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2021 off-season discussion


BStanRamFan

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I would say our top needs this offseason are:

-ILB

-Deep Threat WR

-IOL

-Whit Replacement

-EDGE

With those 5 needs identified, we have 3 picks in the 2nd/3rd round combined, and should be able to bring in 1-2 FA's. Who do we like to fit those roles?

  • I really like Dylan Moses from Bama in the 2nd. I think he can be a vocal leader and add the LB piece we've been missing with Donald and Ramsey as the other voices of the defense.
  • John Ross from Cincinnatti has been thrown around, but also Will Fuller and Kenny Stills come to mind. In the draft, I love Tutu Atwell. Can he be the next Tyreek Hill? And Amari Rodgers from Clemson.
  • Creed Humphrey is a name popping up alot. Same with Quinn Meinerz after his Senior Bowl. Larry Warford would be welcomed in FA.
  • Hamilcar Rashed Jr. is someone I love in the 3rd/4th at EDGE. I think a one year vet looking to cash in similar to Floyd/Fowler would want to come to LA. So Clowney comes to mind.
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4 hours ago, BStanRamFan said:

I would say our top needs this offseason are:

-ILB

-Deep Threat WR

-IOL

-Whit Replacement

-EDGE

With those 5 needs identified, we have 3 picks in the 2nd/3rd round combined, and should be able to bring in 1-2 FA's. Who do we like to fit those roles?

  • I really like Dylan Moses from Bama in the 2nd. I think he can be a vocal leader and add the LB piece we've been missing with Donald and Ramsey as the other voices of the defense.
  • John Ross from Cincinnatti has been thrown around, but also Will Fuller and Kenny Stills come to mind. In the draft, I love Tutu Atwell. Can he be the next Tyreek Hill? And Amari Rodgers from Clemson.
  • Creed Humphrey is a name popping up alot. Same with Quinn Meinerz after his Senior Bowl. Larry Warford would be welcomed in FA.
  • Hamilcar Rashed Jr. is someone I love in the 3rd/4th at EDGE. I think a one year vet looking to cash in similar to Floyd/Fowler would want to come to LA. So Clowney comes to mind.

I actually love all of those options, although I think Fuller will be out of our price range. Warford is one of my favorite targets this year. 

For edge, I like the trend we've been going with. Take a guy who had potential but never amounted to it, put him on a defense with AD, and let him flash. Fowler hasn't done much since leaving and while Floyd might do a little better, I don't think he'd be worth the money. We'll need to get someone cheaper than we did with Floyd last year though.

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4 hours ago, BStanRamFan said:

I would say our top needs this offseason are:

-ILB

-Deep Threat WR

-IOL

-Whit Replacement

-EDGE

With those 5 needs identified, we have 3 picks in the 2nd/3rd round combined, and should be able to bring in 1-2 FA's. Who do we like to fit those roles?

  • I really like Dylan Moses from Bama in the 2nd. I think he can be a vocal leader and add the LB piece we've been missing with Donald and Ramsey as the other voices of the defense.
  • John Ross from Cincinnatti has been thrown around, but also Will Fuller and Kenny Stills come to mind. In the draft, I love Tutu Atwell. Can he be the next Tyreek Hill? And Amari Rodgers from Clemson.
  • Creed Humphrey is a name popping up alot. Same with Quinn Meinerz after his Senior Bowl. Larry Warford would be welcomed in FA.
  • Hamilcar Rashed Jr. is someone I love in the 3rd/4th at EDGE. I think a one year vet looking to cash in similar to Floyd/Fowler would want to come to LA. So Clowney comes to mind.

I think that is the main ones on my list. I'd only at TE2 if Hopkins is going to be a complete dud. Maybe a FB if McVay wants to incorporate that next year.

My preference on the deep threat would be to get them cheap. Day 3 WR or cheap FA. Fuller would be too expensive for me because the trio we have is a strong one. We'd probably just need a burner to run 15-20 routes a game to stress the defenses vertically. If DJax is cut he'd probably be who I'd target.

The dream EDGE is Von Miller but he's likely only cheap enough if his legal issues are too messy.

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1 hour ago, LeotheLion said:

The dream EDGE is Von Miller but he's likely only cheap enough if his legal issues are too messy.

Von will be cheap, compared to what he is making right now for sure. And while it’s a bad look for him, not much has come out since that first report, so I’d bet he signs somewhere closer to Camp.

Von is about to be 32, and if he can have a bounce back year, maybe he can cash in on a final 2/3 year deal to end his career. Who knows but I’d bet we would be in his list when he is looking to come back

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Sorry @BStanRamFan, split your post into a new topic and get some discussion going about possible needs.

Offensive line - I think just about any position on the offensive line is a need. Still looking for Whitworth's successor and new a center if Blythe leaves.

Deep threat WR - I don't think we should be going for any big name FA or using a high pick here but someone like John Ross.

Linebacker - Travin Howard will be back from injury but we're still not sure what we have in him. Upgrades over Reeder, Young, and Kiser are needed. I'd be okay using our first pick on Moses or Surratt.

