Av's Rams Mock (Version 3.0) Post-Senior Bowl

[RAMarkable]

A little of both. I also saw Raji play a couple of times this season, and was impressed. In the end, my change was based on three factors (1) the Rams really need a true NT, (2) the OT crop is deeper than the DT crop, and (3) at this point, there is no player clearly at the top of the OT chart. Andre Smith has great talent, but I want to see how he does in the Combine before I'm convinced he's an NFL LT.

After reading the glowing reports on Raji (from multiple sources) I, too, was intrigued with him as a future Ram. But what kinda cooled my fire was reading that his best position as a pro will probably be as a NT in a 3-4 defense. Of course now that Spags is on board that is completely out of the question. So we need to discover if Raji can be a good fit for the Rams 4-3 configuration or not.

P.S. Totally agree with your assessment of Andre Smith. I just keep thinking that he reminds me of Leonard Davis or even (horrors!!) Mike Williams. Frequently these big fat guys are just that-big and fat- and they lack the requisite athleticism to play a position where it is absolutely necessary to succeed. Time will tell on Smitty but I need to be convinced that he is the real deal.

WHAT SAY YE?

[AvengerRam]

Raji played in a 4-3 at Boston College. I don't see how he's only a 3-4 guy.

[RockinRam]

1. Raji did dominate in the Senior Bowl. He would make our whole d-line better just by taking up space and getting double teamed. He is also very big. Your statement about Raji making our two first round picks (Long and Carriker) better is true.

2. Beatty is a solid tackle, and will benefit from learning under Pace for a year. This guy is good a pass-blocking and run-blocking, which we won't get from Andre Smith as he gets beat by speedy pass rushers.

3. Luigs is a solid pick here. He should be able to start from day one and boost the solidity of our interior. I want to see him and Greco plug our interior up.

4. Rhett Bomar is a nice pick here. I would also consider Nathan Brown here also. Didn't Donnie Avery come from Sam Houston State also?

5. Mike Thomas is a questionable choice here. We really don't have the need for a small receiver, as our need for a big, redzone target is more important. If Ramses Barden falls down to here, I would definitely take Barden. A running back could be also considered here, like Arian Foster.

6. Johnson is a great pick. Brannon Southerland may also be here, and Southerland is a pure blocking fullback.

7. Nice pick here. Holtzclaw is very underrated. He's a tackling machine similar to Scott Mckillop. Holtzclaw also has good size as you mentioned.


All in all, great mock here.

[itsguud]

AV... not bad at all. But with a D-minded HC coming in and perennially our biggest hole being our LB core on D, don't you think he'll want to address that earlier then round 7?

[Goldenfleece]

I know. A kid in college drinking. Who ever heard of such a thing.

I don't fault him for drinking; I fault him for poor judgment. The first time he got caught, it was a party. No big deal. Boys will be boys. The second time everybody knows he's underage because he just got in trouble for it a few months before and he's out drinking at a public sporting event where he is likely to be recognized. All the while he's breaking regulations by taking money for a job he doesn't go to, which is the same kind of thing OU got in big trouble for back in the '80s. Switzer lost his job over it, so Bomar should have known that Stoops wasn't going to be able to protect him if he got caught. And here he is attracting negative attention to himself with his indiscretions. Sure enough, he gets caught on the no-show job thing, too, and his father starts taking swipes at Stoops for throwing Rhett under the bus.

To me, the overall picture is a guy who doesn't use good judgment and doesn't learn from his mistakes.

[Bald_81]

If Detroit does pass on a QB with #1, would the Rams be crazy not to take one? I mean, if Detroit takes one, then throw the option right out the window. However, if they didn't, wouldn't taking one for the future be best? I don't want to hear about either Stafford/Sanchez not being ready or either isn't worth that pick because if I could dig up the stuff that was being said about Matt Ryan pre-draft it wouldn't be pretty. Besides, they would obviously sit the entire year and we would let Bulger play out essentially his last season as a Ram (if we took a QB).

As previously stated, with the depth at OT (get a guy like Beatty, Britton or Kropog at the top of Round 2), would we be crazy not to take one of the QBs? This is building for the future. Spagnuolo doesn't need to win now like Linehan did last year, and he had a franchise QB in NY while he was there as well as in Philadelphia. The only way I would go against taking a QB there is if we get an overwhelming offer to trade down. If we're at #2 and the Lions pass on one, and we have a QB high on our board, we would be insane to pass. Am I the only one that feels this way?

I'll add this alternative as well: If we were to pick up an OT in free agency (I'll throw Gross out) like Vernon Carey, Mark Tauscher, Khalif Barnes or Stacy Andrews, would that change anyone's opinion if they were against the option above?

[Weddle]

I'd like to see us go OT/LB/S, or OT/S/LB personally.

I can't see us taking B.J. Raji after picking Carriker 2 years ago!

[AvengerRam]

AV... not bad at all. But with a D-minded HC coming in and perennially our biggest hole being our LB core on D, don't you think he'll want to address that earlier then round 7?

That's the thing about doing a full 7 round mock draft for a 2-14 team. There are a lot of holes you'd like to fill, but its really not possible to do so (particularly at the top of the draft).

My thought here is that a guy like Raji, playing side by side with a healthy Adam Carriker, would cause a great deal of disruption on the line, allowing the LBs (even the crop currently on the roster) to play much better.

With this drat, LB could also be a FA target. I stll like the idea of a short term deal with a guy like James Farrior, who could fill the MLB role until the Rams groom a younger player.

[AvengerRam]

If Detroit does pass on a QB with #1, would the Rams be crazy not to take one? I mean, if Detroit takes one, then throw the option right out the window. However, if they didn't, wouldn't taking one for the future be best? I don't want to hear about either Stafford/Sanchez not being ready or either isn't worth that pick because if I could dig up the stuff that was being said about Matt Ryan pre-draft it wouldn't be pretty. Besides, they would obviously sit the entire year and we would let Bulger play out essentially his last season as a Ram (if we took a QB).

Whether or not you want to hear it, neither Stafford nor Sanchez is the prospect that Ryan was last year. I do think the Rams need to take a QB (and I have one in this draft), but I don't think there is anyone who merits the second pick overall, particularly given the number of other needs the Rams have at this time.

That's not to say that the Rams definitely won't take a QB. They might "fall in love" with one of the top guys and make a move for the long-term future rather than going for a player who can help right away.

That wouldn't be my choice, though.

[AvengerRam]

I can't see us taking B.J. Raji after picking Carriker 2 years ago!

Why? They don't play the same position. Carriker is a UT. Raji would be a NT. They would not be in competition, but rather would compliment one another.

[laram0]

I'd like to see us go OT/LB/S, or OT/S/LB personally.

I can't see us taking B.J. Raji after picking Carriker 2 years ago!

I would like to see go either OT/DT/C or DT/OT/C....

[Weddle]

Why? They don't play the same position. Carriker is a UT. Raji would be a NT. They would not be in competition, but rather would compliment one another.

Fair point, I just felt that the D-Line in general was an area that wasn't a pressing weakness in comparison to others.

Like you mentioned in a previous post, with a 2-14 team there are a lot of holes to fill (or areas to improve) and expending another pick on a DT, albeit a NT, not UT, would be tough for many fans to handle.