Rams draft profile (3rd round, pick #89): Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State

CBS Sports

Sean Mannion, 6'5.5" 229
QB, Oregon State

Rankings
NFLDraftScout: #107 player overall, #6 quarterback. 3rd-4th round grade.
Nawrocki: #126 player overall, #5 QB. Grade: 5.32, 4th-5th round pick, should make a roster and contribute on special teams.Well, I dunno about that last part.
Mayock: Not rated in top 100 players, which included 4 QBs.
Kiper: #91 player overall, #6 QB.
Draft Countdown: #136 player overall, #6 QB. Mid-round grade.
Sports Illustrated: #140 player overall, #6 QB.
Scouts Inc: #108 player overall, #4 QB. Grade: 68, good to solid prospect.
Just about all of these analysts had Brett Hundley and Bryce Petty ahead of Mannion.

Biography/Honors
2014: Honorable mention all-Pac 12. Team captain. Started all 12 games. 282-453 (62.3%) for 3,164 yards (7.0 ypc), 15 TDs and 8 INTs. Won the Air-it-Out Challenge at the 2014 Manning Passing Academy. Finished career with 18 school passing records.
2013: Honorable mention all-Pac 12. Team captain. Started all 13 games. 400-603 (62.3%) for 4,662 yards (7.7 ypc), 37 TDs and 15 INTs. Second in the nation in yards, 4th in TDs. Yards set a conference record, TDs set a school record. Seven games of 350 yards or more.
2012: Started 8 games. First sophomore team captain in team history. 200-309 (64.7%) for 2,446 yards (7.9 ypc), 15 TDs and 13 INTs. Benched for final three games after throwing 4 INTs vs. Washington.
2011: Played in 12 games, starting 10. 305-473 (64.5%) for 3,328 yards (10.9 ypc), 16 TDs and 18 INTs.
2010: Redshirted.

Academics: Graduated with degree in liberal studies in December and is pursuing his master's in interdisciplinary studies with options in sociology, political science and history. Three-time Pac-12 Academic Honorable Mention.
Twitter: @seanmannion4

Injuries

2012: Missed two games due to torn left meniscus that required arthroscopic surgery.
  
NFL Combine Stats
(2015 Combine averages for QBs in parentheses)

40-yard dash: 5.14 (Slowest QB at Combine. Average was 4.80) 
10-yard split: 1.87
Vertical: 31" (32.5")
Broad: 8'9" (9'6")
3-cone: 7.30 (Tied for 2nd-worst. Average was 7.11)
Shuttle: 4.39 (4.28)


Scouting Report
Pluses: Prototype size for the position. Very experienced QB in a pro-style offense where he worked from underneath center. Reads the defense well prior to the snap. Knows where his protection is and where his hot reads are. Stands tall in the pocket. Pure pocket passer. Good pocket awareness, keeps his eyes downfield well. Doesn't get many passes batted down, SAM BRADFORD. Very good arm strength and clean footwork. Very accurate thrower when his feet are set. Can make all the throws. Very good at throwing receivers open deep. Throws a very catchable, accurate deep ball, always gives his receiver a chance. Has major upside if he cleans up his lower-body mechanics. Has shortened his previously long, over-the-top delivery, a big reason the Rams took him after witnessing a private workout at OSU. Respected team leader (first three-time captain in school history) with calm, cool playing temperament. Very intelligent on and off field. Coach let him make his own reads and make audibles. Very hard worker who has the key to both the gym and the film room. Father John is a high school coach (but I don't think he coached Sean, at least not at his current school).

Minuses: Needs to put on some muscle. Has small hands and does not throw a consistently tight spiral. Just-average athletically. Doesn't process the defensive scheme well after the snap. If he read them wrong before the snap, he's toast. Falls apart under pressure. Doesn't step into his throws. Will take a hit but bails out and makes too many back-footed throws under pressure. Throws pretty poorly on the move. Tends to lock onto his primary target and telegraph passes. Takes too many chances forcing passes into coverage. Takes too long to scan the field, holds the ball too long, needs to speed up internal clock. Will have to time his throws better against NFL DBs. Limited mobility, stiff runner who's not a threat to scramble. With his hands and tendency to force passes, ball security will be a significant issue. Carries ball too low when he runs. Committed 84 turnovers in his college career, 30 fumbles. Needs to be more of a vocal, take-charge leader.

