Kenny Vacarro

[msha]

I know lots of people here would love the Texas safety to be a Ram. While I'm not saying I don't, but a lot of the film I see on him has him playing close to the box and somewhat as an OLB or slot CB. I see him more as a Quintin Mikill type player over a Craig Dahl type player (though anyone would upgrade Dahl, really). I'm not saying I wouldn't like the Rams to draft him, because he's a great defensive player who constantly makes plays. Just want to hear everyone's thoughts. He had 5 passes defended this past year and 2 Ints. as well as 2 FFs, 3 QB hurries and 3.5 TFL. Also had 96 tackles, 59 of which were solo.

[Vinnie25]

Watching game film of him I wasn't too impressed... even though he always seems to be around the ball and has good instincts, he just doesn't make enough big plays (interceptions, fumble recoveries) for my liking. I'd much prefer Matt Elam or Rambo

[sosa39rams]

I very much like Vaccaro. All the great Safeties in the league have amazing closing speed, just like Vaccaro does. He can certainly lay the wood. Hard hitter, he is also very good in coverage. He has the size at 6'1 to cover just about any TE in the league. Whats even better is that he occassionally lines up at slot CB, showing he can keep up with slot WR's as well!

Vaccaro is as complete as a S as you'll find. He may not have the range that a Eric Berry had, but he can certainly be an all star in this league.

[TekeRam]

I'm one of those who wants us to draft a safety in the draft, but indeed, I'm looking for a free safety, Ed Reed type. While I know that we almost certainly won't get someone as good as the hall of famer, we need that ballhawking last line of our defense to make it complete.

Vaccaro was used as a strong safety at Texas for the most part, but he has the athletic skills to be a dynamic player. We will see how he compares at the combine and at the pro day, but my hope is that he played and excelled in the scheme, not that he's limited to a box safety.

[Nick]

I'm going to paraphrase what I said in my mock thread about Vacarro, then add a bit more. And as always, I preface this by saying it's still relatively early in the process, so things can change between now and April.

I think what a lot of people love about Vaccaro is his versatility. He can play center field, he can cover man to man, he can come up in run support, he can lay the wood and make big hits, he can have an impact on special teams. He is a very well rounded player, which is appealing in a league where versatility is treasured.

Vaccaro's taken criticism from some fans for not making more big plays. One thing I'd point out is that, besides Earl Thomas in 2009, Texas defenders as a whole don't typically make a lot of interceptions, at least they haven't over the last half decade or so. Is it coincidence, scheme, coaching, players? Hard to tell from a fan's point of view.

What I think is worth reminding fans of - myself included - is that when you're an improving team and you're suddenly picking in the bottom half of the first round instead of in the top few picks, then you're not going to have your pick of the elite prospects like you do when you're picking in the Top Three. The Rams had a Top Three pick for three years in a row, then had the 14th pick in 2011, and then returned to the top three last year only to trade down.

I bring this up because we as a fan base are used to looking at the best of the best as possible options for this team. Now we find ourselves in a place where this team is drafting @ 16 and 22, which means we're not likely to see many blue chip prospects on the board when these picks roll around. We're going to be taking guys who are good prospects, but have some flaws that will need correcting or some work to do. We aren't in a position anymore to hold out for the best of the best; look at the names of the guys drafted 16-22 in the last two drafts, and you'll see some good prospects but all of whom had some concerns or flaws if nitpicked for them.

Vaccaro isn't a "blue chip elite" prospect, but he is a strong one for sure, and I think under the right coaching guidance (such as the defensive staff we have here), he could really develop into a good pro player as well. I think you could say that about a lot of players, even other safeties, in this class. That's why it's important to evaluate these players, stack your board, and stick with it. Vaccaro isn't perfect, but there's a pretty reasonable case to be made that after fifteen prospects are picked, he'll be among the best available when the Rams are on the clock.

[RockinRam]

One thing I'd point out is that, besides Earl Thomas in 2009, Texas defenders as a whole don't typically make a lot of interceptions, at least they haven't over the last half decade or so. Is it coincidence, scheme, coaching, players?

It's because Texas sucks.

[shower beers]

I know it seems that a lot of people on the board are looking for the Ed Reed type cover, playmaker safety, but it seems like Vacarro fits the mold of the type of safety Fisher covets. Look at Mikell as an example. His role this year provided more in-the-box, blitzing looks and he was more of an 8th man along the front.

Vacarro seems to possess that versatility to not only help in run support, but to cover the growing number of athletic tight ends that seems to be the next trend. He'd probably be a good fit in this scheme, if we went in that direction.

[mcpeepants232003]

I don't see why he would play in the box. Isn't he very solid in coverage?

