs later in the draft, rather than make ill-advised reaches for immediately-overwhelmed QBs like Blaine Gabbert whose college systems never prepared them for the NFL, and some of us (ahem) really should have seen that instead of saying Gabbert should be drafted before Cam Newton. OK, enough of that.

The Manziel opportunity, though, is an opportunity the Jagwires have passed on before. They ignored the box-office bonanza they would have gotten with Tim Tebow, and drafted a PUNTER ahead of Russell Wilson. And, very much rebuilding under a defensive-minded coach, they're not going to worry about passing on a mobile QB again. Mack was a college sack machine, there's a major drop-off at pass rusher in this draft after him, and Bradley needs his Bruce Irvin right now more than he needs his Russell Wilson.

ESPN.com

4. Cleveland - Jake Matthews, T, Texas A&M

Two teams picking in the top 4 last year drafted right tackles and went on to the playoffs, so I think the stigma's off taking a tackle high but not plugging him in at LT right away. So I really, really hope that works again in 2014. Like the Rams, the Browns are in a very physical division and need to be able to run. With Matthews, Joe Thomas and Alex Mack on that line, they ought to be able to dictate some terms in the AFC North.

QB would make a ton of sense here, if you think a highly-drafted QB would ever survive in Cleveland. I say take Matthews, be pretty sure he's going to play forever, and build a wall that will stand a long time that you can put a lesser QB behind.

Liberty Voice

5. Oakland - Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson

This pick's probably up for grabs. Oakland needs to amass picks this year more than they need to pick an arguably undersized receiver, at least for this high in the draft, and YES, I realize we're a whole three picks away from where the Rams took Tavon Austin last year. Many talk about Detroit trading up for Watkins even though they already have Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, which I thought was one of this year's very best free-agent signings. Oakland does need a downfield threat badly, and they do love their stopwatches out there, so they could easily keep Watkins for themselves.

If Watkins were 6'4", I'd be screaming the Rams HAVE to take him #2. But he's not. He's 6'1", he didn't really wow at the Combine except for his 40, and the Sports Illustrated that was just out talks about the trouble he's going to have gaining separation in the pros. Ray Sherman isn't going to coach him (or any other WR, frankly) up out of that.

Detroit Free-Press

6. Atlanta - Taylor Lewan, T, Michigan

 That is, if this pick is still Atlanta's. If it's Houston, this will be Johnny Manziel. If Houston took a QB at #1, it would be a no-brainer for the Rams to trade down to here, or just take Clowney #2 if there's no decent offer. A QB going first would set some dominoes in motion, and there'd be a good chance of Matthews or even Robinson slipping to this spot, with Watkins as the consolation prize.

Lewan would be fast friends with Jake Long but isn't the mauling run blocker I expect the Rams will favor. I doubt they would take him here. At the same time, Lewan put on a Lane Johnson-like show at the Combine and comes from one of the great offensive line factories. Atlanta's most massive need is to improve their pass rush, but with the top two rushers long gone, they'll have to concentrate on their equally big need on the other side of the ball. If they stay here. Maybe it'll be the Rams trading UP with the Falcons to get this next player?

Baltimore Sun

7. Tampa Bay - Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M

Aaron Donald's the prototypical Lovie Smith DT, but upon further review, the Bucs are young and deep at his position, while having mostly dreck at WR after Vincent Jackson. Evans is far from a reach here, and while I still can't believe the Bucs are planning to go with Josh McCown as their starter, he did thrive pretty well last year throwing to two big WRs.

Picks 8 thru 12 on the way...

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RamView Accu-Draft 2014: Pick #2: Rams

USA Today

Greg Robinson, T, Auburn.

If Clowney does go off the board first, I see the Rams as kind of stuck at #2, where they'll turn the pick they STOLE from Washington in the RGIII trade for an offensive lineman. An offensive lineman? JEFF FISHER NEVER DRAFTS OFFENSIVE LINEMEN IN THE FIRST ROUND. Well, I say, if the Undertaker can lose at Wrestlemania, then Fisher can take an o-lineman in the first this year. Except I think the Rams are going to take the wrong one.

RamView's pick at #2 would be Jake Matthews, a dominating run-blocker and the most accomplished pass-blocker in this draft. He's got an NFL bloodline beyond compare. He can play any position on the line and showed often the agility and field awareness to maintain a pocket while Johnny Manziel ran around on epic scrambles. What Matthews really only lacks is Robinson's hyped upside.

Now, mind you, Robinson is 6'5" 332 with the feet of Maksim Chmerkovskiy. He's a dominant, mauling run-blocker, considered the best in the draft at it by most. Auburn's system didn't call on him to be much of a pass-blocker, but with the lightness of foot and physical skills he displayed on the field and at the Combine, he's a player most believe can be coached up into a long-term franchise left tackle.

Since Robinson's often painted as the physical mauler with major upside, and Matthews is painted more as the "technician", Robinson looks like the best fit for what the Rams want to do. They play in the most physical division in the league and have to be able to establish the run in division games. Instead, in most of last year's division games, they got dominated up front. The 2014 Rams would likely start Robinson at left guard and use him to try to steam-roll opponents, and in 2-3 seasons, kick him out to left tackle where he can live up to all that potential.

It's all well and good, and it may even work. I sure hope it does if it comes to pass. It gets highly risky, though, to put the immobile, fragile Bradford behind a lineman who doesn't know how to pass-block. Robinson has not impressed RamView as a blocker who finishes his blocks. And the Rams have taken a great athlete whose college system did not prepare him to be an NFL tackle recently: 2009, Jason Smith, also #2 overall. Too many eerie parallels there for me.

Ultimately, I feel this is a replay of the Chris Long/Glenn Dorsey debate of 2008. Long was the safe pick who was as good as he was ever going to be. Dorsey was the player with all the upside. The Rams didn't go wrong with Long then; they wouldn't go wrong with Matthews now. I hope they don't go wrong if they do pick Robinson.

Up next: picks 3 thru 7.

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RamView Accu-Draft 2014: Pick #1: Houston

Sports Illustrated

Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina

I promise a strange, unpredictable draft every year, and 2014 is no exception, really, even though there's consensus what player's going to be picked first. The big question is what team is going to draft first.

Clowney is the best overall player in the draft, and he appears to have the kind of talent seen in a player only every decade or so. The Texans are justified to keep the #1 pick and take him. It looks silly - they need a QB much more than they need a pass-rusher who doesn't fit their system - but when you have the chance to get the rare player, you take the rare player. Right?

But since Clowney's not a great need fit for the Texans, they're almost as justified to trade out of this pick, which is my guess at this time. Atlanta seems the likeliest to pull this off. Detroit has also been rumored. (Clowney, Suh and Ziggy Ansah on the same d-line? Good night.) If nobody pulls it off, Houston's best move will be to take him for themselves. Either way, I don't see Clowney as a factor for the Rams.

And they're up next.

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