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As some of you may know, our own NickSeiler is kind of like Mel Kiper, without the bad hair. If you want draft info, he's your man, so I thought I'd start a Q&A thread:
Ask the DraftNick
I'll lead off with this one:
Nick, which "on the bubble" underclassmen do you think bear watching as players who could potentially impact the Rams draft, either as players the Rams might be interested in, or as players who might bump others down to the Rams?
That's debatable at times.Quote:
Originally Posted by AvengerRam
Well, picking at 8th overall, there are really only a handful of guys who could come out and impact what we do, either by pushing other players down or by being someone we're interested in. I'll list a few of the top underclassmen that will impact the top ten of the draft.Quote:
Originally Posted by AvengerRam
- Mario Williams, DE, NC State - If the Rams had a shot at drafting this beast out of NC State, I don't think they'd pass up on it. He doesn't move like a guy who's 6'7" and 285 pounds. He's quick off the line and has great natural skills. Keep in mind that if Williams comes out, which I think he's pretty much a lock to do at this point, that's going to push Boston College senior DE Mathias Kiwanuka down, making him the second defensive end on the board at this point.
- Ahmad Brooks, LB, Virginia - Brooks has had a horrible junior campaign, but that doesn't change the fact that he's arguably one of the best linebacker prospects in this draft. However, unless he walks on water at the NFL Combine, it's going to be hard for me to see a team in the top ten taking a shot on him unless they really feel he can meet his potential. If Brooks for some reason decides not to come out and return to school to try and be one of the top LBs in 2007, then the undersized D'Qwell Jackson from Maryland and Iowa's Abdul Hodge will be fighting it out as the top MLB prospect, neither of which look to go above the late first to early second round at this point.
- Vince Young, QB, Texas - The Rams are not, or should not, be interested in Vince Young. But if you look at the seven teams that pick before them, at least four of them could be interested in upgrading at the QB position with either USC's Matt Leinart or Vince Young. Teams like Tennessee, New Orleans, the NY Jets, and Houston could all potentially select a quarterback with their first pick. If Notre Dame signal caller Brady Quinn declares - which at this point I think is a longshot - then the top ten gets even more packed.
- Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon - He should be the second defensive lineman off the board after Mario Williams, should both of them declare. And I've heard he's practically a lock to come out. He has a massive frame (6'6" 338 lbs), and reportedly is the strongest player to ever come out of Oregon in school history. He would be great in a two-gap system that allows him to use his strength to manhandle an opposing lineman. Right now, he projects as a top ten pick, and could easily be selected by a team like Oakland or maybe even San Francisco if they wanted to beef up at the NT position.
Nick,
What do you here about AJ Hawk of Ohio State? I saw him play against Vince Young and Texas and he seems to be a damn good LB and he leads that defense which is what they need on that side of the ball.
OK, I'll bite.
Considering the outcome of week 17's games, and the probable position we draft in (I'm thinking 7 or 8), and the variable of an unknown HC, what position is the most likely one to be addressed by the Rams with our first pick?
Nick, I've got three questions.
1. Who's the #2 LB at this point.......Greenway or Ryans?
2. On the small college front, what have you heard of Harding University's strong safety, Torrence "Tank" Daniels (6'4", 245, 4.52)
3. Who are you wearing?
I'm not so sure about Vince Young coming out. I think he stays for his SR for two reasons:
1. He doesn't have the passing game quite yet for the pros.
2. The University of Texas should be better next year than this year if that's possible.
Hawk is a beast. No doubt he's the best linebacker prospect in this draft, and a surefire top ten pick, unless he does something drastic like break his leg against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. The only real knock on Hawk is that he's a little on the short side. But for being 6'1" he's been able to pack on a good bit of weight onto his frame, and is a sideline-to-sideline player with great tackling ability. He's pretty decent in coverage when asked to play against a tight end or running back, and is a team leader. Hawk is an ideal linebacker prospect with great upside as a pro, and I think as of right now, he's the only first round linebacker the Rams should think about taking at the 8th overall position, and though I've been vocal about getting a DB in round one because of the depth at LB, if we have a shot at Hawk, I'd definitely take him over any DB in this draft.Quote:
Originally Posted by denverram
You have to think that if the Rams bring in a new coach, it's going to be a defensive-minded coach. So with that in mind, I think it's going to be either LB or DB, with DE bringing up the rear. The Rams have a chance to grab someone like AJ Hawk or Jimmy Williams at 8th overall, and I think those two guys have to on top of their board.Quote:
Originally Posted by RamsFanSam
I don't think we have a realistic shot at Mario Williams, but if I had to put him in there, I'd put him between the two formerly mentioned players just because Super Mario is a great prospect and Jimmy isn't a sure fire cornerback prospect. I'm not that high on Boston College's Mathias Kiwanuka, so if Mario is off the table, I'd wait and address defensive end in the second or third round rather than take Kiwi.
