I think Stafford is regressing yes for the most part he’s great but misses routine throws
Thoughts on drafting OT and C with 1st two picks
- Thread starter RamsOfCastamere
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Gotta get bigger up front. Hav has been steady, but is about done
Fix it McVay. You have Stafford for the rest of this year and likely one more year.
I think its more of a statement about what the Rams do after Stafford.
Stafford's savvy and skill at QB allows for games like the Eagle game......bad Oline and all. What happens when you have the same Oline and no Stafford? A rookie will get killed, lose faith and become a bust.....a veteran free agent QB will handle it better, but still fail. The NFL is littered with teams that could never combo a good Oline with a good QB.
fearsomefour
Legend
Im not bashing Avila at all...I am seriously pulling the guy. He has a ton of athletic potential.
Really hope he comes back from this injury and rolls.
If there are players in that value range, yes.
Meaning, as an example, I would not be happy with drafting a fourth round projection in the first round.
Just saying…..
Center Rankings 2026 NFL Draft
Center s prospect rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft. Breakdowns of the best Center prospects and averages of other scouting reports.
nfldraftbuzz.com
This data point is significantly skewed.
Limmer and Dedich have logged substantial snaps since Week 1—Limmer alone played 44 snaps in the opener. We've also faced three teams with elite interior pass rushers, while relying heavily on backups due to injuries. Shelton has been a liability, and we've had two backup guards—essentially turnstiles in pass protection—filling in for starters. Dotson has been in and out, not at full strength, and Avila played just 31 snaps in Week 1.
The issue with offensive line play is that one weak link compromises protection on every single snap. You don’t need five elite linemen—you need the weakest link to be at least above average.
To Merlin’s point, elite across the board isn’t necessary. For the Rams, I’d rate the line (In Pass Pro) like this…
Very Good/Elite - A
Above Average- B
Average- C
Turnstile - D
LT: Jackson
LG: Avila
C: Shelton
RG: Dotson
RT: Havenstein
OT depth: McClendon / Quessenberry
iOL depth: Dedich / Limmer
I am a bigger fan of Avila then most and believe he is way better then his PFF scores. Whenever he's healthy and I watch his snaps and grade him he consistently grades out Above Average to Very Good.
I heard Mcvay say last week that the Rams internal scores definitely don't always match PFF.
Pass Pro also heavily involves the TE and RB and in our case sometimes the WR's. We are pretty solid there.
Overall here is my point......
When healthy our Oline is really good and good enough for a deep playoff run and possible Super Bowl run.
But we have not been healthy and backups have been forced into action. What we have seen so far--And the scores reflect this-- is our Turnstile IOL backups on the interior combined with our weakest link (Shelton).
The center spot should have been addressed better then Shelton. But Mcvay did win a Super Bowl with Brian Allen who rates average just like Shelton so you can see his mindset. Shelton has also been excellent in the run game.
Next, the Rams addressed backup tackle with Quessenberry and Humphries. We will see how that works out if a tackle goes down.
Finally, the Rams did not address IOL in free agency or the draft and the backups have been terrible in pass blocking.
Personally I would be on the phones for a competent backup Guard and hope Shelton does not go down.
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Stan literally has to follow suit w Philly to be competitive. It is an arms race.
You guys have been spoiled by Stafford and have forgotten about the times where we were starting Nick Foles and Case Keenum if you're talking about drafting a center or right tackle instead of a QB. Stafford is almost done and being in QB limbo is a lot harder of a problem to get out of than fixing a couple holes on the o line.
I get your point but as others have pointed out....due to the high bust rate of QB's in the draft, sometimes it makes sense to build your Oline and surrounding cast and then find that QB via cast offs such as Daniel Jones, Darnold etc. Think of Rich Gannon back in the day who won an MVP and 4 Pro Bowls. Foles actually won a Super Bowl with the right cast. So did Flacco, Dilfer, Rypien, Brad Johnson etc.
Not to mention the cost of a top QB these days.
Yes, ideally you land that top QB in the draft. Easier said then done.
pvtdragon39
Starter
I dont think having 1 sec to throw is routine. Our O'line simply is the worst in the league.
pvtdragon39
Starter
Dotson went out and we got screwed. We will be better when we get healthy, but when is that? Seems like we are never healthy on the o'line.
pvtdragon39
Starter
Void year special is what Philly is doing. They will be paying players for 20+ years at this rate but its working.
pvtdragon39
Starter
