Jrry32 Senior Bowl Mocktravaganza

[jrry32]

You guys ready for some fun? It's time again for a jrry32 mock. Been a little too long since my last one. Just want to preface by saying my mocks are always what I would personally prefer to do rather than what I SEE the Rams doing.

Re-sign
Tim Barnes C - ERFA Tender($570,000)
Jo-Lonn Dunbar OLB - $4 million over 2 years($1.5 mil first year cap hit)

Release
Cortland Finnegan CB - $7 million in cap relief
Harvey Dahl OG - $4 million in cap relief
Scott Wells C - $4.5 million in cap relief
Mike Person OG - $645,000 in cap relief
Jermelle Cudjo DT - $900,000 in cap relief

Analysis: The cuts are pretty typical and expected at this point. I think Dunbar can be brought back fairly cheap and love the energy he brings to our defense. In this mock, I decided that Saffold got a better offer from a team looking to play him at LT and left.

Free Agency Cap Room - $18.4 million

Free Agency
Alex Mack C - $38 million over 5 years($6 million first year cap hit)
Chris Clemons S - $12 million over 3 years($3.5 million first year cap hit)
John Jerry OG - $3 million over 2 years($1.5 million first year cap hit)

Analysis: I think the Rams will be looking to upgrade the OL in FA and Mack is one of the crowned jewels in this class. He's very arguably the best Center in the NFL, he's still relatively young(28 ) and he's durable. Chris Clemons is a very solid FS and will be making a little less than Glover Quin was signed for last year. He won't be flashy but he's a veteran presence that will provide reliable play as both a run stopper and pass defender. John Jerry is a reclamation project for Boudreau. Has been an alright RG in Miami but hasn't reached his expected potential. He's a big body with a lot of starting experience that will give us a player that can compete at the OG spot.

Trade
Rams trade:
Pick #2

Browns trade:
Pick #4
Pick #26
Browns 4th

Rams trade:
Pick #13

Packers trade:
Pick #21
Packers 3rd

Analysis: Michael Lombardi decides that he wants to move up for his franchise QB...whether that's Bridgewater or Manziel. We don't get the three 1sts or the future 1st but we do get a solid deal from Cleveland. At #13, we aren't infatuated with our options there so when Green Bay, whose looking to move up for Louis Nix or a pass rusher, offers to move up, we take the deal.

NFL Draft
http://www.draftnikcentral.com/dream-draft/view.cfm?id=154
Round 1 Pick #4 - Jake Matthews OT/OG/C Texas A&M
Round 1 Pick #21 - Aaron Donald DT Pittsburgh
Round 1 Pick #26 - Jordan Matthews WR Vanderbilt
Round 2 Pick #12 - Jason Verrett CB TCU
Round 3 Pick #11 - Gabe Jackson OG Mississippi State
Round 3 Pick #21 - Charles Sims HB West Virginia
Round 4 Pick #6 - David Fales QB San Jose State
Round 4 Pick #10 - Justin Britt OT Missouri
Round 5 Pick #13 - Dontae Johnson CB/S N.C. State
Round 6 Pick #12 - Andrew Jackson SLB Western Kentucky
Round 7 Pick #11 - J.C. Copeland FB LSU

Projected Starters
QB: Sam Bradford
HB: Zac Stacy
FB: Cory Harkey
XWR: Stedman Bailey
ZWR: Tavon Austin
SLWR: Jordan Matthews
TE: Jared Cook
LT: Jake Long
LG: Jake Matthews
C: Alex Mack
RG: Gabe Jackson
RT: Joe Barksdale

LDE: Chris Long
LDT: Kendall Langford
RDT: Michael Brockers
RDE: Robert Quinn
WLB: Alec Ogletree
MLB: James Laurinaitis
SLB: Jo-Lonn Dunbar
RCB: Janoris Jenkins
LCB: Trumaine Johnson
SLCB: Jason Verrett
FS: Chris Clemons
SS: T.J. McDonald

K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Johnny Hekker

What do you guys think?

 

[LosAngelesRams]

I think we would be having a bad ass season ahead of us, Do you think the Browns are going to let Mack walk?

