Mock draft-a-palooza! 2015

Befitting of the "expertise" of your typical professional mock drafter, there is very little consensus on which player the Rams will select with the #10 pick overall next Thursday night. In this year's mock draft roundup, we've got the Rams taking four different wide receivers, four different offensive linemen, or maybe a QB.

ESPN:
Mel Kiper: Breshad Perriman, WR, Central Florida
Todd McShay: Kevin White, WR, West Virginia

Winston, Mariota, White, Cooper AND Scherff are all off the board before the Rams pick in Kiper's most recent mock. He doesn't have a second offensive lineman picked until 23 (La'el Collins) and Andrus Peat's barely a first-rounder, picked at 29. That's the nightmare scenario for Rams fans, Jeff Fisher staring at a bunch of defensive linemen at #10.

NFL Network / NFL.com:
Bucky Brooks: Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon
Charles Davis: DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
Daniel Jeremiah: Brandon Scherff, G, Iowa
Lance Zeirlein: Andrus Peat, T, Stanford

NFL.com 7-round mock:
10 - Peat
41 - Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor.  I much prefer Garrett Grayson or Brett Hundley.
72 - Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon
119 - Jamon Brown, G, Louisville
215 - Gavin Lutman, WR, Pittsburg State
227 - Josh Harper, WR, Fresno State

CBSSports.com:
Will Brinson: Brandon Scherff
Dane Brugler: Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama
Pete Prisco: DeVante Parker
Rob Rang: Ereck Flowers, T, Miami

FoxSports.com:
Peter Schrager has the Rams trading up to #4 to draft Mariota, then take Utah CB Eric Rowe at 41. Good thing they don't need any blockers or anything! 

STLToday: Jim Thomas has the Rams drafting Peat.

Ourlads: Amari Cooper
Sporting News: Cooper

Sports Illustrated draft preview issue
10 - La'el Collins, T, LSU
41 - A.J. Cann, G, South Carolina

SI writer Chris Burke really bothers me calling #10 a choice between La'el Collins and... Alabama safety Landon Collins?!?!? What in the blue hell gives him that idea? The top 2 QBs, top 3 WRs and Scherff all go in his top 9.

DraftCountdown.com:
10 - Scherff
41 - Cann
72 - Petty

Walter Football 6-round mock:
10 - Flowers
41 - Marcus Peters, CB, Washington. Ugh
72 - Cann
119 - Ramik Wilson, LB, Georgia
215 - Titus Davis, WR, Central Michigan

Rotoworld 7-round mock:
10 - La'el Collins
41 - Bernardrick McKinney, LB, Mississippi State
72 - Kenny Bell, WR, Nebraska
119 - Garrett Grayson, QB, Colorado State
215 - Cedric Reed, DE/LB, Texas
227 - Trenton Brown, G, Florida 

Drafttek 7-round mock:
10 - Scherff
41 - Nelson Agholor, WR, USC
72 - Petty
119 - Marcus Hardison, DT, Arizona State
215 - Greg Mancz, C, Toledo
227 - Matt Jones, RB, Florida

RamView is on the mock clock!

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The draft night plan

One week till draft night - never too early to put out RamView's draft priorities.

