[ramsman34]

In the drafts since McVay arrived, the Rams' highest selection has been the following positions:

2017 TE (Gerald Everett, pick #44)
2018 OT (Joe Noteboom, pick #89)
2019 S (Taylor Rapp, pick #61)
2020 RB (Cam Akers, pick #52)
2021 WR (Tutu Atwell, pick #57)
2022 OG (Logan Bruss, pick #104)

Not sure you can glean any trend or pattern from that, and we certainly have used our highest picks (3rd rounders due to trades) on OL during the McVay era.

I do t think there really are any trends as far as a predictor. They seem quite adept at matching need/sometime want, with best available talent. But, they always have multiple needs. So that is where their unique ranking system comes into play. There will be 1-3 OL drafted/signed. No idea what round or from where. Once that data is in we will be more able to make assumptions and projections.

[/zn/]

Rodrigue, from https://theathletic.com/4107996/2023/01 ... ed_article

About that offensive line …

The Rams barely saw what their starting offensive line could have looked like through a full season, because of a catastrophic (and nearly historic) streak of injuries that forced them into three, four and even five deep at every position except right tackle. Still, some young players emerged with the potential to take on bigger roles: Alaric Jackson played well at right guard and then stood out for the positive at left tackle, while Coleman Shelton seems to have found a home at center if not at guard.

Changes for this group are inevitable but I don’t expect a major position-by-position overhaul, in part because the Rams liked what they saw from young depth players and in part because of others’ healing from injury. Snead indicated that the team is in no way firmly set on a specific path here just yet — and it’s likely that a new offensive line coach will have significant say in evaluations.

“There are gonna be a certain number of players that come back, and they’re on their rookie contracts,” Snead said. “There would be no reason to move on from those players. There may be chances to add players from the draft, things like that, from the outside. At that point, you get people healthy, you assess along the way. Collectively, try to play better as a unit. Sometimes that’s an individual change, sometimes that’s the collective getting wiser, more experienced, evolving.”

[PARAM]

I think, they think, like some Ram fans think. Health was the first and foremost issue and they have a talented young crop of OL already on the roster. They will probably add to that with little subtraction.

After re-watching the first 5 games of the season, I am a firm believer there has been a lot of.......how should I say this.....overzealous panic about our OL situation. But that's been going on since 2019.

[Elvis]

With new OC and OL coach, could be more turnover on OL than i originally would've expected...

[PARAM]

With new OC and OL coach, could be more turnover on OL than i originally would've expected...

We might lose Edwards to free agency
We might see somebody released (Allen?)
We might see somebody signed
We will see somebody drafted

[ramsman34]

MCV and Snead still at the helm. Not seeing a lot of movement in the top 6/7 players - just a defining of where they will play on the OL. Like PA said, a few losses and gains but I wouldn’t expect a blockbuster move regardless of assistants brought in. Unless they can ID another Whitworth type. They just don’t approach the OL that way. Health and continuity is what they are counting on for ‘23.

[ramsman34]

To add…or unless they get away from the predominant ZBS run scheme they have been using. That is also RB dependent. Akers has been “learning” how to be a zone runner compared to what he ran at Fla State.

[/zn/]

from https://theathletic.com/4122382/2023/01 ... ed_article

Jourdan Rodrigue

if Alaric Jackson takes the starting LT position is there trade potential in Noteboom? Maybe too risky considering the injury recency bias?

JR: I think the Rams’ best internal option at left tackle is Alaric Jackson. I also don’t think there will be a trade market for Joe Noteboom because he is coming off an Achilles repair surgery. That may mean the Rams will play him at guard because the nature of his deal makes him hard to move. Noteboom has potential — he injured his knee against Buffalo in Week 1 and played through it for the next few weeks.

Curious why we’ve never had a deep dive into the Rams OL woes. They didn’t invest wisely, devalued the OL and paid the price in 2022.

JR: Well, first of all, the entire 2022 season could aptly be named: “Look! Here are all the woes of the Rams offensive line!”

