[PARAM]

I wonder if some will stick out of simple need/necessity, who might not have otherwise?? Or, perhaps the Rams might have been really good in this draft and drafted a high percentage of quality starters, role players, and then have some remainder whom they will develop into the aforementioned.

One thing is almost certain; by this time next year they will know who can cut it and who will be cut as a lot of rooks will be getting significant playing time in ‘23.

That's the rub. A good team with a good roster is less likely to draft "starters" because of their roster. In that case, some guys who don't make it with the team, make it somewhere else. Example? Jonathan Franklin-Myers. But to say about the Rams, "well they haven't drafted many starters" or "they haven't drafted a pro bowl player since" is kind of silly. They've had a great roster since McVay arrived and most of the draftees are role players, backups and depth. Not gonna find many starters right out of the gate or Pro Bowlers there. Might find a couple of starters like SJD, Fuller, Ernest Jones, etc. And we have to take into account they are NOT utilizing first round picks IN THE DRAFT....where most starters come from.

[/zn/]

I wonder if some will stick out of simple need/necessity, who might not have otherwise?? Or, perhaps the Rams might have been really good in this draft and drafted a high percentage of quality starters, role players, and then have some remainder whom they will develop into the aforementioned.

One thing is almost certain; by this time next year they will know who can cut it and who will be cut as a lot of rooks will be getting significant playing time in ‘23.

It's tricky to figure out sometimes but it balances. For every merely decent player who starts simply because they had a need, there's a guy who never gets an opportunity because they are well covered at his position.

To me that means you really have 2 grades while assessing a draft. One is, did they play? And if yes that counts as a hit. But then you have the quality grade--were they average and okay at best, or decent, or solid, or anywhere from very good to legit all-pro.

One flaw with the Rams, IMO, is that sometime they stick too long with high picks (3rd round and higher) who are clearly not developing. I am mostly thinking of Bobby Evans. He reached the point where he wasn't even valid depth for an injured OL.

[PARAM]

To me that means you really have 2 grades while assessing a draft. One is, did they play? And if yes that counts as a hit. But then you have the quality grade--were they average and okay at best, or decent, or solid, or anywhere from very good to legit all-pro.

What about the guy stuck behind great players? Rarely plays. Moves on via release or trade and then produces with the new team. A good grade for the player but bad grade for the drafting team?

[/zn/]

What about the guy stuck behind great players? Rarely plays. Moves on via release or trade and then produces with the new team. A good grade for the player but bad grade for the drafting team?

I covered that when I mentioned the "guy who never gets an opportunity because they are well covered at his position." We were thinking of the same kind of scenario.

[PARAM]

I covered that when I mentioned the "guy who never gets an opportunity because they are well covered at his position." We were thinking of the same kind of scenario.

But you gotta give it a grade. That's why I said, moves on and succeeds with new team....good grade for pick, bad grade for drafting team. Or maybe not. The idea is to find NFL caliber players. The hope is they fit and succeed with your team. But if they don't until they move on, you've still identified an NFL caliber player.

[/zn/]

But you gotta give it a grade. That's why I said, moves on and succeeds with new team....good grade for pick, bad grade for drafting team. Or maybe not. The idea is to find NFL caliber players. The hope is they fit and succeed with your team. But if they don't until they move on, you've still identified an NFL caliber player.

I see your point. Can you count a guy as a hit if he moves on and turns out to be a player? And at the same time you know that he was not given a chance with the Rams because he was behind a thriving vet.

Interestingly, with the Rams, most of the FAs that leave don't do as well as they did with the Rams. I didn't do an actual analysis, that's just an impression I have.

[FMulder]

I think ZN nailed it.

There are drafts, and there are drafts where there are a lot of openings. I actually am happy there are so many young openings in which you hope you can find some, at least solid starters. The one way to look at it is drafting someone and they don’t play out but kind of forcing it-as ZN said-the infamous Bobby Evans debacle. However, you have guys like J Franklin Myers’s and others who have proved to be, at the least, solid NFL players. Albeit elsewhere

I have less than zero expectations this year, so any win is a nice surprise. What I DO want to see is that they have established solid young players who they can use as a core and find the star players to put them over the top via FA and/or draft.

At this point they need to start treating draft picks as valuable capital. I fully understand and endorse going all in-and it worked-so for all the effers criticizing the approach, they have more super bowl wins-based off off that-than a TON of teams. I’m willing to go through the obvious result and bide my time. But, to find the young talent they need-the Donald’s etc-you need to draft well and not chase FAs who are only available at inflated prices

This should be an interesting year to say the least

[PARAM]

Love your post Mulder!! That is the way to build a team long term (as long term as the present set up/cap allow). Draft players who turns into quality NFL players. I practically cringe every time someone suggests we should go out and get this guy, that guy and that other guy in free agency. One or two isn't bad. But it can cost too much and they're either not happy in season 3 or you're paying too much in season 3. Draft, develop, resign to contract 2 or take the comp pick. The reason we've been so good so long (for Ram fans) is they've made 59 picks in 7 years. That's between 8 and 9 players each draft, plus a UDFA or two....AND some reasonable free agents. It doesn't work out every year, particularly the years with a rash of injuries but it's been enough to go 60-38. And the only time we missed the post season was those injury riddled years. So I couldn't be happier with how they've done it.