RamView Accu-Draft 2015: draft notes by position

QB

Rams outlook: The Rams bid farewell to the past in trading former face of the franchise Sam Bradford, but the future is right on their tails because replacement Nick Foles, like Bradford, is in the final year of his contract. They (unjustly, I believe) trust Austin Davis so little at QB2 that they actually traded a draft pick next year to get Case Keenum back from Houston. Why didn't they care enough to prevent Houston from claiming Keenum off the practice squad by promoting him to the main roster last year? This team has been in crying need of a developmental QB the whole Fisher era and it hasn't changed.

Sleeper: Even with Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota, this is one of the worst QB draft classes I've ever seen, so I won't go sleeper here, I'll go food coma and say Georgia QB Hutson Mason. He's not projected to be drafted, but at the Shrine Game, his deep ball was pretty and he showed good accuracy on all his other throws and eluded the rush well in the pocket. He's got more game than a lot of the QBs ranked ahead of him.

Please avoid: I'm not a Bryce Petty fan, but the QB I'm going to say to avoid is Sean Mannion of Oregon State. I'm just not that impressed with his accuracy, consistency or ability to throw on the move.

Favorite names: Gary Nova, Rutgers, though it seems like he should have played at a different school; Andrew Hendrix, Miami, who I hope will be picked up by a purple team.

RB

Rams outlook: The Rams should be set at RB. Tre Mason emerged as a score-from-anywhere weapon as a rookie and Benny Cunningham developed into close to a top-flight third-down back, to the point that Zac Stacy, who nearly ran for 1,000 yards as a rookie two years ago, found it near impossible to get any snaps. They have a special teams specialist here, too, Chase Reynolds. What they need to do, ahem, is trim down (read a little further).

Sleepers: It's a deep draft at RB. Lots of draftniks love big David Johnson of Northern Iowa and David Cobb of Minnesota. I liked Shrine Game star Dominique Brown (Louisville), another big back. Really upright runner but he didn't go down on first contact and showed some nice cutback ability.

Please avoid: Drafting a RB when you don't need one, and keeping a RB, Isaiah Pead, who you don't need and is only going to take reps away that the other young RBs need.

Favorite name: Zach Zenner, South Dakota State. How can you not like those initials? And he's even ZZ-topped by Penn State's Zack Zwinak.

WR

Rams outlook: The Rams could stand to add a legitimate deep threat or a big slot receiver in the draft but aren't likely to unless Amari Cooper or Kevin White slips to #10. They re-signed Kenny Britt, should have Brian Quick back from his devastating shoulder injury last year and will count on Frank Cignetti to make better use of Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey than Brian Schottenheimer could. Rams fans and Nick Foles alike will have to hope that's enough.

Sleepers: 2015's receiver class is nearly as good as 2014's. It's criminal as it is probable that the Rams are going to avoid drafting any receiver from either class. After the first round, I think Nelson Agholor (USC) can be every bit as productive as Cooper. The Rams don't need any more small receivers but I really like Tyler Lockett of Kansas State. For his size, he's strong against physical coverage and he has great moves to escape press coverage, very reminiscent of Steve Smith. Justin Hardy of East Carolina could be a poor man's Agholor, with deep speed, good hands and a wide catching range.

Please avoid: You probably already guessed Dorial Green-Beckham of Mizzou. But how can it be a good idea for the Rams to select him? He didn't play last year. He has two marijuana-related arrests and a domestic violence arrest on his rap sheet. He gets compared to Brandon Marshall and Plaxico Burress when I think the most apropos comparable player is Danario Alexander, who also benefited statistically from Mizzou's spread offense. The Rams can't afford a high-round draft miss in 2015, and DGB presents a lot of opportunity for just that.

Favorite name: DeAndre Smelter, Georgia Tech. Helter Smelter!

TE

Rams outlook: I'm not sure why they went to the trouble, but the Rams made sure to re-sign Lance Kendricks and keep the most disappointing TE group in the league together. Doubtful they make a move here.