[shower beers]

I don't see why he would play in the box. Isn't he very solid in coverage?

He seems to be considered very solid all around, hence why he could both cover and manage the requirements of Fisher's safety schemes.

[mde8352gorams]

I think Nick said it best, we need to manage our expectations in this draft and others going forward (I hope). If Vacarro fits our scheme and he's the best player available we'll grab him. If Les and Jeff don't see the value at #16 they will "work the phones" trying to add more picks in subsequent rounds. I will admit to seeing mocks with Vacarro going earlier than #16, so it's not a sure bet he lasts to us.

Bottom line, we need to upgrade the safety position and I believe this draft is deep enough in safety, we can grab a solid player in later rounds. My guess is we go offense early and often in this draft.

Go Rams!

[ludairv]

I'm one of those who wants us to draft a safety in the draft, but indeed, I'm looking for a free safety, Ed Reed type. While I know that we almost certainly won't get someone as good as the hall of famer, we need that ballhawking last line of our defense to make it complete.

Vaccaro was used as a strong safety at Texas for the most part, but he has the athletic skills to be a dynamic player. We will see how he compares at the combine and at the pro day, but my hope is that he played and excelled in the scheme, not that he's limited to a box safety.

+100 , totally agree. Range , ball skills, and closing speed are all very important features we need in our new safety, especially in our division. Vaccaro does exemplify this, however i feel he doesnt have that elite athleticism like an Elam has. This is why im on the Elam bandwagon, even though i kno he has some tackling issues, i believe that can be ironed out with our awesome coaching staff.

[mcpeepants232003]

+100 , totally agree. Range , ball skills, and closing speed are all very important features we need in our new safety, especially in our division. Vaccaro does exemplify this, however i feel he doesnt have that elite athleticism like an Elam has. This is why im on the Elam bandwagon, even though i kno he has some tackling issues, i believe that can be ironed out with our awesome coaching staff.

I like Elam as well but he's also not considered as good as Vaccaro in coverage. We need a coverage safety more than we need a physical

Also Vaccaro is faster than Elam and taller than Elam so I don't see how Elam is considered a far better athlete. Plus Vaccaro probably has better ball skills as well. I just don't feel like Elam matches up with Mikell as well as Vaccaro would.

[Vinnie25]

I like Elam as well but he's also not considered as good as Vaccaro in coverage. We need a coverage safety more than we need a physical

Also Vaccaro is faster than Elam and taller than Elam so I don't see how Elam is considered a far better athlete. Plus Vaccaro probably has better ball skills as well. I just don't feel like Elam matches up with Mikell as well as Vaccaro would.

Here's a thought, why not just cut Mikell and his 9 mil salary and get both Vaccaro and Elam. Have Elam play the in-the-box SS type who delivers the hits while Vaccaro patrols centerfield as our FS. With an extra 9 million to play with, the Rams could use it to re-sign Amendola or maybe even sign a FA or two. I personally wouldn't do it (waaaay to risky for my liking), but it would give the Rams one of the youngest and most talented secondaries in the league.

[sosa39rams]

Here's a thought, why not just cut Mikell and his 9 mil salary and get both Vaccaro and Elam. Have Elam play the in-the-box SS type who delivers the hits while Vaccaro patrols centerfield as our FS. With an extra 9 million to play with, the Rams could use it to re-sign Amendola or maybe even sign a FA or two. I personally wouldn't do it (waaaay to risky for my liking), but it would give the Rams one of the youngest and most talented secondaries in the league.

Playing with 2 rookie safeties and two CB's that are 1 year pros is asking for trouble!

[Nick]

Here's a thought, why not just cut Mikell and his 9 mil salary and get both Vaccaro and Elam. Have Elam play the in-the-box SS type who delivers the hits while Vaccaro patrols centerfield as our FS. With an extra 9 million to play with, the Rams could use it to re-sign Amendola or maybe even sign a FA or two. I personally wouldn't do it (waaaay to risky for my liking), but it would give the Rams one of the youngest and most talented secondaries in the league.

Well, like you said, it's entirely too risky. There's no guarantee where any of these guys are going in the draft, so to bank on being able to land two specific prospects is quite a risk.

Also, even if the Rams cut Mikell, he's going to cost them $3 million against the cap. His salary in 2013 is $6 million but his cap cost is $9 million, likely because of prorated bonus money or what not that wouldn't be cleared by cutting him.

So now, you're essentially drafting two first-round safeties to fill two holes (and that's assuming both Vaccaro and Elam are available for those picks), including one hole you've created by cutting a guy who still counts $3 million against the cap. Anything could happen, but this seems like a bad strategy.