 

[BigRamFan]

I could certainly get behind all of the above! That O line has the look of dominance and flexibility. I like.

 

[jrry32]

I think we would be having a bad ass season ahead of us, Do you think the Browns are going to let Mack walk?

I think they're going to try and retain him. Not sure if he'll want to go back. But I'm not sold they'll use the franchise tag because it covers all OLs and it's $10+ million when the top 2 Centers get around $7.5-$8 million annually.

 

[rams24/7]

Imo I don't think Fish & Snead would target Mack, although I'd love him to come to STL. Loved him coming out of Cal. And idk if Fish would actually target an OL at #4 overall, let alone the first round. I realize he could go against his mo, but I just don't see him drafting an OL in the top 15. Though again jrry, I'd love to add Mack, Matthews, and Jackson. Just not so sure how probable it is to add the first 2.

Clemens isn't a "sexy" FA but he'll get the job done. Having a vet like that on the back end will limit mis-communication and help teach the young DBs. Verrett is a great pick as is Jordan Matthews. Matthews can contribute as a rookie while being an insurance policy for Quick. Verrett would be a great nickelback and would solidify our D.

Overall I LOVE your offseason mock, just not sure how likely it would be to add Mack & Matthews.

 

[rams24/7]

Our D would be absolutely MEAN with your mock jrry. All we're missing is OLB, NB, and FS: resign Dunbar, Verrett, Clemens is a great way to solidify our D! I also wouldn't mind Major Wright or TJ Ward & Lamarcus Joyner would be a good NB too.

 

[LosAngelesRams]

I think they're going to try and retain him. Not sure if he'll want to go back. But I'm not sold they'll use the franchise tag because it covers all OLs and it's $10+ million when the top 2 Centers get around $7.5-$8 million annually.

Id love to see that happen, Mack is imo the best C in the league atm. I hope your prediction is right. :woot:

 

[max]

Leaves me saying blah.

I'd rather go after Byrd at FS. And Barrett Jones should be starting somewhere on the OL this year.

I'm all in on Matthews, but the other 2 first round picks look like reaches to me.

 

[jrry32]

Leaves me saying blah.

I'd rather go after Byrd at FS. And Barrett Jones should be starting somewhere on the OL this year.

I'm all in on Matthews, but the other 2 first round picks look like reaches to me.

I don't really believe in reaches. I rank guys based on how good I think they are and I take them where I can get them. Personally, I think Donald is a top 10 talent in this draft and will be one of the best DTs in the NFL. Definitely not a reach in my mind.

As far as Byrd goes, I just don't see him as a big need. I think we have a much greater need on the OL than we do on defense in the secondary. All we need at FS is a solid player that won't make mistakes. Let our pass rush do the rest. To me, FA is about filling needs while the draft is about value. Mack is just as good of a player at his position at a bigger need imo.

As for Barrett Jones, I'd love for him to start but the guy barely played all year. I can't bank on him.

 

[max]

I don't really believe in reaches. I rank guys based on how good I think they are and I take them where I can get them. Personally, I think Donald is a top 10 talent in this draft and will be one of the best DTs in the NFL. Definitely not a reach in my mind.

As far as Byrd goes, I just don't see him as a big need. I think we have a much greater need on the OL than we do on defense in the secondary. All we need at FS is a solid player that won't make mistakes. Let our pass rush do the rest. To me, FA is about filling needs while the draft is about value. Mack is just as good of a player at his position at a bigger need imo.

As for Barrett Jones, I'd love for him to start but the guy barely played all year. I can't bank on him.

A reach is taking a guy you like higher than where you can get him. For example, the Rams liked Brockers, and they could have taken him at #6. But they realized that the odds were very high that he would last to 14 so they traded down to get him. That drafting the guy you want at value.

Now they may love Donald, but if they assess that he will last until the 2nd round, they could trade down and take him later just like they did with Brockers and Ogletree. That's savvy drafting, and Snead is good at it.

 

[Warner4Prez]

You think Barksdale would win in an open competition with Matthews? I'm not so sure on that.