Sleepers: SIU's MyCole Pruitt worked out for the Rams after “winning” the Combine at TE and is a very good receiver. Devin Mahina (BYU) would be a good cheap pickup for those looking for a blocking TE.

Please avoid: Blake Bell, Oklahoma. Another of those converted-QB projects.

Worst name: No offense to Jesse James of Penn State, but that name brings back some old bad Rams drafting memories. Also, “Maxx” Williams? That's a spelling I'd expect from a stripper.

OL

Rams outlook: Bleak. The Rams have two returning starters and a bunch of gaping holes to their right. Erstwhile starting center Tim Barnes has done nothing in the NFL but get pushed backward. Erstwhile starting guard Barrett Jones has done nothing in the NFL but be injured. Garrett Reynolds, who I guess would be the erstwhile starting tackle, has done little in the NFL but get beaten. I kind of think they have Joe Barksdale in the fold but are keeping it under their hat to keep teams confused. And he hasn't been much to be excited about at RT. The Rams NEED to draft at least two o-linemen and wouldn't bother me if they drafted six. Pick them early and pick them often.

Sleepers: Max Garcia, Florida. Projects anywhere on the line and held his own against Danny Shelton at the Senior Bowl. Shaq Mason, Georgia Tech. A classic mauler in the Rams' supposed mode. Nick Easton, Harvard. Best player at the (admittedly low-rent) NFLPA game. Arie Kouandjio, Alabama. Took coaching really well at the Senior Bowl. Looked like a dominant player 1-on-1 by the end of the week and was a major run-mauler 11-on-11. Jamon Miller, Louisville. Blocked so well at the Shrine Game that it was noticeable when he was off the field.

Please avoid: Senior Bowl week on TV, all I noticed of Reese Dismukes was him getting blown off the ball at center like he's Tim Barnes. But he played at AUBURN, so he's probably the top center on Les Snead's board. All I noticed of B.J. Finney (Kansas State) at the Shrine Game was how he sprayed shotgun snaps around like Scott Wells. The Rams need to IMPROVE on what they had at center last year, not repeat it. Pitt tackle T.J. Clemmings looked an absolute mess during practice week at Mobile. He is much too raw for the Rams to draft and expect to make into a starter quickly. He's said to be an outstanding athlete, so he'll cost a high pick. The Rams can't afford it.

Favorite name: I don't know what's more awesome about Oregon center Hroniss Grasu, his name, or that his father was a stuntman.

DL

Rams outlook: Sack City got even richer before the draft. The Rams should have Chris Long back at full health and upgraded their tackle rotation by signing Nick Fairley to replace Kendall Langford. By simplifying the stupidly over-complicated defense from last season, Gregg Williams should have this unit primed in 2015 to live up to the reputation it had coming into 2014. If any team in the NFL can afford to stand pat at any unit, you'd think the Rams defensive line would be the one.

Sleepers: Gabe Wright, DT, Auburn. Strong and explosive, though I'm not sure if the big push he's getting from the NFL Network analysts is a good thing. Leterrius Walton, DT, Central Michigan. Very good get-off that I'm sure has drawn him some Aaron Donald comparisons. Henry Anderson, DE, Stanford. At 6'6”, you figure he'd knock down passes for you, and he showed decent inside rush ability at the Senior Bowl. Lynden Trail of Norfolk State could be a very intriguing player in a Ram uniform, an athletic freak who worked out in Mobile at DE, LB AND TE.

Please avoid: Can we avoid drafting anyone who plays defensive line? Seriously? With the Rams' paltry six picks and an offensive line they couldn't seriously field for a game right now, they can't afford to mess around with shiny pass-rushing toys who wouldn't even start. Besides, this staff has been pretty brilliant at turning undrafted free agents into quality pass rushers. Sign someone like Zack Wagenmann of Montana or Marcus Rush of Michigan State and see what Mike Waufle, Frank Bush and Gregg Williams can do with him.

