jrry32 Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 After McVay's hire of our new defensive coordinator, I think it sheds some light on the direction in which our defense is heading in 2020. As always, I create my mocks based on my understand of the philosophies of our coaching staff and personnel office. However, I am not trying to guess what the Rams will do. Rather, I am offering a scenario that I think would be a good one if I were in their shoes. I tried to change up the players a bit to expose y'all to more names. I still love guys like Josh Uche, David Woodward, Tyler Biadasz, Quintez Cephus, etc. Cut S Eric Weddle HB Malcolm Brown I wish I could cut Weddle more than once. I'm so fed up with his performance. With Brown, we expect Henderson to take a leap in Year 2, so we can let Brown walk. Re-sign K Greg Zuerlein OT Andrew Whitworth OLB Dante Fowler Jr. (Franchise Tag) DL Morgan Fox All Practice Squad Players All ERFAs Yes, we're letting Littleton walk. I don't take pleasure in that, but we have to make hard decisions. Littleton's price tag is too high for me. He's a good but not elite ILB. Whitworth has announced that he wants to return. It makes logical sense to bring him back. It'll give Noteboom additional time to recover from his injury. We franchise Fowler with the plan to trade him. Trades Rams trade OLB Dante Fowler Jr. Dolphins trade Round 2 Pick #24 and a 2021 Round 4 Pick The Dolphins have a ton of picks this year and could use pass rush help. They also have the cap room to extend Fowler. He's still young at 25 years old and just put together a strong season. He's also a Florida native who fits well into Flores' scheme. Rams trade WR Josh Reynolds Bills trade 2021 Round 5 Pick In this mock, we keep Robert Woods, but we still have a lot of mouths to feed in the passing game. Reynolds is entering the final year of his deal, so we flip him to Buffalo for a future 5th (to compensate for the 5th we traded to Cleveland). Rams trade CB Nickell Robey-Coleman and Round 7 Pick #20 Bengals trade Round 6 Pick #1 The Bengals' slot CB, Darqueze Dennard, is a FA. NRC is still a quality slot CB who fits Cincy's scheme. With Ramsey, Hill, Long, and Darious Williams, we have enough depth and talent at CB to trade NRC and save a few bucks on his salary. Rams trade: Round 2 Pick #24 and Round 4 Pick #20 Redskins trade: Round 3 Pick #2, Round 4 Pick #2, and Round 5 Pick #2 We trade down with the Redskins. Free Agency Stephen Weatherly OLB Weatherly has been stuck behind Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter in Minnesota, but I think he's an underrated player. At 6'5" 265, he seems big for a 3-4 OLB at first glance, but he's an athletic big man who played 3-4 OLB in college. Personally, I think he's an underrated player who could break out if given a larger role. He's a really good run defender on the edge who has the athleticism to drop into coverage when needed. His pass rush potential isn't entirely clear at this stage, but he has shown flashes when given PT in Minnesota. I think he has the potential to be a real bargain for us. NFL Draft Round 2 Pick #20 - Zack Baun ILB Wisconsin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73sKroRZcZ4 Analysis: Two-year starter who posted 75 tackles, 19.5 TFLs, and 12.5 sacks as a senior playing as a 3-4 OLB. Due to Wisconsin's scheme, he has a lot of coverage snaps over the past two years. His athleticism, cover skills, instincts, and size (6'3" 240) all indicate to me that Baun would be a phenomenal 3-4 ILB in our scheme. He has a lot of similarities to former Badger Joe Schobert, who made the transition from 3-4 OLB to MLB in the NFL. Round 3 Pick #2 - Matt Hennessy C Temple https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORw-BpgoOjk Analysis: In my opinion, he's the second best Center in the Draft behind Biadasz. Although, I've seen some have Cushenberry or Ruiz as the top two centers. Hennessy needs to continue bulking up, but he's already a polished technician with outstanding athleticism. I was quite impressed with how coordinated Temple's protection was as well. He's the only Center in this class on Biadasz's level as a technician, but Hennessy is the better athlete, while Biadasz is bigger and stronger. Round 3 Pick #20 - Jonathan Greenard OLB Florida https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1hStFgQYXI Analysis: I think Greenard is a guy who will see his draft stock take a bit of a hit at the Combine. I don't think he's a standout athlete, but he's a very savvy player with a great motor and a polished pass rush game. A number of pass rushers in this class could learn a lot from watching Greenard's footwork. He really understands