Preferences at #10:
1. First and foremost, don't trade up. I don't see any need worth the draft pick expense in a year they're already short draft picks because they overpaid for Mark Barron.
2. Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston if either drops. Note to Les Snead: that would be a "quarterback of the future" opportunity, since you've apparently never heard of one. I have little doubt Tampa will draft one of the two, and little doubt that it's Winston. Tennessee, Washington, the Jets and even Chicago all have reasonably logical interest in a QB, and Cleveland is a prime candidate to trade up. I don't know who'll take Mariota, but he seems doubtful to get to #10. Just noting here that he shouldn't fall past it. I would have taken either had the Rams kept Sam Bradford; Nick Foles, (also) in his walk year, doesn't change my mind any.
3. Amari Cooper or Kevin White. Oakland is a strong candidate to take one. Many mock drafts have the other going to Chicago. If either falls to 10, the Rams have absolutely no excuse not to take him, even having signed Kenny Britt. Britt is not as effective as a big slot receiver as Cooper would be, and he's not the deep threat either Cooper or White would be. Thanks to last year's injury, we still have little idea what the Rams have in Brian Quick, though he looks promising. Cooper or White would give the Rams a legitimate deep threat and a quality big receiver who can play in the slot, allowing Frank Cignetti to really mix up his pass packages, going small with Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey and going large with Quick and the rookie, especially in the red zone.
4. Trade down. The Rams aren't so deep that they can complacently disregard the idea of accumulating picks. Heck, they're short next weekend because of the Barron trade anyway. They need three starting offensive linemen, probably depth at tackle beyond that, at least one quality receiver and a developmental QB. Plus, with next year's free agency in mind, defensive line depth and cornerback depth are on the shopping list, not like their bungling secondary exactly needs to get younger. A lot of folks say the Rams need to take quality over quantity, meaning don't trade down. I don't think their roster has the quality to make quantity a luxury.
5. Offensive line. Keeping in mind that preferences 1 thru 3 are very unlikely, Brandon Scherff and Andrus Peat would represent decent value at #10. I'm ignoring the scent of Jason Smith about Peat and saying he's my guy. Unlike Scherff, Peat's an NFL-ready tackle from day 1 and has a clean injury record. Unlike Jason Smith, Peat will enter the pros with experience in an actual pro-style offense. Scherff and La'el Collins sound like excellent fits, and the Rams were seconds from drafting Zack Martin from a similar draft position last year, so neither of them will be a surprise at all. But they need a true tackle, and you can get quality guards later in the draft.
6. Slap Jeff Fisher, because in this scenario, he'd be ignoring offensive line to take a defensive player who wouldn't even have a starting spot.

It won't bother me if the Rams use every pick on offensive linemen next weekend. Two of their first three picks could be and probably should be o-line. They've obviously worked out some QBs, the top WRs and some front-seven players on defense as well, but I wouldn't break up the big ugly train unless an outstanding value lands in their lap. Which has been known to happen on draft night.

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RamView draft profile: Brandon Scherff, T, Iowa

Sports Illustrated

Brandon Scherff, 6'5" 319
T, Iowa

Rankings
NFLDraftScout: #8 player overall, #1 tackle. First-round grade.
Nawrocki: #9 player overall, #1 tackle. Grade: 6.52, sure-fire first-rounder who should make an immediate impact.
Mayock: TBA
Kiper: TBA
Draft Countdown: #5 player overall, #1 tackle. First-round grade.
Sports Illustrated: #8 player overall, #1 tackle.
Scouts Inc: #7 player overall, #1 tackle. Grade: 93, rare prospect.

Biography/Honors
2014: Outland Trophy winner (best lineman in the nation) and unanimous first team all-America. Won what should be called just the Pace Trophy as the best offensive lineman in the Big "Ten". First team all-Big "Ten". Was voted team MVP and permanent team captain. Started all 13 games at left tackle. Iowa had 400+ yards total offense in at least eight games and ran for over 300 against Illinois.
2013: First team all-Big "Ten". Started all 13 games at left tackle. Voted team's most valuable offensive player.
2012: Started 7 games at left tackle.
2011: Appeared in 10 games, starting 3, all at left guard.
2010: Redshirted.

Academics: Graduated with degree in leisure studies.
Twitter: @bscherff68

Injuries

2015: Pulled right hamstring running the 40 at the NFL Combine. Did not participate in any other on-field activities.
2014: Injured knee against Ball State but "had a procedure" on it the next day and did not miss the next game.
2012: Missed last five games due to a fractured right leg (fibula) and dislocated ankle. Started 2013 season on time with no issues.
2011: Missed two games due to stingers.

NFL Combine Stats
(2015 averages for tackles in parentheses)

40-yard dash: 5.05 (3rd-fastest time at tackle. Average was 5.27)
10-yard split: 1.80
Vertical*: 32.5" (would have tied him for 2nd at Combine. Average was 29")
Broad*: 8'11" (8'6")
3-cone*: 7.18 (would have been fastest tackle at Combine. Average was 7.86)
Shuttle*: 4.57 (4.70)
Bench: 23 (25)

* Pro day times. Brandon did not do these drills at the Combine due to a hamstring pull running the 40.

