UPDATED - Official Clanram Draft Board (Post-Combine) - Comment Here

[BarronWade]

1997, not 1998. We won 5 games that year, then draft Wistrom...and the next yr we only won 4. When we drafted Holt in '99 6th overall we went 13-3.

Yea ur right i really got to get my facts right before posting. Il make sure i get it right next time.

Describe for me, if you will, what exactly will the game film show that classifies him as a WLB, not a MLB.

Well i want to see if he can shed blocks and get to the QB or RB. He does not have mush blocking on the outside.

And if Urlacher were in this draft, would you pass him because he didn't play MIKE in college?

Well if Curry turned out to be a bust would u still draft him? C'mon man what kind of question is this?

There's no such thing as 100% at any pick in any round in any draft.

What i meant by 100% is im not 100% sure Curry can play MLB. I am 100% sure Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe can play OT cuz they played it in college.

And Beason (who didn't play MIKE in college, btw) is the MIKE only because Dan Morgan (250) couldn't stay healthy. And before Spags was in NY, he was in Philly w/ Trotter (260) as his MIKE.

Well if your going to bring up Trotter i dont think Curry is similar to Trotter however Rey Mauluaga is.





Listen Hub there is no point in trying to sell me on Curry. Cuz i am already sold on whichever OT is the best come draft time. Right now it is Jason Smith. The reson i am sold on an OT is cuz we pay Bulger and Action Jackson so much money i rather have them on the field instead on the sidline wearing a Rams hoodie. People keep saying Bulger can be a good QB if he has protection well then why dont we give him the protection to see if he is really worth it?

Also i want the Best OT in the draft not one of the Best like Beatty cuz i dont want another Alex Barron situation.

[C-Mob 71]

I think we also need to distinguish the difference between weak side linebacker, where Witherspoon will play, strong side linebacker, where no one on our roster should play, and middle linebacker, where once again we don't have anyone that can play it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Curry wasn't a weak side LB, he was a strong side LB at Wake. So if he doesn't workout at MIKE, then he could always play his natural SAM. I know you guys(Nick) won't like drafting a SAM at #2, but if he has the talent and will fill a need and make our defense better, than why not?

[HUbison]

I think we also need to distinguish the difference between weak side linebacker, where Witherspoon will play, strong side linebacker, where no one on our roster should play, and middle linebacker, where once again we don't have anyone that can play it. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Curry wasn't a weak side LB, he was a strong side LB at Wake. So if he doesn't workout at MIKE, then he could always play his natural SAM. I know you guys(Nick) won't like drafting a SAM at #2, but if he has the talent and will fill a need and make our defense better, than why not?

You are correct, C-Mob. Even if he's not a MIKE, he's a SAM; not a WILL.

[HUbison]

Well i want to see if he can shed blocks and get to the QB or RB. He does not have mush blocking on the outside.

As a SAM LB, he was lined up across from a TE on most plays. So yea, you're going to see him stack and shed on a consistent basis.

Well if Curry turned out to be a bust would u still draft him? C'mon man what kind of question is this?

Rhetorical.

What i meant by 100% is im not 100% sure Curry can play MLB. I am 100% sure Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe can play OT cuz they played it in college.

The history of the draft is filled with names of busts who were 100% certain of playing in the position they played in college.

Well if your going to bring up Trotter i dont think Curry is similar to Trotter however Rey Mauluaga is.

Based on what? Weight? Trotter (260), Curry (254), Maulauga (249)

[Nick]

The Physiology of Mel Kiper's Hair 366

The lab part of that class was illuminating!

The idea I am trying to overcome is the notion that player position somehow dictates draft selection.

It will be impossible to completely overcome that until there's a rookie wage scale that stops the huge contracts we see right now. With money as it is, there are really only so many positions NFL teams feel they can justify dropping $50 million on right off the bat.

You bring up Urlacher, but before Curry even plays a down of NFL football, he'll be signed to a contract that surpasses Brian's. And again, that's simply not a position where NFL teams want to break the banks. QB, RB, WR, OT, CB, DE, yes. LB? Not so much.

Yes, I'd be curious why his interceptions went down by 3, PDs down by 1, sacks down by 0.5, hurries down by 2, fumbles down by 1. But I'd also be interested in how his tackles went up by 6, and tackles for loss went up by 2.5.

