The Rams' Shrewd New Regime

**AvengerRam** · -05-01-2006

Entering the weekend, the Rams had a pick in each of Day 1's three rounds, and one fourth round pick. Had they stayed with those picks, and selected Tye Hill, Joe Klopfenstein, Jon Alson and Victor Adeyanju, I would have said it was a good draft.

But the shrewd and aggressive new Front Office team, which includes a strategist of increasing reputation in Scott Linehan, and an experienced and aggressive coach in Jim Haslett, the Rams turned those four picks into six.

The first move, trading down from 11 to 15 was a masterstroke. The planning phase started a couple of weeks ago, when the Rams FO convinced many "in the know" that they were targeting Jay Cutler.

Now let's consider this for a moment... the Rams are a team with a Pro Bowl QB (Bulger), an experienced backup who started most of last year and had a winning record (Frerotte) and a second year man who won an NFC Player of the Week award last year in his first game (Fitzpatrick). Despite all this, the FO managed to convince everyone that they were a threat to take Cutler at 11. Brilliant!

Denver took the bait and the Rams moved down four picks and still ended up with the guy they wanted in Tye Hill.

Then, with the extra pick obtained, the Rams drafted Claude Wroten - a player that, but for his off-the-field troubles, probably was a mid-to-late first rounder.

Hill and Wroten for pick 11. Not bad.

Then, the FO managed to pull two trades that allowed them to add a third rounder to the mix in Dominique Byrd, to get rid of dead weight in Manumaleuna, and to still pick a player in the fourth round - Victor Adeyanju - who many gave a Round 3 grade.

Draft choices are unknown commodities - we all know that. So how do you enhance your chance of getting good players? Well, one way is to get more choices - and if you can do so while giving up nothing more than Brandon Manumaleuna and a 6th Round pick...?

Well, that makes you shrewd.

***BIG-BLUE*** · -05-01-2006

Very good draft. The front office, & Linehan & co. did a great job on working together targeting players & picking up value/pick at each draft position. Was a little disappointed with the Hill pick at 1st but i'm warming up to it the more i read on him & hear about him. And i love the Alston pick-up. If hes moved to saftey look out this kid can hit with force.

***Drew4EverRams*** · -05-01-2006

with the 1st round pick,altho i rate hill very highly as a CB i would personally have picked up someone like greenway or carpenter for our SLB slot!
however i trust linehan,haslett & co to know what they doing and Hill is certainly a player that has risen the standard of our CB`s!

wanted Klop in secon round,got him,glad!

Wroten in round 3 is player im probably hyped most over,he is round 1 quality as a player that no one was showing faith in because of past off field issues,he says they are a thing of the past but no one other than linehan&co put faith in him,so Wroten is not only 1st round quality but is gonna want to prove the rest of the NFL that they were wrong to pass on him and is gonna have a lot of love for the rams for showing faith in him!

**HUbison** · -05-01-2006

Well, that makes you shrewd.

Amen, AV!!! This has to be one of your best posts of all time.

Linehan and the FO handled this draft beautifully. Wroten for free, and Byrd for Manu and a 6th........that's just brilliant!

Linehan gets a big thumbs-up from me.

***coy bacon*** · -05-01-2006

I gotta agree with Av, I like the way they played the other teams to get that extra 3rd. Some peeps say they could have gotten more, but hey, a free 3rd is excellent!

***tomahawk247*** · -05-01-2006

The one player i always wanted from the draft that we had a legitamate shot at getting, we got. I didnt care who else we picked as long as they filled need positions. But getting the Klopf will be a godly move, he will pretty much complete the offense.

Also, i love shipping Manu, and getting him for a forth rounder!

The eagles traded Hollis Thomas and a fourth rounder for another fourth, we just out right traded Manu for a forth. Thats some good dealing.

***MauiRam*** · -05-01-2006

But getting the Klopf will be a godly move, he will pretty much complete the offense

.

I was initially bummed we traded down and passed on Bunkley or Ngata, but getting the Klopper was SWEET! This is a guy who brings it all: size, speed, great hands, terrific work ethic and attitude.

Hopefully Wroten will pan out, and I will completely forget that we passed on one of those guys. It was definitely a gamble, but if it pays off, as Av noted earlier it will be two for the price of one!

**r8rh8rmike** · -05-01-2006

Shrewd new regime is absolutely right. You may not agree with every pick, but there is no doubt that the entire organization is working in unison with a clear, precise vision and making moves accordingly. This is the stuff success is made of.