Scouting Report
Pluses: A born superathlete. Extremely powerful hips and lower body. Has very sturdy frame and huge hands, biggest at the Combine. Dominating run blocker known for nasty finishes. Will knock defenders on their butts or drive them clear to the sideline. Plays with excellent technique. Stance, balance, movement and punch are all textbook. Nice handwork, can knock a defender's hands down and then knock him down. Consistently gets push and rarely lets defenders set the edge. Very good pull blocker who takes good angles and locates his targets well. Excellent player in space, gets out well to second and third levels. Outstanding character on and off the field and has more than enough football IQ to learn a complex playbook. Good at recognizing line games and delayed blitzes. Can play in any blocking scheme. Comes from a program with a history of producing quality NFL linemen, especially guards. Team strength coach called him the most explosive player he's seen in 16 years there. Regarded as the best and toughest o-lineman in the draft by many scouts. Nawrocki believes he can be a Pro Bowl guard as a rookie. One of the best run-blockers to come out of college in a long time. Can't-miss pick.

Minuses: Shorter-than-ideal arm length may kick him inside to guard full-time in the NFL. May not have quick enough feet to keep up with NFL speed rushers. His lateral movement will also be a weakness in pass pro. Struggles at times to get outside and get leverage. Sets too high when pass protecting. Lets defenders get into him. Overreliant on his upper body strength at times. Has some lower body stiffness. Injury history is a concern.
 
Compares to: Scherff is very commonly compared to Zack Martin, which is much better than Sports Illustrated's unfortunate choice of Jake Long.

Fun Facts
Too bad Brandon isn't a more versatile athlete. Besides the sterling college football career, he was a two-way player in high school, playing offensive line, defensive line, receiver and (280-lb) QB. He also lettered in basketball (averaged a double-double). And he also pitched for the baseball team, clocking an 85-mph fastball. And won a state championship in the shot put and came in fifth in discus. Oh, and he also played tennis. Who wouldn't pay to watch a 320-pound dude play tennis?

RamView
Like the other 31 teams, the Rams love versatile offensive linemen, and as a top-quality guard who can credibly kick out to tackle in the NFL, Scherff would likely be on top of their o-lineman list. If he's even on the list. That's the big mystery right now - have the Rams met with Scherff, like they've met with most of the players they've drafted in the Jeff Fisher era? I'll bet we find out he paid a visit to Rams Park sometime after the Rams draft him at #10 to start at RG and really enhance the Rams' nastiness up front. Scherff's a perfect fit for what the Rams want to do. His injury history concerns me a lot, though, so I'd lean more toward Andrus Peat's clean medical record and superior footwork and quickness.

Sources: Iowa Athletics, NFL.com

RamView draft profile: Andrus Peat, T, Stanford

Stanford Daily

Andrus Peat, 6'7" 313
T, Stanford

Rankings
NFLDraftScout: #23 player overall, #4 tackle. First-round grade.
Nawrocki: #10 player overall, #2 tackle. Grade: 6.45, likely first-rounder capable of starting readily.
Mayock: TBA
Kiper: TBA
Draft Countdown: #28 player overall, #6 tackle. First-round grade.
Sports Illustrated: #19 player overall, #3 tackle.
Scouts Inc: #12 player overall, #2 tackle. Grade: 91, rare prospect.

Biography/Honors
2014: Second team all-America. First team all-Pac 12. Started all 13 games at left tackle. Won Morris Trophy for best offensive lineman in the conference, an honor voted on by the conference's defensive linemen.
2013: Second team all-Pac 12. Started all 14 games at left tackle. Stanford ranked 11th in nation in sacks allowed and 7th in tackles for loss allowed.
2012: Played in 13 games as part of a left tackle rotation, averaging 20 snaps per game. It's very rare for a freshman lineman to get significant playing time at Stanford.


Father Todd was an NFL offensive lineman for six seasons. 
Brother Todd Jr. played defensive tackle at Nebraska and Texas A&M-Commerce.