Also, I like the signing of John Jerry. I wonder if we couldn't see Wells and Dahl released; then Barnes at C, a guy like Jerry come in, and Barret Jones take the other G spot.

 

[jrry32]

A reach is taking a guy you like higher than where you can get him. For example, the Rams liked Brockers, and they could have taken him at #6. But they realized that the odds were very high that he would last to 14 so they traded down to get him. That drafting the guy you want at value.

Now they may love Donald, but if they assess that he will last until the 2nd round, they could trade down and take him later just like they did with Brockers and Ogletree. That's savvy drafting, and Snead is good at it.

How do you judge who a reach is then? Because they were drafted at that spot. You don't know where they would have went. Personally, I don't concern myself with where I could have gotten a player. Saying Donald is a reach at #21 because I could have gotten him at #40 does me no good if I don't pick in the 2nd round until #45. Know what I mean?

You play with fire like that and sometimes you get burned...the Rams did. As they wanted Bobby Wagner or Mychal Kendricks when they traded down in 2012 in the 2nd but instead had to settle for Isaiah Pead when both those guys were drafted.

So I'm going to take guys where I know I can get them, it's my personal philosophy. If I get a good trade down offer, I might entertain it but I'd rather risk "reaching" on a guy than losing a guy. Because in 3 years, nobody cares if a player was a "reach" if he's a quality starter.

We just don't share the same philosophy. But that's understandable, different strokes for different folks.

 

[V3]

I thought I saw some article on the Rams cap room where it said that even after all those releases the Rams have very little cap space due to all the other players' salaries going up? $18 mil is WAY higher than I thought we'd have. I hope you're right on that. That would be a nice surprise.

 

[jrry32]

I thought I saw some article on the Rams cap room where it said that even after all those releases the Rams have very little cap space due to all the other players' salaries going up? $18 mil is WAY higher than I thought we'd have. I hope you're right on that. That would be a nice surprise.

I took into account the rising salaries. Don't know if it's dead on but it's remotely accurate.

 

[laramsoriginal]

LOL

op

Good job reaching on Donald in the first round. Lol.

Donald would be sitting there in the second round. Instead of reaching for a rotational DT use that second first round pick on a starting CB.

 

[laramsoriginal]

A reach is taking a guy you like higher than where you can get him. For example, the Rams liked Brockers, and they could have taken him at #6. But they realized that the odds were very high that he would last to 14 so they traded down to get him. That drafting the guy you want at value.

Now they may love Donald, but if they assess that he will last until the 2nd round, they could trade down and take him later just like they did with Brockers and Ogletree. That's savvy drafting, and Snead is good at it.

Exactly my thoughts. Chanced are high that Donald will not go in the first round. He is a rotational/situational DT. No need to use a near top 20 pick on him when odds are, he will be sitting there in the second round.
Aside from Donald and the RB in the OP's mock draft, overall it was a solid write up

 

[jrry32]

LOL

op

Good job reaching on Donald in the first round. Lol.

Donald would be sitting there in the second round. Instead of reaching for a rotational DT use that second first round pick on a starting CB.

I don't care about "reaching" on Donald. Because when Donald is a top 5 DT in the NFL, no one will care whether or not you could have THEORETICALLY drafted him in the 2nd round. You know what they will care about? If we were foolish enough to pass on him because we got greedy thinking we could grab him in the 2nd round.

That kid is a stud. He's a potentially dominant player and a difference maker on defense. As I predicted, he's dominated the Senior Bowl and many people say he's the BEST player there.

A rotational DT? Please. You're placing an arbitrary designation on a guy because of his size. That was the mistake people made with Russell Wilson.

Oh and by the way, we did get a starting CB anyways in this mock. His name is Jason Verrett.

 

[laramsoriginal]

Jrry, stop it.

If you believe that Donald is a top 5 nfl dt (lol) then why risk it, just take him with the 4th overall pick.

Relax and let your man crush pass, donald is very quick, we all can see that but he will be available in the second round.

I'll drop it, its your mock draft afterall.