Favorite name: We've got the makings for a decent classic rock tour with Steve Miller (Ohio State) and Christian Ringo (La-Lafayette). But let's not overlook Konrad Zagzebski (Wisconsin) or Beau Yapp (Hawaii), and certainly not Shrine Game favorites Za'Darius Smith (Kentucky) and Anthony Chickillo (Miami).

LB

Rams outlook: The Rams seem plenty set at LB. James Laurinaitis and Alec Ogletree will get most of the reps. They've added free agent Akeem Ayers as an ostensible pass-rushing SLB and keep Jo-Lonn Dunbar as a run-defense specialist. They can probably add a player for depth here, but it's not like Daren Bates and Will Herring haven't been worth their roster spots on special teams.

Sleeper: Deiontrez Mount, Louisville. The draftnik in me was jacked to hear the Rams had Mount in for a top-30 visit. He looked flawless at the Shrine Game. He tackled well and set a good edge against the run, and in coverage, he glued himself to the TEs off the line and kept tight coverage downfield.

Please avoid: Hayes Pullard, USC. Very good straight-line speed but I thought he got faked out of his jock a lot Senior Bowl week.

Favorite name: How can you tell UCLA's Owa Odighizuwa is good? Every analyst I've heard has been very careful to pronounce his name correctly. But let's also throw some awesome name love to Jermauria Rasco (LSU), Hau'Oli Kikaha (Washington), Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil (Maryland), Chi Chi Ariguzo (Northwestern), and Mount, mainly because Nolan Nawrocki's 2015 Draft Preview lists him as “Mount Deiontrez”.

DB

Rams outlook: Besides T.J. McDonald and E.J. Gaines, the Ram secondary stunk on ice last season, and I really wish they would have done anything in free agency to add a steady veteran leader. Instead we've got PRO BOWL ALTERNATE Janoris Jenkins, Trumaine Johnson, Mark Barron, Rodney McLeod and Lamarcus Joyner to fail to cover anybody and get burned repeatedly for long TDs. And the first two of those five are free agents after this season. Can this bunch of scatterbrains afford to get even younger? Can they afford not to?

Sleepers: Eric Rowe, CB, Utah; Ladarius Gunter, CB, Miami; Adrian Amos, SS, Penn State. For his size and speed alone, I'm surprised to see Rowe as far down the chart as he is. Smart player with really good patience. I thought Gunter's Senior Bowl drills on TV were terrific. He was almost unbeatable on end zone fade routes. Amos also had a strong week in Mobile, showing corner coverage skills at times. Read routes really well and stuck tight to receivers.

Please avoid: I've seen at least one mock draft send Marcus Peters to the Rams, probably because he had at least one failed drug test at Washington and a number of disciplinary run-ins before coach Chris Peterson finally kicked him off the team. Do the Rams really need to add that kind of element to their secondary? Has the risk paid off that big with Jenkins to repeat it? Also, is anybody else really suspicious of Byron Jones (Connecticut) having peaked as a football player with that insane Combine performance? That kind of thing seems to happen a lot, just saying.

Worst name: Jacorey Shepherd, Kansas. Again with the bad Rams drafting memories.

ST

Rams outlook: The Rams have a top-ten kick returner, a top-ten punt returner, a top-five punter and, if he keeps his head on straight, a weapon at placekicker. And they're all entering their third year in the league. Coverage units are also filled with really good young players. Special teams could well be the Rams' secret weapon in 2015. They don't need to do anything.

Sleepers: Marcus Murphy, Mizzou. SEC Special Teams Player of the Year, with 3 return TDs (7 career), would be a more-than-adequate replacement for Pead.

Please avoid: Once more with feeling, NEVER. DRAFT. A. KICKER.

Favorite name: Josh Lambo, Texas A&M. Really only one team he should play for. I mean Green Bay, wisenheimers.

The Bucs are on the clock!

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