Academics: leaving school with a year of eligibility remaining. Majoring in psychology.
Twitter: @AndrusPeat

Injuries
2015: Did not lift at the NFL Combine due to an elbow injury.
2012: Missed one game due to a hand injury.

NFL Combine Stats
(2015 averages for tackles in parentheses)

40-yard dash: 5.18 (5.27)
10-yard split: 1.81
Vertical: 31" (29")
Broad: 8'9" (8'6")
3-cone: 8.01 (bottom five time; average was 7.86)
Shuttle: 4.62 (4.70)
Bench: DNP (25)

Scouting Report
Pluses: Built like a franchise tackle - tall, long-armed, in excellent shape. Has powerful lower body and brute strength. Flashes dominance as a run-blocker. Has violent hands and can jolt defenders to the ground with his punch. Strong down-blocker. Very quick off the snap with a quick first step. Moves and adjusts well in space. Consistently gets to the second and third levels. Plays with excellent balance and knee bend and is rarely on the ground. Doesn't get himself off-balance in pass pro. Covers ground well with kick-slide while not giving up balance. Very natural in his movements and mirrors well. Makes it look easy. Assignment sound, good at recognizing blitzes and line stunts. Smart player with no off-field issues. Doesn't have any flaws that aren't easy to correct. Comes from a pro-style offense. Nawrocki believes that with refined technique Peat can become a perennial Pro Bowler and that he is as gifted as any offensive lineman drafted in the past decade. Has a unique combination of power and foot quickness, the strength and attitude of a RT with the foot speed of a LT. One of the most pro-ready offensive linemen in the draft.

Minuses: Needs better upper-body strength. Not as dominating a run-blocker as you'd expect for his size. Settles for turning defenders inside instead of knocking them off the line. Heavy-legged, has trouble with speed rushes and inside countermoves. Gets caught lunging both run-blocking and in pass pro. Loses his technique against speed rushers. Doesn't take the best angles and doesn't have great change of direction. Plays a little soft. Doesn't maintain intensity through the whistle. Gets complacent and plays down to the level of his competition. Seems comfortable at times doing just enough to get his job done. Another year in college wouldn't have hurt him.

Compares to: D'Brickashaw Ferguson

Fun Facts
Andrus led his high school basketball team to an Arizona state title as a senior. His father was an offensive lineman for Arizona and Oakland. Andrus gets inspiration before games by looking at a photo of his father in action for the Raiders.

RamView
Peat would be an excellent fit for the Rams. He's occasionally mock-drafted to them at #10, and that's not too high a pick for a player with his physical attributes. And if he had La'el Collins' attacking mentality, the Rams would never have a shot at him. I believe he's a fit for their blocking scheme. They definitely can use his ability as a pass-blocker, and he's the most refined pass-blocker in the draft. They also love to down-block in the running game, and that's a strength of Peat's game. I'd even strongly consider starting him at LT and moving Greg Robinson to RT. That's one big question if the Rams do draft Peat; the other is how much do you trust Paul Boudreau to maximize his potential. I believe the Rams would get a very professional effort out of Peat and he wouldn't have any lack of motivation playing here.

Sources: Stanford Athletics, NFL.com, USA Today, San Jose Mercury News

Rams 2015 schedule

The Rams, who have done nothing but get off to slow starts in the Jeff Fisher era, will have their work cut out for them in 2015 even if they come out of the gate playing well. Four of their first five games will be against 2014 playoff teams. Here's the whole slate:

Sept 13: Seattle, home

Sept. 20: @ Washington
Sept. 27: Pittsburgh, home
Oct. 4: @ Arizona
Oct. 11: @ Green Bay
Oct. 18: Bye
Oct. 25: Cleveland, home
Nov. 1: San Francisco, home
Nov. 8: @ Minnesota
Nov. 15: Chicago, home
Nov. 22: @ Baltimore
Nov. 29: @ Cincinnati
Dec. 6: Arizona, home
Dec. 13: Detroit, home
Dec. 17: Tampa Bay, home
Dec. 27: @ Seattle
Jan. 3: @ San Francisco

The Rams don't end the season in Seattle for the millionth straight season! Yeah, they end it in Seattle AND San Francisco instead. And assuming the last home game is the Rams' last game in St. Louis, there's little reason the league couldn't have thrown us a bone and made Week 17 Cardinals at Rams. Instead, that potential final Rams game in St. Louis is against the Bucs on a fucking Thursday night. Screw you, NFL.

