Tag: rams draft

Day 2 NFL mock draft: Zack Baun falls to Rams in dream scenario

Zack Baun would be a steal for the Rams in the second round.

The Rams sat out the first round of the draft last night, but the top 32 picks fell just about as well as they could have for Los Angeles. Sure, there was a run on wide receivers and offensive tackles, but that was to be expected.

There was only one interior lineman taken, two edge rushers and no safeties. Four inside linebackers came off the board, but Jordyn Brooks was the only surprise of the bunch.

That leaves the Rams in a great position heading into the second round.

They still have to wait 20 picks until they go on the clock – barring a trade up from No. 52 – but the Rams have many of their top targets still available. And in this mock draft simulation, they get a dream prospect with their first pick in the second round.

52. OLB Zack Baun, Wisconsin

It may seem highly unlikely for Baun to fall to the Rams at No. 52, but it’s not completely out of the question. Dane Brugler of The Athletic has him falling to No. 49 in his Day 2 mock draft, and in multiple simulations on PFF’s mock draft machine, he was there for the Rams.

It’s still somewhat of a long shot, but with a run on wide receivers and running backs expected – and with so much talent in the secondary still available – early in the second round, the large group of pass rushers could slide.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

4 players Rams should consider trading up for in Round 2

If the Rams trade up in the second round, these four players should be targets.

Sep 1, 2018; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Cougars offensive lineman Josh Jones (74) receives the Bayou Bucket trophy at the end of the game against the Rice Owls at Rice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Rams will go on the clock Friday night with their first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft coming at No. 52 overall. But as always, there’s a chance Les Snead and the Rams will make a bold move up to get a player they covet.

Snead said Thursday night that the team will consider trading up, but it’ll come down to “a simple math formula” of whether the team wants to sacrifice later picks to go get one player.

“We all know that every now and then there’s a player that’s definitely worth it,” he said. “So, we will certainly monitor it and try to determine whether it’s best to attack or sit back and wait and take who’s there.”

If the Rams do trade up in the second round, these four players should be targets early on Day 2.

OT Josh Jones, Houston

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Jones slipping this far is one of the biggest surprises of the draft. He may need work with his technique, but Jones has all the makings of an elite left tackle. He’s long, athletic and has played a ton of snaps in his career.

Just take a look at these numbers from Pro Football Focus, which put his ability into perspective.

The Rams don’t need immediate help at tackle with Andrew Whitworth and Rob Havenstein on the roster, but Jones would help solidify the offensive line for years to come after Whitworth retires. Going up and getting Jones might just be worth it to secure the future at one of the most important positions.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Les Snead: The players Rams ‘researched a lot are still there’ after Round 1

Les Snead likes the way the draft board has fallen for the Rams.

The Los Angeles Rams are still 20 picks away from making their first selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, but they have to feel good about how the board fell in Round 1. There was the expected run on wide receivers and offensive tackles, but there’s a host of pass rushers and interior offensive linemen still available on Day 2.

General manager Les Snead spoke to the media after the first round ended and said nothing really surprised him from the first round, adding that many of the players the Rams studied a lot are still on the board.

“Nothing really, really changed today because normally where we’re picking, being a little bit later in the second round, even if somebody from this round would have fallen into early twos (second round), they were going to have to drop probably eight to 10 spots before you can make a move to go get them,” Snead said. “The players that we’ve targeted, the players that we researched a lot are still there, but what does make it interesting is we’re still 20 or so picks away. A lot of good football players are going to come off before we pick.”

The Rams don’t pick until No. 52 and 57, so they have some waiting still to do. But there’s always the possibility of going up and getting a player who drops further than expected. The Rams will weigh that option, but they also see the benefit of sitting and waiting to address multiple positions five picks apart.