Compares to: Matt Ryan as a junior, but Mike Glennon as a senior. 

Fun Facts
Sean's Oregon State bio claims he is contemplating a career as a fire fighter. Besides QB, he played center in high school. That would be in basketball. He also pitched for two seasons for the baseball team. Sean roomed for a year at OSU with... Johnny Hekker.

RamView
I like that the Rams finally spent a meaningful draft pick on a QB with long-term starting potential and more upside than the current backups. And I very much appreciate they got a QB who's run a real, adult, pro-style offense. I had Grayson as the #3 QB, and should have had Mannion 4th based on this. He was the best QB to take. The Rams filled a need the best way they could. Now, he's got a lot of flaws, and it seems like with as much as he's played, a lot of them are burned in. It's also more than fair to note that a big part of his junior-senior dropoff came from Brandin Cooks going pro and OSU having nothing left at wideout. I wasn't big on what I saw of Sean at the Senior Bowl. Too erratic, too inconsistent on the sideline routes that most demand a strong, accurate arm. But you make this pick, and you pick a QB like Sean, to develop him for the future. He may step into a situation where he's got improving receivers and a gelling offensive line around him, and if Chris Weinke does his job as QB coach, Mannion's a lot more like the junior QB who would have been a first-round pick than the QB who struggled a lot more as a senior. It's not a win-now pick, but it's a pick this franchise has been overdue to make. I can talk myself into liking this pick now.

Sources: Oregon State Athletics, NFL.com

Rams draft profile (3rd round, pick 72): Jamon Brown, G, Louisville

NFL.com

Jamon Brown, 6'3.5" 323
T/G, Louisville

Rankings
NFLDraftScout: #264 player overall, #22 tackle. 7th round-free agent grade. Yikes.
Nawrocki: #14 tackle. Not rated in top 150 players. Grade: 5.26, should make a roster and contribute on special teams. At the same time, Nawrocki grades him as a 4th-5th round pick.
Mayock: Not rated in top 100 players.
Kiper: #281 (holy cats!) player overall, #14 guard.
Draft Countdown: #164 player overall, #10 guard. Late-round / free agent grade.
Sports Illustrated: #247 player overall, #20 tackle.
Scouts Inc: #192 player overall, #18 tackle. Grade: 48, borderline to adequate prospect. 

Biography/Honors
2014: Started all 13 games at left tackle.
2013: First team all-AAC. Started all 13 games at left tackle.
2012: Started all 13 games at right tackle.
2011: Appeared in one game at defensive tackle and eight on the offensive line, with two starts at left guard. (Louisville's website says one.)

Academics: Graduated with degree in justice administration (insert Law and Order sound effect here).
Twitter: @NFLBOUND_jBrown

Injuries

2015: Strained pectoral (or, in Missouri, pectoreal) muscle during warmups at the Combine.
  
Pro Day Stats
(Brown did not work out at the NFL Combine due to pectoral injury. Combine averages for guards in parentheses)

40-yard dash: 5.08 (Faster than every guard and all but three tackles. Guard average was 5.36)
10-yard split: 1.74
Vertical: 28" (27")
Broad: 8'7" (8'3")
3-cone: 7.36 (Faster than every guard. Average was 8.00)
Shuttle: 4.61 (Faster than every guard but one. Average was 4.79)
Bench: DNP (26)

Scouting Report
Pluses: Outstanding girth and very good arm length. Strong, can lock down and mash defenders in tight areas. Weightlifter with strong hands and lower body. Gets out of stance quicker than expected and has quick first step. Flashes dominant play as a run-blocker. Will toy with defenders he gets his hands on. Has athleticism to be an effective pull-blocker (especially at guard) and push pass-rushers past the pocket. Ten-dollar cab ride for speed rushers to navigate. Anchors well in pass pro, which should serve him especially well at guard. Versatile and durable.

