[ramsman34]

Yep. But there are still guys I like available. Wonder how the Rams feel. Lol

[Elvis]

Detroit gave up a next year 3 to move into 4th round and take a tackle most people didn't have ranked in top 300...

[rams74]

The Rams have 4 six rounders but they aren’t worth much. Maybe to move up in the 5th.

There will be kickers available in the 6th. I don't know if this year's class is thin at PK or not.

But we need one, and it would be nice if we could get a decent one there.

[Elvis]

Normally i hate the idea of drafting a kicker but if this draft is as thin as they say, draft 4 of them...

[ramsman34]

And there are about 4 decent to good ones

[Elvis]

[Elvis]

[ramsrams]

Wow.

I am not a draft guy, as I don’t watch much college ball.

Took more of an interest this year, as the Rams actually had some high picks.

I think over the years I have proven to have a balanced view on the state of Rams football, some describe it as a word I abhor, “realist”. Shouldn’t every post be real? Criticism of any team is warranted when justified. There is none to be had here, IMO.

What a freaking draft. I think they got three Week 1 starters, a RB who may as well be called one as he will play significant snaps, some depth pieces who may develop into starters, and some solid depth otherwise. AND, a freaking kicker!

I have to give this one an “A”. That’s two in a row!

Wonder if they circle back to Spoon, as the CB position is still a concern.

Well done, Rams.

[Elvis]

[Elvis]

8/9. Jared Verse & Braden Fiske, DL, Los Angeles Rams

Verse playstyle: Edge rusher who wins with speed or power, average bend.

Fiske playstyle: Single-gap interior penetrator.

Scheme: Odd front, pattern match team.

Losing one of the greatest interior pass rushers ever is tough. No one can replace Aaron Donald. But the Rams have to do something to mitigate the gaping hole left by his absence. Asking one rookie to try to fill his shoes is an impossible task, so the Rams are asking two Seminoles to try.

Verse and Fiske played on the same defensive line for Florida State. The Rams had plans to bring the synergy between them to LA. After drafting Verse in the first round, they spent Day 2 working the phones to trade up in the second round to get Fiske. In Dane Brugler’s “The Beast,” he compared Verse to Dante Fowler, who had a career year playing in the Rams’ system in 2019. The Rams use odd fronts with two stand-up edge rushers and Verse has experience rushing standing up or with his hand in the ground. Verse fits what they typically look for in an edge linebacker more than incumbent starter Michael Hoecht, who is a converted nose tackle. Verse has some experience dropping back, which he’ll be asked to do.

Fiske has one of the quickest get-offs in the draft. He was one of the best testers at the combine and that athleticism pops off the film. Fiske is an explosive, violent and unrelenting defender but he’s undersized at 292 pounds and has short arms. In the Rams’ odd fronts, he can kick out and line up at four-technique (head up on tackles) so he doesn’t have to hold his ground in the A and B gaps too often.

It’ll remain to be seen how Fiske will hold up against the run, but the Rams hope the pair will be able to contribute to their pass rush immediately. Verse and Fiske were a nightmare to handle running their defensive line games (stunts) for Florida State.

“We don’t say ‘games‘ to each other anymore,” Verse said. “We just kind of look at each other, ‘Oh, you want to run this? I got you.’ … We talked about it, ‘Imagine if we go to the same team? That would be so cool.’ And now it happened!”

Defensive line games or stunts are line movements in which one player spikes in one direction to draw attention while the other loops around. Based on Verse’s comments, it seemed like the Florida State coaching staff gave Verse and Fiske the freedom to call their own line games. They may not have that sort of autonomy in the NFL but the Rams hope the chemistry between the two will be a feature of their defense for years to come.

Again, it’s impossible to replace the impact of Donald but I like the interesting way the Rams invested their first two picks in their pass rush.