Another thing I seem to recall about Rams Draft Day 2...

[Rams43]

It seemed like Rams used very little of their clock time before making all of their 2nd and 3rd round picks. I mean, noticeably so.

Sure gave the impression that they were solidly behind each of those 4 players, huh? Like, maybe they felt that there was a significant dropoff at each position (for Ram schemes) after ‘their’ player?

For that matter, they didn’t exactly dilly-dally before snapping up Hopkins.

I suspect that the Rams were very happy with the way the draft fell. Geez, Snead even passed up a trade down opportunity from one of the 2nds. Who’d a thunk that would ever happen?

 

[Oregonram]

Hey 43, noticed the same thing. I guess when you have a system, you identify guys who will work in that system. Let’s hope we see some of these picks contribute immediately. Akers and Van Jefferson specifically.

 

[A.J. Hicks]

Ya I was texting my friends saying 'The Rams are running to the podium'

 

[London_Ram]

Gives me confidence. I may not agree with all the picks but the fact the team were so solidly behind them rather than waiting for a trade (hello SeattLe drafting Brooks in R1) makes me believe they are the players the team wanted rather than media spin after the event.

 

[den-the-coach]

Just made mention of that in another thread as Cushenberry went at 83, but at 84 the Rams selected Lewis very quick, now that is somewhat easier if they were vacillating over Cushenberry & Lewis or maybe not...I believe unequivocally that Akers, Jefferson & Burgess are three they targeted.

 

[PARAM]

Clearly they had a PLAN. And it's been said in years past, they have a handle on who is going to be available when their turn comes around. With all that structure, the draft, their offensive scheme, their special teams and defense, it's hard to believe they don't have a plan for their O line. But that's beside the point. They clearly had a plan for UDFA's too. According to one report I saw posted elsewhere, they have the 6th best UDFA haul in the NFL, based off the value assigned each player who wasn't drafted.

 

[FarNorth]

Just made mention of that in another thread as Cushenberry went at 83, but at 84 the Rams selected Lewis very quick, now that is somewhat easier if they were vacillating over Cushenberry & Lewis or maybe not...I believe unequivocally that Akers, Jefferson & Burgess are three they targeted.

Agree. Certainly seems to me the Rams had both a clear plan for the draft and had specifically targeted the players they wanted at top spots.

Key positional losses from last year included D line (until Brockers returned), LB, ER, RB and WR. Rams had already signed Robinson and Floyd to fill gaps left by Brockers and Littleton, then unexpectedly got Brockers back. That group of strong defensive signings imo was likely decisive in determining that offense would go first in the draft. Clearly McVay handpicked Akers and Jefferson for the Rams two picks in the second to replace Gurley and Cooks, in fact using the pick received for Cooks to take Jefferson. Next up was back to the D at edge rusher, filled by Lewis. Maybe there was a chance that the Rams could have selected Cushenberry had he fallen to 84 but Lewis must also have part of the Rams' pre draft plan as an outstanding pick not only for need but for his merits, value and possible immediate impact. Burgess seems also likely to have been a pre draft target.

Snead also made a comment to the effect that Hopkins was the first opportunistic pick who fell outside their plan. Maybe o-line might have otherwise been up for that draft pick but Hopkins was presumably just best available player. At that point also a draft o-liner might not have been an improvement on young players already on the roster, another point Snead made generically.

Pundits and posters may not agree with the Rams' draft priorities or choices but imo there was a very considered plan at work which lead to selection of their identified top players.

 

[Ram65]

McVay said they got their guys in round two. Anything is possible. They could have had a defensive player in mind before the draft like Brookes who was taken by the Hags in round #1. Maybe they thought they could get all three with trades. The Rams target players in the earlier picks and are ready to make adjustments. They seem to get who they want. The positions they didn't get is the one I thought they would and that was ILber and possibly an OC/OG.

 

[PARAM]

Speaking of day 2 of the draft, who were these "stud OL" that many thought we should have targeted? There were 2 OL taken in the 2nd round, Robert Hunt at #39 and Ezra Cleveland at #58, which means we had two shots at one of them. In the third round there were 8 taken, 5 before our turn came up. Interesting comments by Den about Cushenberry/Lewis. Over at RFU there was a discussion about a video reaction of McVay, right around the time Cushenberry and Lewis went off the board. Some of us thought he might have been reacting to Cushenberry being taken right before our pick and the Rams splained it by saying it was a phone problem with McVay not being able to talk to Lewis. The only reason I'm at ease accepting the latter is Cushenberry's evaluation by some said he wasn't a good fit for a zone blocking scheme. I don't know the intricacies of whether he was or wasn't a good fit. In any event, I'm not seeing these guys we missed out on by taking Lewis and Burgess. Please, if somebody is privy to a stud we missed, point him out. In the end we took an OG in the 7th and Dabo Sweeney swears the kid is a legit NFL O lineman.

On many of the experts boards Tristin Wirfs was the #1 OL but Thomas, Willis and Bechton went before he did. Cushenberry was ranked #47 by CBS and #45 by Scott Wright and he lasted until #83, 5 slots after Matt Hennessy, who I liked but read was a little light in the pants and vulnerable to big DT's and bull rushers. My point is, unless you're an OL savant OR follow a college team rather closely, you have to go by what the evaluators say about a guy. And let's face it, in respect to Hennessy, he didn't exactly go head to head with the SEC. I read good things about Lucas Niang and Matt Peart but it certainly wasn't they were NFL ready or even a good bet to become legit NFL OL. So who did we miss out on?

 

[CGI_Ram]

McVay said they got their guys in round two.

It sure seems like they did.

I mean... Gurley released, Cooks traded... the thought of them taking RB and WR there isn’t a surprise. These seemed their targets based on everything you hear.

 

[RamsSince1969]

Rams have a very scary talented team, on both sides of the ball, that can go toe to toe with anyone. How exciting is it to know opposing teams and their fans are kinda crapping themselves on game day because the Rams are in town? These guys are the rock stars of the NFL. Look how our rookies reacted being chosen to be on the Rams. I still can't believe a 9-7 season was considered a failure. Loving our draft and what a great time to be a Rams fan!

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

Speaking of day 2 of the draft, who were these "stud OL" that many thought we should have targeted?

Not sure who was saying there were "studs" at 52-57, but the draft is one of only a few avenues (FA, trade, ufa--people see it wasn't addressed there yet) for acquiring OL talent, so just like anything else in life, you do what you can. I think a lot people expected us to prioritize addressing our main strategic failure from last season in some way, shape, or form.

I personally still love our picks, and a few of our OL prospects--but they're prospects, which mirrors last year's strategy.

 

[FaulkSF]

With all that structure, the draft, their offensive scheme, their special teams and defense, it's hard to believe they don't have a plan for their O line. But that's beside the point.

Mike Martz approves