Only SLIGHTLY early mock draft 2015

[27mtrcougar]

Update 31 December 2014

So now that we know that we pick 10th, we can start to make decisions on who is gone and who we go after in free agency. We all know Bradford will be back. We all know Jake Long, Davin Joseph and Scott Wells will be gone. Most likely Person and Washington will move on as well. Good chance Langford will be cut. Britt and hopefully Barksdale will be back. McCloud will probably move on somewhere else as well.

This leaves a couple of holes:
Starting RG
Starting FS
O line depth
LB corps depth

Based on that, I have revamped my opinion of the off season/free agency/draft focus for the Rams just slightly

1. Sign Mike Iupati or James Carpenter to play RG
2. Sign Malcom Smith to play OLB
3. Sign Casey Matthews to backup JL55 at MLB
4. Sign a couple of young veteran offensive linemen for depth (not older broken guys like Joseph)
5. If Barksdale does not resign, draft an OT in round 1. If not, look at OLB/DE (Ray, Mauldin,Fowler) or even CB (Waynes)
6. Draft Reese Dismukes to play Center (I like Barrett Jones, but he is versatile and good for the bench)
7. Draft a QB in round 3 (Petty,Grayson or Carden)
8. Find a Free Safety late in the draft for depth purposes. I think they may go to war with Barron or Joyner as FS next year if McCloud leaves.

We absolutely don't know if Sam will be back. If he doesn't like what the Rams offer him he very well might let the biding war begin with all the QB needy teams. He is by far the best FA QB out there. I could see a Sanchez Schotty reunion next year

 

[ksudodger]

You are nuts... listen to his presser yesterday. He is a RAM!! He will be a RAM. They are going to ask him to take a cut, but they will NOT undercut him. They WANT him here. He will get somewhere between 3-5 million for the last year of his deal and then IF he stays healthy and has a good year, he will look for big money in 2016. I will buy you tickets to week 1 if Sam Bradford is not on the Rams roster to start the season other than because of injury.

 

[ksudodger]

So this draft is assuming we resign Barksdale and sign Iupati or Carpenter. I traded from 10-18 and got a 2nd and a 3rd. I kinda like this:

Your score is: 5172 (GRADE: A-)

Your Picks:
Round 1 Pick 18 (S.D.): Shane Ray, DE, Missouri (A)
Round 2 Pick 10: A.J. Cann, OG, South Carolina (A)
Round 2 Pick 18 (S.D.): Reese Dismukes, C, Auburn (A)
Round 3 Pick 10: Eric Kendricks, ILB, UCLA (B+)
Round 3 Pick 18 (S.D.): Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor (A-)
Round 5 Pick 10: Corey Robinson, OT, South Carolina (A)
Round 7 Pick 30: Rannell Hall, WR, UCF (A)

 

[27mtrcougar]

You are nuts... listen to his presser yesterday. He is a RAM!! He will be a RAM. They are going to ask him to take a cut, but they will NOT undercut him. They WANT him here. He will get somewhere between 3-5 million for the last year of his deal and then IF he stays healthy and has a good year, he will look for big money in 2016. I will buy you tickets to week 1 if Sam Bradford is not on the Rams roster to start the season other than because of injury.

I listened to it. he said contract talks are up to his agent. Agents usually want the most money possible. why would he take 5m a year when he might get 8m from say Buffalo? where are your tickets??

 

[ksudodger]

Here is the problem with your theory. The Rams are not going to outright CUT Bradford. He will not have a chance to negotiate with any other teams. He is still under contract. It is just a matter of how much he and his agents will allow the Rams to defer (i.e. he will still get paid the 17 million he is owed this year, just not all this year). He will be starting for the Rams week 1. And really, do you really think any team besides the Rams is going to pay someone coming off TWO ACL surgeries much more than $5 million?? Come on man.

By the way, I will buy you decent seats. Lower bowl at least... deal? Be safe tonight. Even if I do not buy you seats (which I won't have to) I want to tailgate with you!!

