Reasons for WR at 19

[OldSchool]

Several analysts have been banging the Brian Thomas drum very loudly. A few suggesting he should be in that top 3 (WR) mix. The idea is that he is so elite as a deep threat, that he is more valuable then a guy like Oduze, who is really good at about everything. I'm not sure I agree with this stance, but, it suggests that perhaps some NFL teams feel the same way and he will be long gone by 19. I wouldn't be upset with that.

So many people gave him not in that first group of 3 but right on their tail and separate from the next group. All these WR and offensive guru types love him but a few around here don't think he'll be good. There are always a handful of guys that fit this mold come draft time.

 

[WestCoastRam]

What about the Jordan Love example?

Remember, Jordan was drafted to take over for Rodgers the following year. Packers were gonna cut bait, he was seen as on the decline and then LaFleur made the marriage work and produced two fantastic years with Rodgers. Partly do to LaFleur and party due to Rodger's pathology and feeling insulted to push him to work harder. Packers gave Rodgers the extension cause you had to when a QB is playing that well.

The plan was never to have Love sit like this. Arguably, the thing that allowed him to become the QB he is now.

 

[DzRams]

Remember, Jordan was drafted to take over for Rodgers the following year. Packers were gonna cut bait, he was seen as on the decline and then LaFleur made the marriage work and produced two fantastic years with Rodgers. Partly do to LaFleur and party due to Rodger's pathology and feeling insulted to push him to work harder. Packers gave Rodgers the extension cause you had to when a QB is playing that well.

The plan was never to have Love sit like this. Arguably, the thing that allowed him to become the QB he is now.

Agreed. It's arguable that it doesn't make sense to draft a QB if the current starter will be in place for two more years rather than one.

 

[Malibu]

The only offensive weapon I would consider in round 1 is Bowers and he still would be a secondary option for me. We lost AD and in desperate need of an OLB at a minimum. We need OLB upgrade and DT help not to me tion additional CB and FS help. I like the idea of having a ton of firepower possibly upwards of 30+ per game but you need a defense. We lost in the playoffs and a bunch of regular season games d
ue to our defense/kicking game and we had AD playing at an all-star level. We don't have him we need our 1st 3 picks to be OLB, ILB and either CB or DT and 3 rookies are historically marginal in the first year so we should not expect such success as we had from our rookie DT/OLB we imo got super lucky and can't assume we will be that lucky again. No other draft showed anything close to what we had last season.

 

[dieterbrock]

Maybe. Maybe not.

Bowers could slide on draft day simply due to his position. As Daniel Jeremiah stated, if he's a top 10 pick, his rookie contract will be comparable to the league's top veteran TEs which won't fly for some teams.

Agreed. Look at last year, who woulda thought Michael Mayer was going to go in the 2nd round? Seemed certainly a top 20 pick.
Rams watched film on Bennett before they drafted him, surely they saw their share of catches by #19
Will he be there? Doubt it. But there is a chance

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Several analysts have been banging the Brian Thomas drum very loudly. A few suggesting he should be in that top 3 (WR) mix. The idea is that he is so elite as a deep threat, that he is more valuable then a guy like Oduze, who is really good at about everything. I'm not sure I agree with this stance, but, it suggests that perhaps some NFL teams feel the same way and he will be long gone by 19. I wouldn't be upset with that.

Is a deep threat worth it? I guess you could say DeSean may have been, but I think he was drafted in the middle of round 2. Look at how Cooks has bounced around, and now Diggs. That’s why I’m not crazy about the idea of the Rams picking Thomas at 19. It doesn’t seem to be as good of a value.

 

[PhillyRam]

Is a deep threat worth it? I guess you could say DeSean may have been, but I think he was drafted in the middle of round 2. Look at how Cooks has bounced around, and now Diggs. That’s why I’m not crazy about the idea of the Rams picking Thomas at 19. It doesn’t seem to be as good of a value.

Cooks bounces around because of his size in that he can't be a #1, yet has been paid like one. Diggs is attitude related, and DeSean also attitude, which is why he was also a 2nd rd draft pick.

Thomas has the size to develop into much more than just a deep threat. That is why he would be considered at 19. I would bet that if he has it between the ears, and the Rams consider him to be a great kid, a leader, competitor, etc...then a good chance he is the pick.

 

[Flatlyner]

Is a deep threat worth it? I guess you could say DeSean may have been, but I think he was drafted in the middle of round 2. Look at how Cooks has bounced around, and now Diggs. That’s why I’m not crazy about the idea of the Rams picking Thomas at 19. It doesn’t seem to be as good of a value.

We agree on this. I just don't think taking him at 19 moves the needle as much as taking Latu or Murphy might.

 

[Merlin]

The thing about Bowers is that any team who wants a conventional TE won't value him fully. Because he is not a conventional TE. He is a good prospect in that regard but not as big as you would want in today's game.

