If Dolphins take Vernon Gholston, what will Rams do?

[Falconator]

Given Jeff Ireland's newsconference and the "Miami will look for player to be 'pillar of our defense' comment" - we can argue if it was rehearsed or actual slip-up - but for this argument, let's assume its real.......given that, here is my question to you - Rams Fans......

(obviously, this would be dream scenario for Rams if Dolphins take Gholston)

Who will the Rams take at #2 given their top three choices on the board in:

Jake Long
Chris Long
Glen Dorsey

Obviously that is a "dream scenario" for you guys......it would make us Falcons fans smile as well because it would "guarantee" us either Jake Long or Glen Dorsey and the consensus in the A-T-L is Jake and Glen are either 1,2 on our board(in no particular order).

So, who ya takin'?

[Ramblin` Ram]

Jake Long over Glen Dorsey in a heart beat!

Between the two Longs thats a closer call...ive been high on Chris Long for a long time but Jake is closing the gap since the combine etc...as before then i didnt think he could be as good a prospect as Joe Thomas was,but now i reckon he is.

i do believe DE is the greater need but Jake is possibly the better player at their respective positions!

[39thebeast]

I think the orginization is in love with Jake Long and would love to have him. I think they would go with him over Dorsey becuase he is a bigger need. I feel Chris Long is kinda falling and everyone else is on the up swing. Don't know why that is becuase he is still an excellent player

[Falconator]

I think the orginization is in love with Jake Long and would love to have him. I think they would go with him over Dorsey becuase he is a bigger need. I feel Chris Long is kinda falling and everyone else is on the up swing. Don't know why that is becuase he is still an excellent player

a few comments from "media" I have heard lately are:

scouts think Chris Long is maybe "as good as he's gonna get" - in other words, productive player but little "upside".

also, in CNNSI - I think Don Banks said their are "hard feelings" between Howie Long and Al Davis - said he did not think Raiders would take Chris Long........I still think Jake goes #1 to Miami.....it just makes too much sense as offensive tackle is their biggest need - by far. I also still think that you guys need DE the most......as of today, here is what I think:

1. Miami - Jake Long, OT
2. St. Louis - Chris Long, DE
3. Atlanta - Glen Dorsey, DT
4. Oakland - Vernon Gholston, DE
5. Kansas City - Matt Ryan, QB
6. NY Jets - Darren McFadden, RB
7. New England - Keith Rivers, OLB
8. Baltimore - Leodis McKelvin, CB
9. Cincinnati - Sedrick Ellis, DT
10. New Orleans - Dominque Rogers-Cromartie

anyway, that is the way I see it today.....obviously Miami could take Gholtson or Chris Long and you guys could take Jake Long or Glen Dorsey.....very, very hard to predict right now....hopefully the Falcons can trade down if Jake and Glen are off the board.

[Ramblin` Ram]

surely you guys need a QB starter (Matt Ryan) if Dorsey is gone after trading Schaub and dog killer being locked down??

[Falconator]

surely you guys need a QB starter (Matt Ryan) if Dorsey is gone after trading Schaub and dog killer being locked down??

Ramblin Ram,

Of course the Falcons need a starter at QB.....the questions that I, and most falcons have is this:

1. Is Matt Ryan a franchise QB worthy of the #3 pick overall?
2. Is Matt Ryan appreciably better than Brohm, Henne and Flacco(all who can be had in late 1st/early 2nd round).

That, my ramblin' friend are the questions we have - feel free to give Falconater your answers....

[tomahawk247]

Falconator, that reasoning is why i see Ryan sliding down the draft. He has been talked up loads mainly because he is considered the best QB in the draft and QBs are obviously important. But thats the only reason he was ever really talked about as going in the top 5, not because he was a top 5 talent. I dont see players like Brohm or Flacco being clearly worse than Ryan, and thats the reason i expect teams in need of a QB like the Falcons or Ravens to wait until the early second round to grab one.

[Mooselini]

I hope Chris Long, but for some reason I'm actually starting to believe that the Rams don't want him...

[Bar-bq]

Ramblin Ram,

Of course the Falcons need a starter at QB.....the questions that I, and most falcons have is this:

1. Is Matt Ryan a franchise QB worthy of the #3 pick overall?
2. Is Matt Ryan appreciably better than Brohm, Henne and Flacco(all who can be had in late 1st/early 2nd round).

That, my ramblin' friend are the questions we have - feel free to give Falconater your answers....

Here's what I wonder. How close are these players on the Falcons draft boards? I think the genreal rule for drafting quarterbacks is that if you don't have a franchise quarterback, and you have the chance to grab one, you don't pass that chance up. But if Ryan is graded similarly to Brohm, Henne and co. then you'd have to think finding your "franchise" QB might be worth the wait, in favour of picking up greater talent earlier.

That also makes Matt Ryan a viable option for Kansas City at pick 5 if they're not sold on Brody Croyle. I'm not sure how much they like him, but if he's there, certaily, he's tempting if they can't trade down. I still think he's far from their number one priority. Legitimately, Kansas have to come out of this draft with two or preferably three starting offensive linemen. Perhaps poor line play gives reason to the poor play of last season's Kansas Quarterbacks, but you have to question the value they can find along the OL at pick 5. Is Brandon Albert or Ryan Clady worth that high of a pick?

[Ramblin` Ram]

Ramblin Ram,

Of course the Falcons need a starter at QB.....the questions that I, and most falcons have is this:

1. Is Matt Ryan a franchise QB worthy of the #3 pick overall?
2. Is Matt Ryan appreciably better than Brohm, Henne and Flacco(all who can be had in late 1st/early 2nd round).

That, my ramblin' friend are the questions we have - feel free to give Falconater your answers....