“It’s a simple math formula, obviously the further you go up, the more picks you have to give. So, it’s one of those, is someone valuable enough to make you give up one of your third rounds, or do you wait a little bit and maybe give up the fourth-rounder?” he said. “It’s really probably some sort of algebra formula on if you move up, you’re sacrificing – I call it multiple players for maybe less players. We all know that every now and then there’s a player that’s definitely worth it. So, we will certainly monitor it and try to determine whether it’s best to attack or sit back and wait and take who’s there. But when you do wait, I think the strategy has to be when you’re 52 (overall), 57 (overall), you’re probably not waiting for one position, you definitely have to have multiple positions in the mix to probably make the best decision.”

The second round will surely be exciting, especially with the Rams and their two picks joining the fun. Day 2 of the draft begins at 7 p.m. ET on Friday night.

Rams should feel good about Ramsey trade after seeing draft board at No. 20

The Los Angeles Rams were without a first-round pick on Thursday night after striking a blockbuster trade for Jalen Ramsey last season, sending the Jaguars what turned out to be the 20th overall selection this year. After seeing how the draft board …

The Los Angeles Rams were without a first-round pick on Thursday night after striking a blockbuster trade for Jalen Ramsey last season, sending the Jaguars what turned out to be the 20th overall selection this year. After seeing how the draft board fell at No. 20, the Rams should feel good about the deal – even with another first-rounder going to Jacksonville.

Yes, the Rams could’ve grabbed a starting-caliber linebacker. They also could’ve taken Cesar Ruiz to shore up their offensive line, or K’Lavon Chaisson, who the Jaguars took with the 20th pick. But are any of those players really better than Ramsey? Absolutely not.

Here are some of the other players the Rams could’ve targeted at No. 20 if not for the Ramsey deal:

  • LB Patrick Queen
  • LB Kenneth Murray
  • WR Jalen Reagor
  • CB Kristian Fulton
  • CB Trevon Diggs
  • OT Ezra Cleveland

But again, none of those players would have a bigger impact on the Rams in 2020, or in the coming years, for that matter. Of course, there’s the element of his contract being up after this year, but the Rams will find a way to fit him in.

There wasn’t a cornerback, wideout, offensive lineman or pass rusher better than Ramsey available at No. 20.

Les Snead: NFL should eliminate prospect visits, keep virtual meetings for good

Les Snead has an outside-the-box idea for pre-draft meetings moving forward.

The format of the 2020 NFL Draft will be vastly different than typical drafts in recent years. There won’t be a big party at once central location. Coaches and GMs won’t be stationed together in their war rooms. Prospects won’t walk across the stage to shake Roger Goodell’s hand after they’re drafted.

All of that will be different this weekend, but one of the biggest changes to the draft process due to the coronavirus is teams’ inability to meet with prospects before they’re selected. In a normal year, teams would be allowed to bring in 30 players for visits, meeting with them and getting to know them off the field.

This year, they were limited to video calls with prospects due to travel limitations. Teams are allowed to meet with more prospects than the 30 typically allotted, but the nature of those meetings are different.

Rams general manager Les Snead doesn’t seem to mind it, though. He says the Rams were actually able to meet with more prospects than normal because of these changes.

“Interestingly, we probably were able to meet with more players than we normally do. Normally you have 30 players you can bring in. We’ve always tried to take advantage of technology and do some of these interviews via FaceTime – but we’ve tried to implement that over the last few years,” he said on the Rams’ draft preview show. “But I do think by actually ripping the band-aid off and having no visits, what we do is assign scouts, coaches – different people in our organization based on what we’re trying to accomplish with the interview – to reach out and I bet we have done a lot more of these type of interviews than the 30 that we bring here.”

Snead even took it a step further by giving the NFL a suggestion for future years. He says the league should eliminate pre-draft visits and only meet with prospects over video conference calls like they did this year.

“I’m going to go out of the box and it’s going to take a little while to do it, but I think this is how we should interview players moving forward,” he said. “We ask these players to train for the combine, they go to the combine and then we ask them to somewhat stay in shape for a pro day. And in-between all of that, we ask them to fly around the country and visit with teams.