As would I. That being said, I think it's a bit more significant that he created four fewer turnovers than him amassing six more tackles, no? Tackles are great, tackles for loss are even better. But you don't have to spend a second overall pick on a guy who is going to get you 100 tackles, a pick, and a forced fumble.

This entire post makes it sound like I'm down on Curry. I'm really not. But this is the kind of discussion that needs to be had if we're going to break the mold and go LB in the top two when so few teams have in the past. Especially now when the money is more expensive than it ever has been.

[HUbison]

But this is the kind of discussion that needs to be had if we're going to break the mold and go LB in the top two when so few teams have in the past.

And there we are in complete agreement.

[Canadian Rams Fan]

Wow! Hub and Nick must go way back. I am always astonished at your posts with how many facts you guys bring, the arguments and the amount of quotes you guys put in your posts it makes it look like you spent hours before you posted which I am sure it is not. I just think that it is incredible and I am sure that I will learn to be this accurate one day. Just love the way yo guys pull out stats about things I never knew and would feel nervous about such as players who do not play the same position as they did in college. I mean it was unbelievable guys.

Kudos

[ecuram18]

Like it or not, drafting Curry and asking him to play a position he's never played is a risk, even if it's a minor one. Also, if I had the ability to sit in on the team interview with him, I'd be interested to hear him talk about why his big plays (interceptions, passes broken up, hurries & sacks, forced fumbles) decreased from his junior year to his senior year.

Just because his stats were slightly lower from one year to another you are suggesting that he didn't get better? Perhaps he didn't get as many FF or INTs because running backs started to cover the ball up more around him and quarter backs started to not throw his way. Just a thought. I personally think he is a future game changer. Even though he hasn't played the MIKE position since he changed from MIKE to SAM his freshman year at Wake. I think that's why he says he can play any LB position. And I believe we can get a good enough tackle with our early 2nd round pick. OR- we can leave a big whole in the defense with no established MLB or DT and pick OT 2nd overall and Hicks or Heyward-Bey early 2nd. Just know that we can't fill all of our holes this year. We just need to make smart picks, and I think our FO knows what we need and our coaches will get whoever they pick to play to the best of their ability. Wishful thinking of course. I just don't see how we can give up a guy like A. Curry. He's the hardest worker I've ever seen, and our defense won't be giving up 30 points a game and maybe give our offense better field position and maybe get them the ball more often via turnovers and punts. Overall, no matter what direction we go in the draft, I think with the staff we have, they will make it a good one!

[Rookie]

Am I just screwed up in the head? You never take a LB at the#2 overall position. Get a (shutter.... DT) Raji. Rams are trying to get BIGGER on both sides of the Line(Devaney). Unless Rams go QB I do not see anything else.

[AvengerRam]

Never?

If Lawrence Taylor is available, you don't take him? How about Derrick Thomas, Mike Singletary, Jack Lambert or Andre Tippett?

I'm a big fan of taking Raji, but Curry is the BPA in my opinion (and the opinions of many others).

[txramsfan]

You know what could be ironic about this draft? Andre Smith has the talent to be the best O lineman out of this draft in 3 years.

[AvengerRam]

True... but PacMan Jones had the potential to be the most talented CB to come into the NFL in years, and see how he self-destructed? Maturity counts.

[txramsfan]

OMG, comparing Pac Man to Andre Smith? Quit it. Just quit it. Andre is engaged to be married. he isn't in "Script Clubs". He dosen't have a posse. He isn't boozing it up and fighting his bodyguard. He talked to an agent before the bowl game and got suspended. He just got caught. I'm sure others have done the same thing.

[AvengerRam]

I wasn't suggesting they are exactly the same.

In Smith's case, my biggest concern is that he does not seems to get (or does not care about) the gravity of his current situation. When I hear about a player choosing not to work out at the Combine, leaving early, and then showing up at a Pro Day out of shape, that worries me.

[HUbison]

I'm sure others have done the same thing.

Did others show up at the Combine out of shape, to the point they refused to work out? Did they remain out of shape for their Pro Day?

No, he hasn't been arrested for anything. But neither was Jimmy Kennedy. Smith has a maturity issue that may or may not be overcome. And yes, he beat up on college kids the past couple of years (w/ exception of Robert Ayers, who ate his lunch). But he will have to step up his game at the next level, which will require a step up in preparation, work ethic, determination, and maturity. Will he? I don't know, but do the Rams want to take that chance when there are others of equal level with less risk?