 

[27mtrcougar]

Here is the problem with your theory. The Rams are not going to outright CUT Bradford. He will not have a chance to negotiate with any other teams. He is still under contract. It is just a matter of how much he and his agents will allow the Rams to defer (i.e. he will still get paid the 17 million he is owed this year, just not all this year). He will be starting for the Rams week 1. And really, do you really think any team besides the Rams is going to pay someone coming off TWO ACL surgeries much more than $5 million?? Come on man.

By the way, I will buy you decent seats. Lower bowl at least... deal? Be safe tonight. Even if I do not buy you seats (which I won't have to) I want to tailgate with you!!

Sam has the leverage in this. He is under contract. So either the Rams pay him the 14m they owe him or they can cut him. if they offer him 5m and his agent thinks Sam can get more then that from all the other teams out there then they can tell the Rams no. his agent will say either pay us the 14m or cut him. there is no doubt someone will pay him 6-8m with incentives. its a business we all know this. you don't have to buy me seats man I hope your right.

 

[27mtrcougar]

sorry didn't see the tailgate part. that would be cool man!! I have a Sam Tshirt I always wear lol

 

[ksudodger]

Yeah we need to make that happen in 2015... all the STL SportsHoopla guys getting together either to tailgate or maybe at BPV to watch the game.

As for Bradford, I think at the end of the day they will meet in the middle and give him 7 million this year (with some games played incentives) and defer the other 10 million over a few years. I know SJ does not think so, but I feel if Sam can stay healthy that with the team they have built, they are a playoff team.

 

[Smed55]

sorry didn't see the tailgate part. that would be cool man!! I have a Sam Tshirt I always wear lol

Well, isn't that a surprise?

 

[ANGELAKERAMS]

Here is the problem with your theory. The Rams are not going to outright CUT Bradford. He will not have a chance to negotiate with any other teams. He is still under contract. It is just a matter of how much he and his agents will allow the Rams to defer (i.e. he will still get paid the 17 million he is owed this year, just not all this year). He will be starting for the Rams week 1. And really, do you really think any team besides the Rams is going to pay someone coming off TWO ACL surgeries much more than $5 million?? Come on man.

By the way, I will buy you decent seats. Lower bowl at least... deal? Be safe tonight. Even if I do not buy you seats (which I won't have to) I want to tailgate with you!!

Not if he gets injured again

They may need to sit him in preseason to make sure he makes it to week 1.

 

[zeke2829]

sorry didn't see the tailgate part. that would be cool man!! I have a Sam Tshirt I always wear lol

HOLLY CRAP!......he's even got SAMMY underwear! What Next??

 

[27mtrcougar]

HOLLY CRAP!......he's even got SAMMY underwear! What Next??

Thats right i had them custom made with a big "S" like super man but we really know who its for.

 

[UVA_Guy81]

 

[Smed55]

That's "our" boy, gotta love him!

 

[ozarkram]

 

[27mtrcougar]

I found this. i really like it.

The 2014 season, and 2014 itself, are under wraps, at least for the Rams. Another disappointing season, but that wasn't entirely unexpected. Very few teams in the NFL would be competitive with their starting QB going down for the year before the season even starts. So how can the Rams improve the team heading into the new year? Lets take a look at a few of the moves that I'd love to see St. Louis make. Keep in mind, not all of these moves would be possible, given the cap situation (which won't be fully known until the NFL announces the new cap, and players are cut to save cap space).

Cuts:

I think that at this point, cutting Jake Long is a no brainer. He's scheduled to count for $10.5 million against the cap in 2015, and only $2.5 million is guaranteed, so cutting him saves $8 million in 2015, and $8.75 million in 2016. He hasn't been able to stay healthy, and, while he was good last year, this year he was atrocious, and one of the primary reasons that Sam Bradford wasn't able to play this season.

Coming off his second ACL tear in as many years, and with the presence of Greg Robinson on the roster, I don't see the Rams bringing him back, at least not at his current salary. $10.5 million is a lot to pay for a guard, especially one that may not be healthy to start the season.

Scott Wells is also a likely cap casualty, in my opinion. Cutting him saves $3.75 million against the cap in 2015, and he'd only account for $1 million in dead money. I think all Rams fans can agree he's been pretty awful when he's been on the field, and he hasn't been on the field all that much in the time he's been in St. Louis. There are better options out there for the Rams to look at.