Edge rusher - Leonard Floyd probably departs in free agency, as does Ebukam. Hopefully Terrell Lewis can stay healthy and make a big leap. Others here are Obo, Justin Hollins, and Derek Rivers.

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Every one of our starting OLine will be either retired or a free agent by the end of the 2022 season and our cap situation isn't the best the next few years. Draft picks will need to be spent there or current depth will need to step up. 

C- If Corbett moves inside then Guard moves up the list but even Corbett is a free agent after 2021.

G- Edwards is slated to be our LG this year and is a free agent after '22 but he played well in his time there. Corbett was our RG and adequate as a guard but he's a free agent after this year and the guys behind him in Evans and Demby are either bad in Demby or again free agent after 2022. 

RT- Havenstein is a good run blocker and adequate in pass protection unless he's up against a good speed rusher but again is a free agent after '22

LT- Whitworth is great but we're year to year with him and retirement and we have yet to see him say definitively if he'll be back or not next year let alone the year after. Our primary backup to him was Noteboom who looks from game tape to be more of a RT or swing tackle depth not a starting LT and the other guy who took snaps in practice is Anchrum not sure he's the long term answer there. 

After that you could say ILB, Edge, WR that isn't a Kupp/Woods/Jefferson clone and a CB behind Ramsey and Williams. I think we'll see more nickle with Ramsey Williams and our 3 safeties. So Safety could move up the list if Fuller is our slot/nickle CB. 

 

 

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Some of the WRs I like in the draft that should be available for us are Nico Collins and Trevon Grimes. Both are big guys who can stretch the field and make plays in the red zone. A good Reynolds replacement. 

 

 

 

 

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8 hours ago, BStanRamFan said:

I would say our top needs this offseason are:

-ILB

-Deep Threat WR

-IOL

-Whit Replacement

-EDGE

With those 5 needs identified, we have 3 picks in the 2nd/3rd round combined, and should be able to bring in 1-2 FA's. Who do we like to fit those roles?

  • I really like Dylan Moses from Bama in the 2nd. I think he can be a vocal leader and add the LB piece we've been missing with Donald and Ramsey as the other voices of the defense.
  • John Ross from Cincinnatti has been thrown around, but also Will Fuller and Kenny Stills come to mind. In the draft, I love Tutu Atwell. Can he be the next Tyreek Hill? And Amari Rodgers from Clemson.
  • Creed Humphrey is a name popping up alot. Same with Quinn Meinerz after his Senior Bowl. Larry Warford would be welcomed in FA.
  • Hamilcar Rashed Jr. is someone I love in the 3rd/4th at EDGE. I think a one year vet looking to cash in similar to Floyd/Fowler would want to come to LA. So Clowney comes to mind.

I'm not ordering this in terms of how I'd prioritize filling the needs, but in terms of which I feel are the most pressing needs at the top.

1) IOL
    - I prioritize this most because it's most directly affecting the most other positions on the unit.  We've seen that Havenstein plays to (at least damn close) the level of his contract when playing alongside a mauling RG.  Improving the IOL stands to improve by effect the RT position, the running game, the ability to hold the point-of-the-spear of the pocket, and - I would argue - the ability of the TE's to be able to produce, because less need to have the TE chip to help out Havenstein because he's not having to worry about helping out the RG before concerning himself with his own assignment, the quick the TE can get out into their own route-tree.  This, in turn, helps increase TOP for the offense, which gives the defense additional rest (less need to rotate guys in and out) and lends into towards dictate opposing game-script.

2) ILB
    - More so I think this is a case of us needing a chessmaster/defensive-QB type in the middle of the defense.  That's instincts over athleticism for me.  Is athleticism ideal?  Sure.  Do you pay a little bit of a premium to get it if the opportunity presents itself?  Don't go overboard, but sure.  But instincts are paramount at the LB position; they're the trait that gets slept on the most and that tend to lead to success in the pro's regardless of draft position or pedigree.  Part of the reason I feel like Staley was playing a more safety-heavy package in lieu of traditional numbers of LB's or corners was because safeties who cut the mustard in the league tend to be guys who, if it comes to it, can give a little on the size and athleticism because they have better than average instincts.

3) OT - There are two schools of thought when it comes to getting your starting LT and our hand may have been forced some by the limited years on Stafford's contract relative to when we'll have 1st round picks again.  Thing is, if you're going to develop a guy that isn't a 1st rounder into that capacity, he needs to be bedded in before being trusted with the job.  Typically that means letting him cut his teeth at RT first, or getting extraordinarily lucky that a slept-on prospect adapts ahead of schedule when thrown into the fire due to injury-necessitation (see Alejandro Villanueva).  If we stick with Kroemer's blocking scheme, guard-play is at a higher premium than tackle-play; in that you can get away with lesser tackles who can at least "not get regularly whipped" if you have quality guards.