Now if you talk about McVay then I would say chances are he fully values him. Because Bowers is a bigger Kupp. He is a guy you plug in the slot and go from day one. That is where he will achieve his ceiling in this league, if he does.

In terms of Bowers as a pass game weapon, generally speaking, I think he has the potential to put up very big numbers in an offense like ours. But the problem is we have Kupp, and what we need is to boost the group overall by adding to what they can do not creating a logjam in the slot.

If Bowers falls to 19 then McVay will take him. I am certain of that because he is a slam dunk in this scheme. And then he will move them around, but for the most part Bowers will own the slot and end result will be Kupp's days of eating in the slot will be mostly over.

But if they were to hit on a young X type the WR group as a whole looks stronger. You'll still have Kupp winning more than he loses on the interior, and balanced threats outside the hash where teams need to choose their poison. So my preference, as much as I do appreciate Bowers, is that we add that X element.

 

[Merlin]

So many people gave him not in that first group of 3 but right on their tail and separate from the next group. All these WR and offensive guru types love him but a few around here don't think he'll be good. There are always a handful of guys that fit this mold come draft time.

I think the media just got a bit too high on Thomas. He's a project. He's not in the class of those top three but he does have a really high upside. Problem is you have dipshits like Simms trying to put him in that WR1-3 range where he suffers by comparison.

Thomas vs Mitchell or Franklin (who are three guys I think are all quite similar despite being in offenses that functioned a bit differently in what they were asked to do) I think I would take Mitchell or Franklin. Reason being both those guys look better to me on the underneath shit, but also have the jets to take the top off. I didn't watch all their games of course so I am not certain. But all three offer McVay the kind of speed he probably dreams of at wideout.

Teams are very hungry for wideouts so there's a chance all three of those guys can go higher than they should. But to me they're all 20-35 types, elite talents who need polish and some growth to get to their ceilings.

 

[OldSchool]

I think the media just got a bit too high on Thomas. He's a project. He's not in the class of those top three but he does have a really high upside. Problem is you have dipshits like Simms trying to put him in that WR1-3 range where he suffers by comparison.

Thomas vs Mitchell or Franklin (who are three guys I think are all quite similar despite being in offenses that functioned a bit differently in what they were asked to do) I think I would take Mitchell or Franklin. Reason being both those guys look better to me on the underneath shit, but also have the jets to take the top off. I didn't watch all their games of course so I am not certain. But all three offer McVay the kind of speed he probably dreams of at wideout.

Teams are very hungry for wideouts so there's a chance all three of those guys can go higher than they should. But to me they're all 20-35 types, elite talents who need polish and some growth to get to their ceilings.

If I were assigning pick values for them lets say Thomas is at 20 for a random number. Mitchell for me would be 30 Franklin 40-45. Franklin reminds me of DJ Chark. A decent enough WR but never a stud never even lived up to I think the last pick in the 2nd round. Worst part is he's like 30 lbs lighter than Chark. He's one of the few WR's I would absolutely not be happy with.

I think peoples biggest problem with Thomas Jr is an assumption. They assume because he didn't run a wide variety of routes at LSU that he can't run it. And from what most people that have seen him work out say that's a bad assumption that he can run varied routes he was just never asked to at LSU lining up opposite Nabers. We can't change things but I wonder how he would be talked about if he was at say Georgia and was allowed to be the #1 WR there or pick your school it doesn't matter. Hell imagine him catching passes from Caleb as the #1. I'd bet we're talking about him right in there with Nabers and Odunze.

 

[Merlin]

If I were assigning pick values for them lets say Thomas is at 20 for a random number. Mitchell for me would be 30 Franklin 40-45. Franklin reminds me of DJ Chark. A decent enough WR but never a stud never even lived up to I think the last pick in the 2nd round. Worst part is he's like 30 lbs lighter than Chark. He's one of the few WR's I would absolutely not be happy with.

I think peoples biggest problem with Thomas Jr is an assumption. They assume because he didn't run a wide variety of routes at LSU that he can't run it. And from what most people that have seen him work out say that's a bad assumption that he can run varied routes he was just never asked to at LSU lining up opposite Nabers. We can't change things but I wonder how he would be talked about if he was at say Georgia and was allowed to be the #1 WR there or pick your school it doesn't matter. Hell imagine him catching passes from Caleb as the #1. I'd bet we're talking about him right in there with Nabers and Odunze.

I think Thomas had about as good a situation as he could want. He had one of the best deep ball throwers in the college game behind a good line. He had a terrifying threat opposite him in Nabers. So to me he is a projection in many ways and that drops his value.

The weight with Franklin is overplayed. His game is good. I don't think Chark is a good comp at all for him. In fact I think Franklin is the guy with the least things going for him in that underneath BS offense.