“I think it would be best to allow those players to stay in a normal routine where they’re living at the time, get in NFL football shape and do their interviews this way.”

That sure would be a major change for the NFL, but Snead’s logic is sound. Some players are traveling around visiting 20-plus teams before the draft, all while preparing for their pro days and the combine, too.

Plus, teams are able to talk to players at the combine and the Senior Bowl, which are important interactions, too. It’s unlikely the NFL will change this aspect of the draft process, but Snead might be onto something.

Virtual draft format ‘will not hinder’ Rams from making trades

Les Snead doesn’t expect the long-distance draft format to prevent the Rams from making trades.

If you thought the virtual, long-distance format of the draft this year would prevent Les Snead from doing his usual wheeling and dealing, think again. The Rams general manager still expects to be able to move around the board just fine this weekend.

While on the Rams’ draft preview show, Snead admitted trades won’t be as smooth or seamless to make this year, but it won’t hinder the team from striking deals.

“It probably will not be as smooth or efficient, but I think it will not hinder us for, I would call it, ‘putting a governor on our character or our natural DNA,’” Snead said.

Last year, the Rams traded back three times before eventually selecting Taylor Rapp at No. 61 overall. In the first two days of the draft, Snead and the Rams made five total trades, including two trades up for Darrell Henderson and Bobby Evans.

Snead is known for being a bit-time trader and that shouldn’t change this year with the Rams’ top decision-makers stationed at their own houses. Having four picks total in the second and third rounds makes it easier to trade around, too, since those selections can easily be packages.

One thing the Rams probably won’t do is trade into the first round, which Snead called “a little unrealistic.”

Sean McVay: ‘There’s a lot of depth’ in draft at Rams’ positions of need

Sean McVay says the Rams will balance need and value in the draft.

It’s not ideal that the Los Angeles Rams don’t have a first-round pick in this year’s (or next year’s) draft, but that doesn’t mean they can’t come away with a handful of impact players on Friday night and Saturday. With four picks in the top 105, including two in the top 60, the Rams are well-positioned to improve on both sides of the ball.

Even better, this draft class is deep at several positions of need for the Rams – including wide receiver, offensive line and running back. Sean McVay pointed out that very fact on the Rams’ pre-draft livestream Wednesday night when asked about weighing need vs. value in the draft.

“It’s always a balance. For us, fortunately at some of those positions that we do feel like we need to address, there’s a lot of depth in this draft class,” McVay said. “It’s something that you’re trying to put together the puzzle and trying to figure out what’s the best way to navigate this for our football team. … It’s always a combination of both [need and value], but to say there’s not an element of ‘best player available, you don’t take into consideration the depth on your team,’ that wouldn’t be accurate, so it is a little bit of both.”

The Rams have shown in the last few years that they do prioritize talent over positional need. They didn’t reach for offensive line help last year despite that being arguably their biggest hole, selecting safety Taylor Rapp in the second round. And in 2018, with the offensive line looking strong, the Rams went with lesser-known prospect Joseph Noteboom.

That doesn’t mean they’ll go with a quarterback or tight end at No. 52 overall, but don’t rule out a running back or wide receiver if the right prospect falls to them.

5 bold predictions for Rams in 2020 NFL Draft

How many trades will the Rams make in the draft this weekend?

Part of what makes the NFL draft so much fun is the unpredictability of it all. And ironically, analysts and media members spend months conjuring up mock drafts trying to guess which prospects will land where.

This year’s draft will be especially difficult to predict because of the virtual format and the depth at positions such as wide receiver and tackle, but we’ve come up with five bold predictions for the Rams this weekend.

Even with trades expected to be tougher to complete in this virtual-style draft, we think Les Snead will be busy making deals. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if the Rams left the draft without a future left tackle.

And with that, here are our five bold predictions for L.A. this weekend.