 

[jrry32]

Exactly my thoughts. Chanced are high that Donald will not go in the first round. He is a rotational/situational DT. No need to use a near top 20 pick on him when odds are, he will be sitting there in the second round.
Aside from Donald and the RB in the OP's mock draft, overall it was a solid write up

If it wasn't official before the third day of Senior Bowl practices, it is now. Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald is the best player in Mobile.

For the third-straight practice, Donald was disruptive in one-on-one drills and full team drills. If there is a spot for Donald in the first round of the draft, it could be the Chicago Bears with the No. 14 pick.

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl-mock-draft/2014/1/22/5336196/senior-bowl-day-3-practice-report

Pittsburgh DT Aaron Donald: Donald is dispelling the notion that his substandard physical dimensions (6-0, 285) will be an issue at the next level. Donald has routinely blown by interior blockers with his first-step quickness, agility and explosiveness. He has complemented his athletic attributes with impressive hand skills at the point of attack. Donald's quick arm-over is one of the best moves I've seen executed by a pass rusher this season.

Against the run, Donald has been strong at the point of attack against single- and double-team blocks, showcasing exceptional leverage and lower-body strength. Donald naturally turns his hips into the hole against the double, which frees linebackers to run and chase in the middle.

Additionally, Donald has shown the ability to bull rush or forklift blockers into the backfield in one-on-one situations, leaving blockers unable to anticipate which move Donald will use to attack at the line of scrimmage. When I studied Donald during the regular season, I compared his game to Pro Bowl DT Geno Atkins. After watching him dominate the competition this week, I feel good about that assessment.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap20...-aaron-donald-lead-top-linemen-at-senior-bowl

Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald is a beast. He’s just under 6-foot-1, which will be discussed often regarding his draft stock, but he has quite the arsenal of moves to beat offensive linemen.

• During one-on-ones, I saw Donald simply walked back guard Brandon Linder with his strength and leverage at the point of attack. Then, he showed his speed to get around the tackle off the edge and another play where he just powered past his opponent to get into the backfield.

• The best play I saw from Donald came defending a run play. He got past Kadeem Edwards into the backfield so quickly that he simply grabbed the shoulder pad of the running back, stopping him in his tracks. As I mentioned yesterday, it's worth noting the Bears need a defensive tackle, and Donald's helping his draft stock this week.

http://www.hubarkush.com/2014/01/22/senior-bowl-notebook-pittsburghs-donald-shines/a8t7wnc/

In July, at the ACC Football Media Days event, Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald said his NFL role model is Cincinnati's Geno Atkins.

It will make Donald happy, then, that NFL Media draft analyst Mike Mayock compared him to Atkins on NFL Network during Wednesday's coverage of the Reese's Senior Bowl practices. Another reason for Donald to smile is that Atkins signed a giant contract extension in September.

Mayock called Donald an "explosive, one-gap penetrator" and said he fits best in a four-man front. Specifically, Mayock said Donald fits best on a team that is aggressive with its four-man front.

"Think Tampa Bay. Think Chicago. Think Tennessee. Think St. Louis," Mayock said. "Four-man front teams whose coaches like to get up the field and be disruptive."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap20...onald-earns-another-comparison-to-geno-atkins

I'm gonna go ahead and stop there. But everything you look at from the Senior Bowl talks about Donald's dominance. And this is nothing new. He swept the major defensive awards(that he was eligible for) this year in college and was an All American. This guy was easily the most dominant DL of 2013 and carried that into the Senior Bowl. He's been a great player his entire career at Pitt.

This isn't some rotational DT. This guy is a game changer. And if he were 6'4" 300 instead of 6'1" 288, people would be calling him the next Suh. That's the craziness of it all, that sort of freakish talent is going to be there outside the top 10 because of size(yet he still is dominant on the field) and people are actually saying pass on him.

The guy put a 6'4" 343 pound OG on his butt with a bullrush. That should tell people something.

 

[laramsoriginal]

There are many articles stating donald to be a rotational dt and that he would most likely be a second round pick.

I'll drop it, its your thread your mock draft