Nabers is special because of his agility, to include being able to do things at full stride you cannot teach. His ceiling is super elite I think. Will he get to it, maybe not, but he plugs in day one and gives you a threat similar to Chase. He is my favorite wideout in this class.

Either way I think the Rams are perfectly positioned to take a wideout at 19. It is possible we see a run on them, but there is enough depth of quality where they will be looking at top quality options there. I think they go Edge there for the record. But it has to actually get to them to happen, so WR certainly has a good chance.

 

[fanotodd]

Wow - Memphis that’s a wild call imo on Bama’s Braswell.It depends on what your looking for ?
—Bowers has been your guy,still wonder what happens if The Rams draft him in the future ? The first year it’s a little crowed at TE.

Count me in on the Braswell pick as well. I have him mocked to the Rams at #52.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I think Thomas had about as good a situation as he could want. He had one of the best deep ball throwers in the college game behind a good line. He had a terrifying threat opposite him in Nabers. So to me he is a projection in many ways and that drops his value.

The weight with Franklin is overplayed. His game is good. I don't think Chark is a good comp at all for him. In fact I think Franklin is the guy with the least things going for him in that underneath BS offense.

Nabers is special because of his agility, to include being able to do things at full stride you cannot teach. His ceiling is super elite I think. Will he get to it, maybe not, but he plugs in day one and gives you a threat similar to Chase. He is my favorite wideout in this class.

Either way I think the Rams are perfectly positioned to take a wideout at 19. It is possible we see a run on them, but there is enough depth of quality where they will be looking at top quality options there. I think they go Edge there for the record. But it has to actually get to them to happen, so WR certainly has a good chance.

I’m not as high on Thomas as many here are. He's one of the players that I don’t want the Rams to pick in round one.

 

[WestCoastRam]

The thing about Bowers is that any team who wants a conventional TE won't value him fully. Because he is not a conventional TE. He is a good prospect in that regard but not as big as you would want in today's game.

Now if you talk about McVay then I would say chances are he fully values him. Because Bowers is a bigger Kupp. He is a guy you plug in the slot and go from day one. That is where he will achieve his ceiling in this league, if he does.

In terms of Bowers as a pass game weapon, generally speaking, I think he has the potential to put up very big numbers in an offense like ours. But the problem is we have Kupp, and what we need is to boost the group overall by adding to what they can do not creating a logjam in the slot.

If Bowers falls to 19 then McVay will take him. I am certain of that because he is a slam dunk in this scheme. And then he will move them around, but for the most part Bowers will own the slot and end result will be Kupp's days of eating in the slot will be mostly over.

But if they were to hit on a young X type the WR group as a whole looks stronger. You'll still have Kupp winning more than he loses on the interior, and balanced threats outside the hash where teams need to choose their poison. So my preference, as much as I do appreciate Bowers, is that we add that X element.

If Bowers were to make it to 19, any team should take him.

 

[Flatlyner]

I think the media just got a bit too high on Thomas. He's a project. He's not in the class of those top three but he does have a really high upside. Problem is you have dipshits like Simms trying to put him in that WR1-3 range where he suffers by comparison.

Thomas vs Mitchell or Franklin (who are three guys I think are all quite similar despite being in offenses that functioned a bit differently in what they were asked to do) I think I would take Mitchell or Franklin. Reason being both those guys look better to me on the underneath shit, but also have the jets to take the top off. I didn't watch all their games of course so I am not certain. But all three offer McVay the kind of speed he probably dreams of at wideout.

Teams are very hungry for wideouts so there's a chance all three of those guys can go higher than they should. But to me they're all 20-35 types, elite talents who need polish and some growth to get to their ceilings.

Yeah Simms take was preposterous. He said he'd take Thomas over MHJ and the rest of them. That's just idiocy.

I'd have them Mitchell/Thomas/Franklin FWIW.

 

[WestCoastRam]

Yeah Simms take was preposterous. He said he'd take Thomas over MHJ and the rest of them. That's just idiocy.

I'd have them Mitchell/Thomas/Franklin FWIW.

Simms doing Simms things.

 

[Memphis Ram]

I had Mitchell over Thomas until I read about his taking plays off and blocking effort.

And I'd go Pearsall or Legette before even considering Franklin.

Speed aside, the guy I really like is Polk.

 

[DzRams]

I had Mitchell over Thomas until I read about his taking plays off and blocking effort.

And I'd go Pearsall or Legette before even considering Franklin.

Speed aside, the guy I really like is Polk.

I almost took Mitchell off my board once I heard that. It definitely doesn't sound like traits McSnead seek. I like Polk too. At the very least, he'd be Kupp insurance.

 

[So Ram]

Count me in on the Braswell pick as well. I have him mocked to the Rams at #52.

Well Bryon Young lasted until the 3rd rd.