Minuses: Heavy and needs to improve conditioning. Tends to get fatigued and play too upright. Occasionally late off the snap. Gets gassed late in games and doesn't wear down defenders over the course of a game. Limited agility, change of direction, body control. Heavy-footed. Struggles with quickness and inside moves. Drops his hands. Needs to improve at sinking his hips and staying square. Struggles to adjust to second level and needs better awareness of blitzes and stunts. Needs to improve at leverage and sustaining and finishing blocks. Overextends in pass pro and gets off-balance. Not suited for a zone scheme. Still learning the hard work it takes to be a pro.

Compares to: Adam Snyder, Dallas Thomas

Fun Facts
Jamon is an accomplished singer. He was a competitive powerlifter in high school. He dropped close to 30 pounds prior to his senior season at Louisville, which meant fewer breakfasts at his favorite diner near campus, the awesomely-named Burger Boy. Stay away from Goody Goody's in St. Louis, then.

RamView
By the analyst rankings, Brown makes it two straight run-maulers drafted by the Rams at least a round early. As Mike Mayock likes to say, though, I'd "pound the table" for Brown based on his terrific, dominant Shrine Game performance. Of course, he was helped a lot there by not having to play every drive. Guard's the right spot for him in the pros and mitigates a lot of his minuses at tackle, but I'd argue he's even a better tackle than Rams second-round pick Rob Havenstein. In the Shrine Game he was a bulldozer in the running game and a wall in the passing game. DEs weren't even getting across the line of scrimmage on him. I'm more enthusiastic about Brown than the pro draftniks, but I still wouldn't have taken him before the fourth round. But having claimed to be a power running team for three years and mainly failing at it, it's about time the Rams accumulated some players who can actually back those claims up.

Sources: University of Louisville athletics, Louisville Courier-Journal

Rams draft profile (2nd round): Rob Havenstein, T, Wisconsin

Fox Sports

Rob Havenstein, 6'7.5" 321
T, Wisconsin

Rankings
NFLDraftScout: #114 player overall, #12 tackle. 3rd-4th round grade.
Nawrocki: #16 tackle. Not rated in top 150 players. Grade: 5.26, should make a roster and contribute on special teams. Ouch. But he's projected as a 4th-5th rounder despite this ranking.
Mayock: Not rated in top 100 players.
Kiper: #215 player overall, #14 tackle.
Draft Countdown: #138 player overall, #16 tackle. Mid-round grade.
Sports Illustrated: #112 player overall, #12 tackle.
Scouts Inc: #102 player overall, #12 tackle. Grade: 69, good to solid prospect. 

Biography/Honors
2014: First team all-Big "10". Team captain. Started all 14 games at right tackle. Wisconsin rushed for 320 yards per game (3rd in nation) and shattered its record for yards per rush (6.91). The line allowed less than a sack per game. Wisconsin had a 2,500-yard rusher (Melvin Gordon), a 644-yard rushing game against Bowling Green and a 581-yard rushing game against Nebraska.
2013: Second team all-Big "10". Started all 13 games at right tackle. Wisconsin set school records for total yards, rushing yards and yards per rush (6.62)
2012: Started all 14 games at right tackle.
2011: Appeared in 13 games with one start at right tackle.
2010: Redshirted.

Academics: Graduated with degree in life sciences communication. No, that's not talking to animals like I hoped; it sounds like it's journalism with an emphasis on scientific topics like health and the environment.
Twitter: @RobBigDaddy78. I think. Rob's on at least his third different Twitter handle.

Injuries

2011: Had right labrum repaired prior to season.
2010: Arrived on campus weighing 380 pounds. Had surgery on left labrum and left knee surgery (meniscus and MCL) that summer.
  
NFL Combine Stats
(2015 NFL Combine averages for tackles in parentheses)

40-yard dash: 5.46 (5.27)
10-yard split: 1.88
Vertical: 28.5" (29")
Broad: 8'0 (8'7")
3-cone: 8.28 (Worst at Combine. Average tackle ran 7.86)
Shuttle: 4.87 (4.70)
Bench: 16 (Worst at Combine. Average was 25)

Scouting Report
Pluses: Nasty mauler with rare size and reach who dominates defenders in the running game when he gets his hands on them. Finishes his blocks. Very good technician, plays with very good leverage and positioning. Very good functional strength. Good drive blocker. Showed a strong power step in one-on-one drills at the Senior Bowl, and at right tackle, was adept at shutting off inside rush attempts. Much better football player than athlete. Finds a way to get the job done. Quick hands and surprisingly quick feet, which are the key to his game. Committed no holding penalties in 2014. Wins with intelligence, toughness and angles.