how to vary his path and use feints and stutters to get tackles out of position. At 6'4" 260, he's capable of setting a hard edge too. Durability is a concern, though. Round 4 Pick #2 - Leki Fotu DL Utah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmMC7wdX7VY Analysis: What can you say about the 6'5" 330 pound freakishly gifted Samoan? Fotu is sushi raw, but you can't teach his size, strength, and explosiveness. He's going to need a good bit of a polishing, but he should be able to play immediately on running downs as a 5-Tech. Like Akiem Hicks, if this kid develops and puts it together, he'll be an absolute force as both a run defender and pass rusher. Round 4 Pick #34 - Van Jefferson WR Florida https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zISypVVXVU4 Analysis: The son of former NFL WR turned NFL WR Coach Shawn Jefferson, Van is a very polished player. His varied route tempos, arsenal of releases, quick-twitch athleticism, crisp routes, and heady play make him a very difficult guy for CBs to cover. Van also possesses natural, reliable hands. He's not a stellar athlete, but due to his quickness and coordination, he doesn't need blazing speed. However, his thin frame and lack of play strength hinder him against physical CBs and in jump ball situations. Round 5 Pick #2 - Anthony McFarland HB Maryland https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxB6yvpFBmo Analysis: It's hard to say where McFarland will go in the Draft, but if he falls this far, you sprint to the podium. McFarland is just a phenomenal athlete. He's twitchy, fast, and explosive. He's surprisingly strong for a smaller HB and possesses impressive contact balance. He also flashes a lot of potential in the passing game. Ultimately, he looks like a kid who could develop into a hell of a change of pace HB. Round 6 Pick #1 - Josiah Coatney DL Ole Miss https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgxYXZY7lgI Analysis: I must say that Coatney flew under my radar, but I was quite impressed watching his film. He has a lot of intriguing tools and could play all over our front (from 0-Tech to 5-Tech). Coatney is quite strong and heavy-handed. He shows a more diverse set of pass rush moves than you expect, and his push-pull move can be quite devastating due to how jarring his punch is. He needs to play with more consistent leverage and work not to get washed out in the flow on zone-stretch plays, but the kid has a lot of potential and versatility. Round 6 Pick #20 - Stephen Sullivan TE Louisiana State https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAzCzOMsFQc Analysis: Sullivan is an intriguing project to me. He bounced back and forth between WR and TE for LSU. At 6'6" 250, he has a lot of developing to do, but he has tools. He doesn't have the quickness to play WR and needs to play more physically as a route runner if he's going to stick at TE. But he's a willing blocker with long arms, big mitts, and consistent hands. He also has better wheels than your average TE. He just needs a lot of polish as a blocker and router runner. Projected Starters QB: Jared Goff HB: Todd Gurley WR: Brandin Cooks WR: Robert Woods WR: Cooper Kupp TE: Tyler Higbee LT: Andrew Whitworth LG: Competition C: Matt Hennessy RG: David Edwards RT: Rob Havenstein SDE: Sebastian Joseph-Day NT: Greg Gaines UT: Aaron Donald OLB: Clay Matthews ILB: Competition ILB: Zack Baun OLB: Stephen Weatherly LCB: Jalen Ramsey RCB: Troy Hill SLCB: David Long Jr. FS: John Johnson III SS: Taylor Rapp K: Greg Zuerlein P: Johnny Hekker LS: Jake McQuaide 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LARams91 Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Love me some Zach Baun. Not a super exciting of season in terms of big time talent, but it all makes sense. I'd prefer to keep Fowler but I get why we'd trade him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeotheLion Posted January 25, 2020 Share Posted January 25, 2020 Really like this. In this mock, we'd still have a some $ leftover, right? Essentially just draft picks, Whit, and Weatherly. I think that is probably where the team would track to work on Ramsey and Kupp's extensions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrry32 Posted January 25, 2020 Author Share Posted January 25, 2020 2 hours ago, LeotheLion said: Really like this. In this mock, we'd still have a some $ leftover, right? Essentially just draft picks, Whit, and Weatherly. I think that is probably where the team would track to work on Ramsey and Kupp's extensions. Yes, we'd have a good bit of money to work some extensions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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