Second, the argument can be made that they extended the wrong players in Noteboom and Brian Allen, based on availability and injury history. But nobody could have predicted the compounded number of injuries within the group and in such rapid succession. Further, two players who can be long-term impact players include former undrafted free agents Jackson and Coleman Shelton (who played well in their snaps compared with the rest of the NFL’s starters). We don’t know what third-round pick Logan Bruss is capable of yet, though he projects positively and his rehab has gone well. They’ll continue to add/subtract/adjust here.

[CanuckRightWinger]

Jourdan Rodrigue wrote:
"...the argument could be made they (Los Ramos braintrust) extended the wrong players in Noteboom and Allen, based on availablity and injury history."

ME: Dang.....I knew there was some latent wisdom in that gal!!

Yeah, we missed the 2019 Playoffs, when Boom&Allen got IR'd,
AND FURTHER,
per Andrew Whitworth on Cowherd 2019 Ram Season post-mortem show because "it was unreasonable to expect two young players (Boom&Allen) to perform at the level of two departed veterans (Saffold&Sullivan)".....

and then we miss the 2022 Playoffs because Noteboom and Allen get injured again.
Connect the dots folks!!!

I look at Noteboom as nothing more than an expensive swing OT/OG for the 2023 Rams. Guys who see Joe Noteboom as our starting 2023 LT, when he has never lasted more than half-a-dozen games before getting injured in his whole career with the Rams ......well,
those guys and me do not see the world the same way.

Similarly, Brian Allen has never been dominant at the point of attack....never! That's why when we needed 1 yard on Fourth Down in SBLVI, Sean McVay wisely.....very wisely, forgot about running the ball up the gut to get the First Down, and ran Cooper Kupp for 7 yards around the right end behind Bryce 4thStringTE Hopkins' memorable block!

How Brian Allen was ever named a 2021 ProBowl Alternate has got to do with some secret video of some 2021 ProBowl voting officials....
....and some very playful sheep!!!

[PARAM]

Yeah, we missed the 2019 Playoffs, when Boom&Allen got IR'd,
AND FURTHER,
per Andrew Whitworth on Cowherd 2019 Ram Season post-mortem show because "it was unreasonable to expect two young players (Boom&Allen) to perform at the level of two departed veterans (Saffold&Sullivan)".....

The Cowherd/Whitworth conversation that was part of the SB week show, has been referenced many, many times. But the funny thing is, Whitworth never said, "the Rams expected them to play like Saffold and Sullivan" or "it was unreasonable for the Rams to expect them to play like Saffold and Sullivan". And of course, they didn't expect them to play like those guys. They expected them to step up and do their jobs, which they did until they were injured. They had to make tough choices, like all teams do from year to year. They wanted to extend Goff, their SB QB early and to do that, they couldn't pay Saffold huge money, an excellent G with a recent run of good health but a history of injuries. Sullivan had back problems anyway and never played again. Rosters change every year.

Maybe the Rams thought......'hell we have Whit at LT with a cap hit of almost $17 mil for 2019 and we're going to have to resign him after this season *(and he gave them a discount 3 yrs/ 30 mil)*. We just extended our 26 year old RT at $32 mil for 4 years, we can sign our SB RG for cheap ($2 mil) and we've got these two kids who've been learning the system. This is why we drafted them. We can't afford to pay Rodger 11 mil per.' But sometimes good plans go bad and Noteboom was out in week 6, Allen in week 9, as well as their never injured RT in the same week. Shit happens.

So last off season, Whit retires and they have other choices to make. They had Edwards on his rookie contract. They restructured Havenstein (to make cap room) with an upcoming hit in 2023 of 9 mil, then 14 in 2024. Allen started 16 games in 2021 and played well helping them win a SB. Noteboom covered 7 games for Whit in 2020, doing quite well and 2 games at G for Edwards. Then in 2021 another game for Whit and one at RT for Hav. Plus the Tampa playoff game for Whit. They felt they also had adequate backups ready to move up (if needed) in Anchrum and Alaric Jackson. And obviously, they intended to draft an OL early. Is it really outrageous they signed Noteboom, Allen and Shelton? Hell they must have had some doubts about Allen remaining healthy because his contract is structured so he's a 2 mil cap hit and 4 mil+ savings if they have to release him.