Rams mailbag: Value of No. 52 pick? Plan at ILB?

Answering Rams fans’ questions with three weeks to go before the draft.

The 2020 NFL Draft is less than three weeks away and while the details of the event have not yet been determined, it’s scheduled to take place on time from April 23-25. The Rams are most likely finishing up their evaluation of the class’s top prospects, finalizing their draft board and making their last calls to players for FaceTime meetings.

They’re most likely done in free agency after making a few big signings – primarily Andrew Whitworth and Michael Brockers – but the roster-building is hardly finished.

This week’s mailbag focuses on the Rams’ free agency activity, as well as a few positions of need that still must be addressed. Now, let’s get to the questions, which were submitted on Twitter.

This wouldn’t be surprising at all. According to Drafttek’s trade value chart, the 52nd pick is worth 380 points. If the Rams move down to No. 63 with the Chiefs and pick up the 96th pick. Or, they could slide down just four spots and add Nos. 154 and 185.

There’s a lot of value in moving down, especially since the Rams don’t have a fifth-rounder. Getting that back by dropping a few spots could be worthwhile.

According to Over The Cap, the Rams have only $2.91 million available. That doesn’t count Michael Brockers’ deal, nor Leonard Floyd’s. Depending on how those are structured, the Rams are likely to be right up against the cap, or possibly even over it. If they’re projected to be over it, they’ll need to make a move, such as restructuring Jared Goff’s deal.

The $2.91 million also doesn’t include Todd Gurley’s $5.5 million savings, which will be reflected on June 2. So in other words, the Rams have only pocket change left.

Because of the Rams’ limited cap space, I don’t expect any more notable moves to be made in free agency. They simply don’t have the money to bring in any surefire starters, especially after re-signing Brockers.

Instead, I think they’ll roll with their current group of linemen and maybe add a rookie or two to the mix. At linebacker, it’ll probably be a combination of Micah Kiser and either Kenny Young, Travin Howard or a draft pick.

A) Matt McCrane and Austin MacGinnis from the XFL should get a look, as could Stephen Gostkowski. If not them, potentially a rookie like Rodrigo Blankenship.

B) Floyd’s deal hasn’t been reflected yet, since it hasn’t been signed and as a result, we don’t know the details of it. See above for cap info.

C) If the Rams don’t sign a free-agent kicker, most likely, yes. With the way they’ve been looking into rookie running backs, they’ll probably draft one, too.

D) Gay is someone I’d consider in the third or fourth rounds. He’s an intriguing linebacker prospect with great athleticism who would fit nicely with the Rams.

E) The Rams like to get deals done right before the season, so it’s possible we’ll see one or two signed in July or August.

They’ve spoken highly of Kiser, who’s penciled in as one of the starters right now. However, as you pointed out, having too much trust in young and unproven players can backfire in a big way. They’d be wise to bring in an experienced veteran or two at some point to not only provide competition, but act as contingency plans.

Perhaps Littleton just didn’t want to go back to the Rams. It’s possible the allure of no state income tax played a role, too, even if the Rams offered more money.

In all likelihood, the Rams probably saw Littleton’s asking price as too high and focused their attention elsewhere. But to be clear, I’m surprised they let him walk for such little money, relatively speaking.

I think if Havenstein is on the roster, he has to be a starter. He’s making more than $8 million per year, and the Rams aren’t going to pay him to ride the pine at that cost.

He could still be traded, which would open the door for Evans and David Edwards to compete at right tackle. I just think with his contract, it’s hard to imagine Havenstein being a backup.

It’s also worth noting that Evans got a lot more help at right tackle than Havenstein did.

I think it’ll either be a pass rusher or an offensive lineman. However, the Rams often use a best-player-available approach, which causes them to not address needs, but take the top prospect at that spot.

I highly doubt they trade up, A) because it’s not something Les Snead usually does with his first pick, and B) they simply don’t have much draft capital in order to make a move up. They only have two picks in the top 100 and four in the first five rounds.

It will be better, but it still won’t be good. They’re projected to have a little more than $51 million in 2021, which is 10th-lowest in the NFL. And that’s with John Johnson, Cooper Kupp and Jalen Ramsey on the books, since all three will be free agents.

I don’t expect Cooks to be traded at this time, just because of the salary cap implications that will come from dealing him. It’ll cost the Rams $1 million more to trade Cooks than it will to keep him.

I do. The Rams have good depth at cornerback, but Hill has earned a starting job and none of the players below him on the depth chart are better at this time. It’s possible someone like David Long could beat him out this summer, but I’d write Hill’s name in ink at CB2.

The Rams have said they’re going to unveil their uniforms later this spring with that reportedly being after the draft. So if that’s the case, I don’t think they’ll coincide with the Chargers’ reveal.

They probably want to make this a public event, too, the way the Titans did, which isn’t possible in the current climate.