The Rams will make at least four trades

Looking back at the 2019 draft, this probably doesn’t seem like a very bold prediction. The Rams traded back three times before making their first pick last year Taylor Rapp), and made five deals in total on the first two days. GM Les Snead has a penchant for trades, especially when it comes to moving back and accumulating picks.

With four picks on Day 2 alone, the Rams can easily make a trade or two on Friday night, moving back from one of their second-round picks to add a fifth-rounder, which they currently lack. Moving up from one of their third-round picks is also a possibility, since they have two of them.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Rams 2020 NFL Draft guide: Everything you need to know

The NFL Draft is finally here and you can find everything you need to know for the big event with this guide.

The 2020 NFL Draft has finally arrived, giving fans everywhere a live event to watch and follow during this difficult time. The Los Angeles Rams will sit out Thursday night’s action, since they don’t have a first-round pick, but they’re going to be busy on Day 2 with four picks total in the second and third rounds.

This draft guide is a way to get you ready for all the action, from the pick order in Round 1 to the Rams’ total allotment of selections in the draft. It also features links to posts worth checking out and keeping tabs on throughout the first two nights of the draft – like the big board and final seven-round mock drafts.

Draft schedule

  • Thursday, 8 p.m. ET: Round 1
  • Friday, 7 p.m. ET: Rounds 2-3
  • Saturday, 12 p.m. ET: Rounds 4-7

How to watch and stream

  • Television coverage Thursday-Saturday: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
  • Live stream: fuboTV (try for free)

Rams’ picks

  • Round 2, No. 52
  • Round 2, No. 57 (from Texans)
  • Round 3, No. 84
  • Round 3, No. 104 (compensatory)
  • Round 4, No. 126
  • Round 6, No. 199
  • Round 7, No. 234

Big Board: Top 75 players for the Rams

The big board features the 75 best prospects for the Los Angeles Rams, all of whom should be taken within the first four or five rounds of the draft.

Final 7-round mock draft

Predicting what the Rams – or any team, for that matter – will do in the draft is nearly impossible. But that’s what we attempted to do here, going all seven rounds.

“What I would do” mock draft: 7 rounds

Rather than predicting what the Rams will do, I went through a seven-round simulation and picked players I would take as general manager at each of the Rams’ draft spots.

Mock draft roundup: Who the experts have the Rams taking

Mock drafts are hardly accurate, especially when it comes to predicting what teams will do in the second and third rounds. But this roundup of projections shows there isn’t a consensus on what the Rams will do Friday night with a variety of prospects being mocked to L.A.

Rams’ draft needs by position

The Rams don’t have to address every position on their roster, but their top needs should get some attention in the draft. Offensive line help is surely on the way, as are reinforcements at inside linebacker and at edge rusher.

Trade value chart/Full pick order

The Rams trade more than most teams in the draft, so it’s important to know the value of their draft picks when it comes to making deals.

One prospect for L.A. in each round

We identified the best prospect for the Rams at key positions in each round of the draft. Check out the lists below.

20 realistic targets in 2nd round

Having to wait until the 52nd overall pick makes it hard to predict which prospects will actually be available at that point in the draft. But keeping it realistic, these are 20 prospects who could conceivably be there for the Rams in the second round.

Pre-draft meetings tracker

Teams couldn’t host prospects before the draft due to the coronavirus pandemic, but they were able to meet with them at the combine and talk to them over video conference.

2020 NFL Draft Big Board: Top 75 prospects for the Rams

The Rams are in a great position to add some serious talent to their roster.

After months of waiting and anticipation, the 2020 NFL Draft is finally upon us – in an all-virtual format with commissioner Roger Goodell announcing each pick from his basement instead of on the Las Vegas strip. It’s an unorthodox version of the draft as we know it, but the goal remains the same: build your team with young, talented prospects for the next four-plus years.