OK, there's some bright spots. The Rams get three straight home games in December, and if I read the league schedule right, will not play any team coming off a bye week. They'll also catch the Steelers while LeVeon Bell is still suspended (he gets three weeks to start the season), though I suppose that could be appealed. On the other hand, they'll have six home games for all intents and purposes; Pittsburgh and Chicago should be virtual road games. That Pittsburgh game could be a wild one, though. The Rams won't be able to defend those receivers for a minute, but Big Ben gets sacked a lot. I could see him getting sacked 7-8 times but still throw 6-7 TDs.

Sorry I let the preseason schedule slip by earlier this month; here's how that shapes up (some dates TBD):

Aug. 14-16: @ Oakland
Aug 23: @ Tennessee
Aug 28-30: Indianapolis, home
Sept. 3-4: Kansas City, home

For some reason, the Tennessee game will be nationally broadcast. America cares about Fisher returning to his old stomping grounds? That makes one of us. And, for the Rams' potential last season here, the NFL made sure to give us the most meaningless preseason game, the week 4 game, where no starter is likely to suit up for either side. Then again, the stakes may be very high that night; if St. Louis wins the heralded Governor's Cup over K.C. that night, I say we get to keep the thing forever.

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RamView draft profile: La'el Collins, OL, LSU

NFL.com

Lael Collins, 6'4.5" 305
OL, LSU

Rankings
NFLDraftScout: #18 player overall, #3 tackle. First-round grade.
Nawrocki: #29 player overall, #1 guard. Grade: 5.95, likely first-to-second-rounder with immediate starter potential.
Mayock: TBA
Kiper: TBA
Draft Countdown: #21 player overall, #3 tackle. First-round grade.
Sports Illustrated: #12 player overall, #2 tackle.
Scouts Inc: #19 player overall, #4 tackle. Grade: 90, outstanding to rare prospect.

Biography/Honors
2014: Second team all-America. First team all-SEC. Voted best offensive lineman in SEC by league coaches. Voted permanent team captain and most outstanding player on team. Started all 13 games at left tackle, with 88 knockdown blocks. LSU ran for 224.5 yards a game, their best mark since 1997, and had 8 100-yard rushing games. Had 13.5 knockdowns against Texas A&M and 9 against Mississippi.
2013: Second team all-SEC. Started 12 games at left tackle, with 65 knockdown blocks. LSU ran for a school record 37 TDs. SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week in his very first start at LT.  9 knockdowns against Arkansas, 8 against A&M.
2012: Honorable mention all-SEC. Started all 13 games at left guard, with 64.5 knockdown blocks. 11.5 knockdowns against Mississippi, 10 against South Carolina, 9 against Alabama.
2011: Played in seven games, with 5 knockdown blocks.

Academics: majored in interdisciplinary studies.
Twitter: @70LaelCollins

Injuries
2013: Missed one game due to sprained MCL.

NFL Combine Stats
(2015 averages for tackles in parentheses)

40-yard dash: 5.12 (top 5 among tackles. Average was 5.27)
10-yard split: 1.87
Vertical: 27" (29")
Broad: 9'0" (8'6")
3-cone: 7.70 (7.86)
Shuttle: 4.63 (4.70)
Bench: 21 (bottom 5 among tackles. Average was 25)

Scouting Report
Pluses: Aggressive knockdown artist with massive upper body, big hands and quick feet. Strong, powerful run-blocker with good initial burst. Has sudden launch and gets into defenders and mauls them right away. Strong lower body and hands. Knocks defenders off the line and creates consistent run surge. Consistent on combination and secondary blocks, takes perfect angles. Gets to second level well and can hit moving targets. Versatile and assignment-sound. Good communicator. Good awareness in pass protection. Strong hands allow him to control linebackers readily. Can handle speed rushers and consistently pushes rushers past the pocket. Shows athleticism to recover balance and finish his blocks. Dropped 20 pounds prior to his senior season and improved his quickness. Tough, durable, plays to the whistle and shows a nasty streak. Mature player with great character and no off-field issues. Hard worker who takes coaching well. Well-liked and respected by teammates and coaches.