Minuses: Limited athletically. Just average recovery speed. Plays too tall, flat-footed and stiff-legged. Not a natural bender. Gets outleveraged and put on the ground too often. Overextends at times. Slow getting to the second level. Limited blocking range. Doesn't get out well on sweeps. Doesn't move well to his right. Got beaten inside and outside at LT at the Senior Bowl. Has problems with speed rushers and gives them too much ground. Doesn't mirror well. Inconsistent at recognizing blitzes. Unsuited for zone blocking. Motor and mean streak are inconsistent. Will be a right tackle only and his shoulder injury history is a significant concern.

Compares to: Phil Loadholdt

Fun Facts
Rob blocked for three of the top five rushers in Wisconsin history: James White, Montee Ball and Melvin Gordon, all of whom had 1,000-yard seasons. Along with football, he played basketball, soccer and lacrosse in middle and high school. As a redshirt freshman on Wisconsin's scout team, Rob had the chore every day of going up against J.J. Watt. He says his weight got as high as it did because he didn't realize his high school's scale only went up to 340 and he thought he wasn't gaining any weight.

RamView
A mauling run-blocker, Havenstein was a good player for the Rams to pick. He fits what they want to do and his run-blocking and excellent footwork no doubt showed well on game tape and put him high on their draft board. His lack of athleticism and subpar Combine, much easier and quicker things for draftniks to see and process, put him low on theirs. No one had him in their top 100. It's been hard to go wrong with Wisconsin linemen in the draft over the years, but unless you tell me that Havenstein is an all-time elite run-blocker, the Rams reached by at least a round here. They unquestionably filled a need but paid too much for the player they got.

Sources: University of Wisconsin, Frederick (Md.) News-Post

Rams draft Sean Mannion in 3rd round

It only took Les Snead and Jeff Fisher three years to draft a young QB with long-term starter upside, aka "QB of the future", and it's Oregon State QB Sean Mannion. I'm not a big fan from what I saw of Mannion Senior Bowl week. Pretty erratic accuracy, didn't throw well on the move. But the Rams finally have a young QB with upside in the wings in case the starter goes down or flees in free agency. It's a smart move even though I probably would have gone with Brett Hundley.

I'm not a big fan of the Rams' draft so far. A luxury pick RB, two extensive reaches for mauling run-blockers and a so-so college QB. To their credit, though, they're staying true to who they are and have filled needs while staying away from drafting criminals. Let me get cracking on profiles and see if I can find some things to further change my mindset.

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Rams draft Jamon Brown in third round

Finally, the Rams are on my wavelength, drafting one of my favorite players from the East-West Shrine Game, possibly the best player there. He played at tackle there but is likely to be a guard here. If they still scoop up a backup QB or a WR at 89, this draft is starting to pick up a little shine.

My like for this pick should not cover up that the analysts think this is also a major reach. Brown's not in Mayock's top 100, not in Nawrocki's top 150, rated 247 by Sports Illustrated and 281 by Mel Kiper. I'd argue those are bad ratings for Brown, but I didn't expect him to be drafted before the 4th round myself.

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Rams draft Rob Havenstein in 2nd round

I've got to research Havenstein for myself, but he's not in Mayock's top 100 or Nolan Nawrocki's top 150 and looks like an awful reach. Did T.J. Clemmings' foot fall off? The Rams passed on several high-quality guards and centers to pick a player with a 3rd or 4th-round grade; let's hope one of them lasts to pick 72.

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Rams trade 2nd-round pick...

...and make a pretty nice deal in the process. For #42 overall, they get Carolina's 2nd (57), 3rd (89) and 6th-round (201) picks.

The Rams now have pick 2/57, 3/72, 3/89, 4/119, 6/201, 6/215 and 7/227.

Nice deal, sort of the kind of deal I wish they'd have done last night. Let's see if 57 is a center or a QB, that seemed to be the sweet spot for the 2nd tier (Marpet, Grasu, Hundley, Grayson, Petty) at those positions in most mock drafts.

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