4) TE - Everett is, barring some unforeseen hijinks, going to be allowed to go.  Brycen Hopkins probably just steps into his role, but Hopkins has always been more a big receiver than anything else (he was recruited in college based off his basketball abilities than his football ones).  I would argue we be well off to just bite the bullet and fill Everett's roster spot with a legitimate blocking TE.  It leans more into the run game, and it gives McVay the element we've really lacked in terms of matching Shanahan-styled WCO's, the ability for the TE to actually get out ahead of the RB and while he may not be an out-and-out lead-blocker the way some have come to expect of fullbacks, he creates a pivot opportunity whereby the runner can make a decision to cut, while already upfield, to one direction or another to get further yards.  It would also aid us a ton if McVay continues to use the end-arounds with WR's as much as he did last season.

5) WR - Unlike some, I'm not going to pigeonhole this as a "deep threat WR."  Part of that is because I'm not writing Van Jefferson off after a less-than-stellar rookie year just because some rookie WR's broke out the last two seasons at a higher rate than we'd come accustom to seeing rookie WR's do in the 5 years prior.  Everything is in Van's tool-chest to be a field-stretcher, and if you want to take a flier on a guy for their speed, you do that with guys from small schools in UDFA because timed-speed does not a deep-threat make; release and separation is about more than just stopwatch-speed.  If the player meets a requisite speed threshold (at least mid-4.4's to low-4.5's) and he exhibits boundary receiver traits, that's the starting point for what I'm looking for.  Kupp has always been more effective operating out of the slot because of his route-running.  I'll take consistent YAC-ability and ability to separate over pure deep "speed" any day of the week.

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10 hours ago, JonStark said:

I actually love all of those options, although I think Fuller will be out of our price range. Warford is one of my favorite targets this year. 

For edge, I like the trend we've been going with. Take a guy who had potential but never amounted to it, put him on a defense with AD, and let him flash. Fowler hasn't done much since leaving and while Floyd might do a little better, I don't think he'd be worth the money. We'll need to get someone cheaper than we did with Floyd last year though.

I used to like the trend, but I’d like someone who’d be willing to stick around for 2-3 years as opposed to renting a guy for one season. Someone with a little more talent and pass rush ability in case AD gets hurt again. When AD got hurt our pass rush was pitiful; we’ve got a bunch of guys who can play inside, but no one reliable to come off the edge. If we address this appropriately we’ll be much better off in the long run.

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10 hours ago, NYRamsFan88 said:

I used to like the trend, but I’d like someone who’d be willing to stick around for 2-3 years as opposed to renting a guy for one season. Someone with a little more talent and pass rush ability in case AD gets hurt again. When AD got hurt our pass rush was pitiful; we’ve got a bunch of guys who can play inside, but no one reliable to come off the edge. If we address this appropriately we’ll be much better off in the long run.

That's a good point, I just feel like those type of guys are going to be out of our price range (especially after the trade).

Plus getting those comp picks when they sign a big deal elsewhere is pretty much what is keeping our drafts afloat. 

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10 hours ago, NYRamsFan88 said:

I used to like the trend, but I’d like someone who’d be willing to stick around for 2-3 years as opposed to renting a guy for one season. Someone with a little more talent and pass rush ability in case AD gets hurt again. When AD got hurt our pass rush was pitiful; we’ve got a bunch of guys who can play inside, but no one reliable to come off the edge. If we address this appropriately we’ll be much better off in the long run.

Yeah I don't think we have the ability to be giving out many 2-3 year deals and if we do, I highly doubt it would be enough for a semi-talented pass rusher.

We need to get one year wonders, improve their value, and continue to flip for compensatory picks while also drafting EDGE players to keep under contract for 4 years.

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29 minutes ago, JonStark said:

That's a good point, I just feel like those type of guys are going to be out of our price range (especially after the trade).

Plus getting those comp picks when they sign a big deal elsewhere is pretty much what is keeping our drafts afloat. 

There’s truth to that, a lot of truth, but we will make ourselves suspect to another divisional round performance on defense. 
 

Floyd has been good this season, but when AD went down he was no where to be found. Sooner or later teams will realize that these guys are benefitting from having AD next to them and won’t consider signing them to their team, why? Because they don’t have an AD already on the team to make this edge rusher useful. 
 
This is why I am hoping Lewis and Obo turn into something more than rotational guys, it would solve all problems short and long term. 

Edited by NYRamsFan88
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9 minutes ago, NYRamsFan88 said:

This is why I am hoping Lewis and Obo turn into something more than rotational guys, it would solve all problems short and long term. 

I'm also hopeful of this, but they need to stay on the field. Can't contribute from the IR. 

If Lewis can get healthy, he'll be a stud.

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23 hours ago, BStanRamFan said:

 

  • John Ross from Cincinnatti has been thrown around, but also Will Fuller and Kenny Stills come to mind. In the draft, I love Tutu Atwell. Can he be the next Tyreek Hill? And Amari Rodgers from Clemson.

I love Amari Rodgers. I watched a few Clemson games this year and he constantly popped. His route running is in the same mold as our WRs and the exact mold of guys our staff seems to like. I see him being more an inside slot guy who attacks the intermediate, not necessarily a deep threat. But I would still love to add him.

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