3rd overall may be a bit of a reach value wise but i think if i was art black,id want to draw a line under micheal vick as soon as possible! i think i rate Matt Ryan as a better prospect than most do,when i grade a QB i dont tend to be blown away by one particular aspect of their game,rather the complete package.

e.g. lots of people were too inlove with jemarcus russells strong arm..same with vick and his mobility..and overlooked their many poor qualities.

with matt ryan he does ALL the things well..not eye-catching but he will get the job done and you wont have any charactor issues!

henne & flacco etc...maybe their ceiling is higher but they are not as NFL ready as Ryan and tho in say 2 years they may be,i think its more of a risk to presume that players will develope than picking one that you can be sure of...

Brohm is an interesting one..was seen as the best qb prospect whenever he decides to come out of college...has he gone down in talent or are folks just fed up of talking about how good he is and decided to just knock on him to say something new? im sure he regrets not coming out last year now!

i have to admit that last season i didnt get to see as much college football as i have in the past,so i have been looking at what i read more than what ive seen with my own eyes!

[Falconator]

3rd overall may be a bit of a reach value wise but i think if i was art black,id want to draw a line under micheal vick as soon as possible! i think i rate Matt Ryan as a better prospect than most do,when i grade a QB i dont tend to be blown away by one particular aspect of their game,rather the complete package.

e.g. lots of people were too inlove with jemarcus russells strong arm..same with vick and his mobility..and overlooked their many poor qualities.

with matt ryan he does ALL the things well..not eye-catching but he will get the job done and you wont have any charactor issues!

henne & flacco etc...maybe their ceiling is higher but they are not as NFL ready as Ryan and tho in say 2 years they may be,i think its more of a risk to presume that players will develope than picking one that you can be sure of...

Brohm is an interesting one..was seen as the best qb prospect whenever he decides to come out of college...has he gone down in talent or are folks just fed up of talking about how good he is and decided to just knock on him to say something new? im sure he regrets not coming out last year now!

i have to admit that last season i didnt get to see as much college football as i have in the past,so i have been looking at what i read more than what ive seen with my own eyes!

I'm no QB scout Ramblin' Ram - but here is my "report" on Ryan....

• has the intangibles, cool under pressure, leader
• smooth delivery on short-to-intermediate routes
• decent scrambler
• cannot throw a tight spiral
• throws a "poor" deep ball - has to loft it a lot!
• will never complete 65%+ of passes
• his ceiling is probably "Hasselbeck" - good but not great player

Matt Ryan is a "decent" player.....but if you were a Falcons fan and you could get a potentially "great" player like Glen Dorsey or Chris Long - it would be hard for you to want a mid first rounder on talent at #3 overall.

If I thought Matt Ryan was Elway, Favre, McNabb, Steve Young, etc. - I would jump all over him......but, it would make me sick to my stomach if we grabbed Ryan at #3 overall and Brohm/Flacco went much much later and ended up being better QBs

anyway, those are my thoughts....

[RAMarkable]

I hope Chris Long, but for some reason I'm actually starting to believe that the Rams don't want him...

Actually, I would expand your comment to include nobody in the top 5 at this point. I mean you can all but cross off the Dolphins, Falcons, Raiders, and Chiefs from the list of C. Long candidates. Prediction: If the the Rams pass on Chris Long, he will drop to the Jets at #6. I'm starting to think that when teams look at Chris they say Grant Wistrom-only 10 years younger. And I think we can all agree that Mr. Wistrom, while a decent player, in no way, shape, or form is worthy of a top 5 pick in this draft.

WHAT SAY YE?

[Falconator]

Actually, I would expand your comment to include nobody in the top 5 at this point. I mean you can all but cross off the Dolphins, Falcons, Raiders, and Chiefs from the list of C. Long candidates. Prediction: If the the Rams pass on Chris Long, he will drop to the Jets at #6. I'm starting to think that when teams look at Chris they say Grant Wistrom-only 10 years younger. And I think we can all agree that Mr. Wistrom, while a decent player, in no way, shape, or form is worthy of a top 5 pick in this draft.

WHAT SAY YE?

yeah, but another comparison might be "Patrick Kerney" the stud for the Falcons with the non-stop motor - left for Seahawks last year and had like 14 sacks.......now, if Chris Long = Patrick Kerney then I think he would be worthy of a "top 10" pick if not "top 5".......and, IMHO Chris Long is more like Kerney than Wistrom...

[Nick]

If the Dolphins take Gholston, the Rams will probably take Jake Long, plug him in immediately at right tackle, and then look for a defensive end in the second round. I'd prefer we address DE with our first round pick, but I'm more willing to wait if we're using that pick to address another need area.

[harrydog]

Actually, I would expand your comment to include nobody in the top 5 at this point. I mean you can all but cross off the Dolphins, Falcons, Raiders, and Chiefs from the list of C. Long candidates. Prediction: If the the Rams pass on Chris Long, he will drop to the Jets at #6. I'm starting to think that when teams look at Chris they say Grant Wistrom-only 10 years younger. And I think we can all agree that Mr. Wistrom, while a decent player, in no way, shape, or form is worthy of a top 5 pick in this draft.

WHAT SAY YE?

I'm thinking you might be correct on this one. As good as Long's numbers are and as productive as he was in college, I'm beginning to have the feeling that most teams are not viewing him as a "special" enough player to make him a top 5 pick. I'm not saying that I necessarily agree with that. I'd be perfectly fine with the Rams taking him. But now it's not looking like he is their guy as much as it did awhile ago.
But this is what I love about the draft. The varied opinions. The uncertainty. The rumors. The smoke. The suspense.
It's great!