Kendall Langford, while not a bad player, is an expensive backup for a team that can't afford expensive backups in 2015, and in the next few years with rookie contracts expiring for some of their best young players. As his contract currently sits, he'd count for $7 million against the cap in 2015, and cutting him saves the team $6 million. I see him getting cut, as Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers have the starting jobs locked up for the foreseeable future.

Isaiah Pead is most likely gone. He's not going to see the field with Tre Mason, Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham on the roster, and cutting him saves $940,650 against the 2015 cap.

Finally, Sam Bradford is most likely going to be cut. He will also most likely be re-signed. Currently, he projects as a cap hit of $16.58 million. Cutting him drops that figure to $3.595 million, saving the team $12.985 million. Realistically, he probably re-signs for 1 year, $5 million, possibly with incentives for playing time/productivity. We'll call it $7 million if all incentives are met, so cutting then re-signing him saves the team $5.985 million against the cap. That projection may be a little high, but it also might be a little low.

Altogether, these cuts save the Rams $24,675,650 against the 2015 cap. Keep in mind, I'm not going to get into where the Rams sit with the cap after 2015 raises are factored in for players under contract. I'll leave that to Dubs, he's got a lot more experience with salary cap projections than I do.

Rams Free Agents:

Few of the Rams upcoming free agents are guys that I feel should be re-signed. Kenny Britt, Joe Barksdale, and Rodney Mcleod are players that I'd like to see back with the Rams in 2015, in some cases only because the alternatives aren't all that appealing.

Kenny Britt can expect a raise after a solid 2014 season. Will the Rams bring him back? Possibly, and, at least in my opinion, hopefully. I'd expect he'd get a bit of a raise after being paid $1.375 million in 2014. A raise to $2 million a season for 3 years with performance incentives wouldn't be out of the question, especially with a lot of big name WR expected to hit the market if they aren't tagged by their respective franchises.

Joe Barksdale is one of those where the alternative doesn't look much better. He was solid in 2013, and underwhelming in 2014. If the Rams can't improve their RT situation in the draft, Barksdale isn't a bad option on a 3 year, $4.5 million contract.

Rodney Mcleod started to impress me towards the end of 2014, and I think the coaches like him. He'll probably be back. Look for him to get somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.5-2 million a year.

So, lets assume that the Rams, after re-signing those guys, have around $19 million in cap space left. Again, these are projections, they may be high, they may be low, they're the best guestimate I could make.

Free Agents:

There are a few free agents that I would love to see the Rams pursue this offseason, and a couple of them are guys that I think the team should focus on most.

QB: Jake Locker. Jake Locker is a great buy low candidate in my opinion. He was drafted ahead of where he should have been, by a team that was drafting that high for a reason, and it wasn't only because they didn't have a QB. Locker realistically should have been a 2nd round pick in 2011, but the Titans were so desperate for a quarterback, they opted to take him at #8 overall. He hasn't been able to stay healthy, but his talent is undeniable. He's a mobile QB with a rocket attached to his shoulder. Unfortunately, that rocket seems to use North Korea's guidance system, as his accuracy leaves something to be desired. But, on a 1 year deal to be a backup for $1 million or so, it might be interesting to see if the Rams QB coaches can fix his accuracy issues. I would rather see someone like Locker be the backup in St. Louis, than someone like Hill, if for no other reason than there is room for growth with Locker. With Hill, what you saw this year is what you get.

OG: Mike Iupati. Iupati is 27 year old former pro-bowl guard. Signing him immediately improves the Rams, and immediately hurts the division rival 49ers. He'll probably get something like 4 years, $16-18 million. This is one of the guys that feel the Rams should focus on getting. The 49ers will more than likely use their franchise tag on Michael Crabtree. That makes it a good bet that Iupati will be available to the highest bidder. With the coaching in San Francisco being a huge question mark after Harbaugh left, Iupati may be ready for a change in scenery.