The Los Angeles Rams may not have a first-round pick, but they’re in an excellent position to fortify their roster, particularly at their many positions of need. They have two picks in the second round and two more in the third, making four selections in the top 105.

They need offensive linemen, pass rushers, linebackers and maybe some skill-position players on offense, which gives them countless options early on.

They have their draft board set with hundreds of prospects who have caught their eye, but this is my big board for Los Angeles. I tried to keep it realistic by excluding players who will obviously be gone before the Rams could have a chance to draft them, even in a trade up.

That rules out players such as Chase Young, K’Lavon Chaisson, C.J. Henderson and Isaiah Simmons. This big board is also specific to the Rams, focusing on their positions of need.

  1. C Cesar Ruiz, Michigan
  2. LB Patrick Queen, LSU
  3. LB Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma
  4. EDGE Zack Baun, Wisconsin
  5. EDGE Josh Uche, Michigan
  6. EDGE Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State
  7. EDGE Terrell Lewis, Alabama
  8. C Lloyd Cushenberry, LSU
  9. WR Denzel Mims, Baylor
  10. DE A.J. Epenesa, Iowa
  11. EDGE Julian Okwara, Notre Dame
  12. WR Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State
  13. OT Josh Jones, Houston
  14. OT Austin Jackson, USC
  15. OT Ezra Cleveland, Boise State
  16. OL Robert Hunt, Louisiana-Lafayette
  17. WR Jalen Reagor, TCU
  18. WR Michael Pittman, USC
  19. EDGE Curtis Weaver, Boise State
  20. DE Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M
  21. WR Tee Higgins, Clemson
  22. WR K.J. Hamler, Penn State
  23. LB Akeem Davis-Gaither, Appalachian State
  24. LB Jordyn Brooks, Texas A&M
  25. OT Isaiah Wilson, Georgia
  26. C Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin
  27. C Matt Hennessy, Temple
  28. OT Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn
  29. LB Willie Gay Jr., Mississippi State
  30. WR Laviska Shenault Jr., Colorado
  31. CB Jeff Gladney, TCU
  32. CB Noah Igbinoghene, Auburn
  33. CB Jaylon Johnson, Utah
  34. LB Malik Harrison, Ohio State
  35. G Netane Muti, Fresno State
  36. CB A.J. Terrell, Clemson
  37. DE Raekwon Davis, Alabama
  38. WR Bryan Edwards, South Carolina
  39. LB Logan Wilson, Wyoming
  40. DE Rashard Lawrence, LSU
  41. DE James Lynch, Baylor
  42. CB Amik Robertson, Louisiana Tech
  43. S Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota
  44. S Grant Delpit, LSU
  45. S Terrell Burgess, Utah
  46. S Ashtyn Davis, UCLA
  47. G John Simpson, Clemson
  48. WR Van Jefferson, Florida
  49. RB D’Andre Swift, Georgia
  50. RB J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State
  51. RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, USC
  52. EDGE Bradlee Anae, Utah
  53. LB Troy Dye, Oregon
  54. WR K.J. Hill, Ohio State
  55. CB Reggie Robinson, Tulsa
  56. OT Matt Peart, UConn
  57. OT Ben Bartch, St. John’s
  58. C Nick Harris, Washington
  59. G Jonah Jackson, Ohio State
  60. RB Cam Akers, Florida State
  61. EDGE Jonathan Greenard, Florida
  62. G Damien Lewis, LSU
  63. OL Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas
  64. OT Lucas Niang, TCU
  65. NT Leki Fotu, Utah
  66. RB Zack Moss, Utah
  67. LB Davion Taylor, Colorado
  68. RB Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State
  69. OT Saahdiq Charles, LSU
  70. WR Devin Duvernay, Texas
  71. LB Justin Strnad, Wake Forest
  72. LB Markus Bailey, Purdue
  73. EDGE Alex Highsmith, Charlotte
  74. EDGE Anfernee Jennings, Alabama
  75. WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, Michigan