Minuses: Not an elite athlete. Slightly shorter in height and arm length and leaner than ideal for tackle. Just average bend, plays too tall at times. Tight-hipped and goes to the ground too often. Needs to improve hand placement. Hands get outside of defenders' frame too often. Just average lateral agility. Doesn't have the agility to be an effective open-field blocker. Aggressiveness works against him. Lunges at times, gets himself off-balance and tends to grab. Overaggression and off-balance play come up repeatedly in scouting reports. Is not patient and will get suckered by line games, also by swim moves. Needs to develop better punch and knee-bend as a pass blocker. Needs a lot of polish as a pass protector. Does not have pass-blocking ability to play left tackle.

Compares to: Orlando Franklin

Fun Facts
La'el is an Eagle Scout. His name means belonging to God. He plans to be involved in the Boys and Girls Club in his NFL city. The strangest question he got at the Combine: are you a cat or a dog? He said dog because he's never seen a dog run from a cat.

RamView
I like the heck out of Collins because he has his head on straight, he works hard and he'll be very coachable. The Rams have a major hole on the right side of their line right now and can use a player with his physical run-blocking ability. (You know, that ability they've supposed to have had on the line the whole Fisher era but haven't.) His Combine performance seems to have moved him quickly up draft boards, and I wouldn't be surprised if he filled Joe Barksdale's shoes pretty quickly. But since there is still plenty of question about him as a pass protector and there's a good chance his best NFL position will be guard, #10 overall seems a little rich for him.

Sources: LSU Athletics, Sporting News, USA Today, New Orleans Times-Picayune

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End of an era

The View From Row HH

The renewal deadline for 2015 Rams season tickets is tomorrow, April 17th. I have no idea how many fans are renewing their tickets this year. I won't be one of them. This will end a 20-year-run, going back to the Rams' first games in Busch Stadium, the opening of the TWA Dome, a Super Bowl championship I still can't believe actually happened, and an awful, awful lot of losing.

So, my thanks to everyone who made the last 20 years possible. To the players, from Kurt and Marshall, Isaac and Torry, Big O and the Doughnut Brothers, Rickey and Az, Kevin and London, Grant and Leonard and the maker of the greatest Tackle ever made, Mike Jones. To the many guys who left it all out there but didn't get a ring here. To Steven Jackson, Aeneas Williams, Marc Bulger, Danny Amendola (who has a ring now, of course), all the way to Sam and Sack City and the best-throwing punter since Danny White, Johnny Hekker.  To the handful of coaches who actually knew what they were doing, especially Coach Vermeil and Coach Hanifan. And Coach Martz. Sometimes.

Bye to the ushers, the ticket takers, and Marsha at the concession stand. I'll miss Rampage backflipping out of the tunnel and I'll definitely miss the cheerleaders. I'll miss having Steve and D'Marco in my ear. I'll miss Bluto on the Jumbotron assuring us that nothing is over until we decide it is. Even when it is. Thanks to all for your hard work. Last, so long to all the friends I've made in the stands. If you're coming back this year, good for you. If you're not, I certainly do not fault you.

My only regret is that I ever supported an owner who turned out to be a lying, disloyal, money-grubbing dirtbag. He is the one and only reason I won't be back. I'm not going to fork out another thousand dollars that's just going to turn out to be the gold-plated flusher on his luxury box toilet in Inglewood.

On to brighter things. For now, there's still an NFL team in St. Louis, and I intend to keep writing about it. RamView started as a game report from the perspective of a fan in the stands, so I'll lose that now that I'm sitting out, but I wasn't in the stands half the games anyway, since they were on the road. So The Couch is ready to roll full-time. Well, not actually roll. It doesn't have wheels. You know what I mean.

Go Rams.

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