C: Stefen Wisniewski. Stefen Wisniewski is pretty high up on a lot of Rams fans wish lists, and he's the other player that I feel the Rams should focus on getting this offseason. Oakland may use the Franchise Tag on him, but if they don't, expect Snead to make a hard push for him. He's young (25), and he's a damn good center. I'd expect a 4 year, 14 million contract to get him making snaps for the Rams in 2015.

2015 NFL Draft:

The Rams hold the #10 overall pick in the 2015 draft (I'm sure you all knew that). This team doesn't have a ton of needs, most of their needs are on the offensive line, or at quarterback, but QB is unlikely to be filled in the first round, since the top 2 will be off the board before #10, and the next few aren't worth the #10 pick. In this wish list, I'm not looking at trades, since they're almost impossible to predict.

1.10: Brandon Scherff, OT/G

This pick fills a hole if free agency doesn't go as well as we'd like, and even if it does, it provides a backup for the 2015 season at multiple positions, while also providing a player who can step in if one of the other offensive linemen don't play to expectations. Solid pick in an area of need. The 2014 Cowboys showed what a great offensive line can do for a team.

2.41: Dak Prescott, QB/A.J. Cann, OG

Either of these picks would be fine with me, as they both fill a need and/or provide depth. Prescott is a dual threat QB who needs to sit behind a starter for a year before being given the reins, but he has the talent to be the rare franchise QB drafted after the first round. A.J. Cann is an impressive guard who provides depth in 2015, and can compete for a starting job, or take over for a salary cap casualty, in 2016.

3.8: Sean Mannion, QB

Sean Mannion would be my choice if Prescott isn't the pick in round 2. He's a true pocket QB who can make all the throws. He's got the arm strength, accuracy and decision making ability to be an NFL QB. He slips to the 3rd after a disappointing (for him) season in 2014, but was one of the nation's best QBs in 2013.

 

[27mtrcougar]

plenty of QB competition and this would fix our OLine!! what do you think KDoger. i would go best QB in the 3rd probably vs the second. would rather have a another stud linemen

 

[ksudodger]

I agree 100%. 3rd round is where we should look at QB, even if we sign Iupati,Carpenter or Wisnewski. If we make a big free agent O line splash, we can maybe even have the luxury of waiting at #10 to see if Amari Cooper or Shaq Thompson fall to us to make us even stronger. I still say that the Stone Cold Lead Pipe Lock of the Century that will make the Rams O line better for the next decade is not necessarily the OT we get in round 1, it is REESE DISMUKES the Center from Auburn in round 2. Dude is flat nasty but is a leader.

As for the QB's, in round 3 my choices for the Rams would go like this in order: Bryce Petty, Garrett Grayson and Sean Mannion. I mean I would not be upset if we somehow got Hundley or Prescott in round 2 except it means we WON'T get my boy Dismukes. I, like you, just think we can get better value with another lineman in round 2 and go QB in round 3.

 

[27mtrcougar]

I agree 100%. 3rd round is where we should look at QB, even if we sign Iupati,Carpenter or Wisnewski. If we make a big free agent O line splash, we can maybe even have the luxury of waiting at #10 to see if Amari Cooper or Shaq Thompson fall to us to make us even stronger. I still say that the Stone Cold Lead Pipe Lock of the Century that will make the Rams O line better for the next decade is not necessarily the OT we get in round 1, it is REESE DISMUKES the Center from Auburn in round 2. Dude is flat nasty but is a leader.

As for the QB's, in round 3 my choices for the Rams would go like this in order: Bryce Petty, Garrett Grayson and Sean Mannion. I mean I would not be upset if we somehow got Hundley or Prescott in round 2 except it means we WON'T get my boy Dismukes. I, like you, just think we can get better value with another lineman in round 2 and go QB in round 3.

I agree. If you could guarantee me just Scherff and Dismukes with Barksdale resigning I think i would be happy with the draft. our line would be nasty. Robinson, Schreff, Dismukes, Saffold, Barksdale.

 

[ksudodger]

Robinson, Schreff, Dismukes, Saffold, Barksdale.

Personally I like the look of Robinson,Saffold,Dismukes,Iupati,Scherff....