Rams report, 6/15: Draft class signed

Associated Press

* For the third time under Jeff Fisher and Les Snead, the Rams announced the signing of all of their draft picks at the same time, on Thursday. All 11 draft picks signed four-year contracts, with the team getting a fifth-year option on first-round picks Greg Robinson and Aaron Donald. Turf Show Times has all the dollar amounts. Robinson's deal is for $21.3 million with a $13.8 million signing bonus; Donald signed for $10.1 million and $5.7 million.

Once again this year, I am nominating Roger Goodell for the Nobel Prize for getting rid of the obnoxious rookie holdout.

* Falcons get the Rams off the hook. In many eyes, by drafting Michael Sam, the Rams made themselves a dead-on lock to land HBO's cameras for Hard Knocks this summer (and force me to add HBO back to my TV bill). By way of keeping HBO out of Rams camp, and also shooting down Sam's unannounced pre-draft deal with Oprah to make a reality show about his effort to make the team, Fisher made the argument that Sam needs the opportunity to focus on football over TV cameras. The argument may have actually worked, as Atlanta, whose owner Arthur Blank has not met a camera he doesn't like, has volunteered for the show this year. The Falcons weren't obliged to be considered because they made the playoffs two years ago, and HBO lost a lot of juicy trash-talk footage when Sean Weatherspoon tore one of his Achilles tendons in OTAs, but hey, who's not up for six weeks of the magnetizing charisma of Mike Smith? RamView hopes Steven Jackson will at least get a lot of screen time (though it won't be enough to make me re-subscribe to HBO).

StLouisRams.com

* OTAs: Maurice Alexander has continued to sit out all OTA sessions. Thanks to Jim Thomas' reporting, we now know the reason - he had one of his knees scoped. Also missing multiple practices this week: Michael Brockers (sprained ankle), Sammy Brown (unknown), Christian Bryant (probably ankle), Matt Daniels (probably knee), William Hayes (probably knee), Jake Long (knee), Chase Reynolds (unknown), Jamaine Sherman (unknown).

If anything there's making me go uh-oh, it's hearing that Brockers has a sprained ankle. His rookie season was stalled significantly by an ankle sprain (resulting from a cheap shot in a preseason game), and he's poised to have a breakout season this year. I hope this is a minor injury.

Sam Bradford got a lot of action in Thursday's practice and had two TD passes, but was also pick-sixed by Janoris Jenkins. All signs appear to be go for Bradford physically, though.

Four more OTAs for the Rams next week; after that, we hope not to hear much from them (especially Kenny Britt) until training camp opens, I expect with rookies reporting on July 23rd or 24th. First open practice seems likely to be the 26th. I'm planning to be there, but I'm going to Chicago the next day so my first training camp report may not be out very quick. Surprise, surprise.

CBS

* Rams alumni report:
- Trent Green will replace Dan Dierdorf as Greg Gumbel's broadcast partner for games on CBS. To my knowledge, Trent started as color commentator on Rams preseason games (2009) before making the move up to the network. (Not that long ago you would not have watched a Rams preseason game ever expecting anyone from the booth to become a network analyst.) I'm not sure who CBS considers their #2 team now that Dierdorf's retired, but Green's impressed me as a solid analyst worthy of that kind of status. Good luck to him in the booth.

This just in: Trent Green has caught strep throat from a chance encounter with Rodney Harrison and is out for the season. Gumbel has vowed to rally behind Green's replacement, Kurt Warner, and announce good football.

- I think we now know why the Rams cut Daryl Richardson. He wasn't a waived/injured release from the Rams, but D-Rich has sat out OTAs with the Jets because of the toe injury that pretty much wrecked his 2013 season. Richardson would have been hard-pressed just to make RB4 here, let alone do it while still coming off the injury.

- In what may be the final RamView Gentleman Kris Adams update, the former Rams practice squad WR was waived/injured by the Giants. Adams is trying to come back from breaking his left ankle in a preseason game against the Steelers last year.

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