1. I think it has to be Greenway until Ryans does something to knock him out of that position, but it's a lot closer than many may think. Greenway has not only the size advantage, but he's faster and more athletic. Ryans has the advantage in instincts I think, and a good combine performance could push him above Greenway, who is sometimes criticized for not being around the play as often as he should be.Quote:
Originally Posted by HUbison
2. Honestly, not much, but you often don't hear a lot about these small school guys until you get closer to the draft. Based on his size, I would think he might project better as an outside linebacker, if only because you don't see many DBs at the pro level that are 6'4". Then again, from his picture, I think he's probably closer to 235 than he is to 245, and he would need to pack on some more weight to that frame in order to play closer to the line at the pro level.
3. Steve and Barry's carpenter jeans. :D
He very well could stay. It's still up in the air, as far as I know. A lot could depend on what happens in the national championship game. I would have to think that if he performs well and Texas pulls out a win, then Vince Young is gone.Quote:
Originally Posted by txramsfan
Nick,
Give me your top three choices (in order) that you believe will fall near the Rams selection in the first and second rounds.
First RoundQuote:
Originally Posted by RamWraith
1) AJ Hawk, OLB, Ohio State - Declaring juniors on both sides of the ball could push Hawk down from Top Five to Top Ten
2) Jimmy Williams, DB, VA Tech - Should be a good pro corner, but could be a great pro safety.
3) Haloti Ngata, DT, Oregon - Second best D-line prospect, but may not be selected in the top seven due to need and value.
Second Round
1) Abdul Hodge, ILB, Iowa - Hard to find a glaring weakness in this borderline first round prospect.
2) Ray Edwards, DE, Purdue - Mid-to-late Day One prospect who could move up boards with solid combine.
3) Davin Joseph, OL, Oklahoma - Has potential at both guard and tackle with good smarts and technique.
I think if Hawk is gone in the first round, then we should look for a D lineman then hope Ernie Sims from FSU drops to us in the second round.
I'm really not that high on Ernie Sims for the Rams. Between his off the field incidents and his size (5'11", 220 lbs), I don't think he's somebody we shiould go after.Quote:
Originally Posted by txramsfan
Nick,
Are there any TE's in this years draft who you think the Rams should take?
If Leonard Pope is available for the second round pick, should the Rams select him?
Quote:
Originally Posted by RAMMAN68
First, if Leonard Pope is available in the second round, we should not only select him, but trade up to ensure we get him. I doubt Pope falls out of the first. Really, I expect three tight ends to be taken in the first - Marcedes Lewis (UCLA), Leonard Pope (Georgia), and Vernon Davis (Maryland). But I wouldn't spend a first round pick on any of them, only because we have bigger needs on defense that can be addressed. However, should any of them be available in the second, while probably unlikely, it's surely something we should pounce on and not pass up.Quote:
Originally Posted by RamJackson39
As for tight ends we might have more realistic shots at, I like Joe Klopfenstein (Colorado) somewhere on Day One of the draft. At 6'6", he has the kind of height you look for in the redzone. He has pretty good speed for a tight end, and has the kind of hands you look for in a pass-first offense like our's. He needs to improve his blocking, but is probably no worse in this area than Manu is currently, and would be a nice fit for us.
On Day Two, I wouldn't mind seeing the Rams take a shot at a guy like Jeff King (VA Tech). There isn't one area that King really stands out in, but he seems to be pretty decent at everything. I've watched him make some pretty good red zone catches, and while he's not someone you're probably going to expect to be your long-term starter, he might surprise you. He's the kind of guy I think you look at late on the second day if you haven't addressed the position yet in the draft.
Obviously you'd also have to look at guys like Tim Day (Oregon) and Dominique Byrd (USC) as late Day One or early Day Two options as well, although I'm not sure I'm really that high on either of them. Probably Day more than Byrd.
Speaking of TE's, what about a smaller TE like Tulsa's Garrett Mills to move to the slot or H-back spot?
And, why is Notre Dame's Anthony Fassano not getting more press? He seems like a quality TE.