All signs point to Rams drafting QB/PD

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RamBill

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All signs point to Rams drafting QB
BY JIM THOMAS

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_c26cc895-ca05-5f98-a294-ac01ecff885b.html

With less than three weeks remaining before the draft, the Rams are strongly considering taking a quarterback, and in doing so are casting a wide net at the position.
Tom Savage of the University of Pittsburgh has made a “top 30 visit” to Rams Park. The team has spent a lot of time with Connor Shaw of South Carolina, you know, the guy who prevented Missouri from having a perfect regular season.

On Wednesday, the Rams dispatched quarterbacks coach Frank Cignetti and director of player personnel Taylor Morton to Athens, Ga., where Aaron Murray took part in Georgia’s pro day.

Earlier in the pre-draft period, the Rams dispatched a scout to SMU’s pro day to watch Garrett Gilbert. There have also been reports that they either met with or worked out Derek Carr of Fresno State.

And don’t forget Clemson QB Tajh Boyd. The Rams got a look at him Friday when they held a private workout for wide receiver Sammy Watkins. (Boyd did the throwing.)

And that’s just a sampling. San Jose State’s David Fales, Eastern Illinois’ Jimmy Garoppolo, Alabama’s A.J. McCarron, and Louisiana State’s Zach Mettenberger could all be in play for the Rams as well.

“I think they all have merit,” said Rick Venturi, the former Rams assistant coach who is now an NFL radio analyst in Indianapolis.

In a draft where it has been difficult to pin down the value of top quarterback prospects Brian Bortles, Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel, some of the mid-round QBs may end up outperforming the “big three” when all is said and done.

New Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien, who’s grappling with the franchise-shaping decision of whether to take a QB at No. 1 overall, doesn’t see much separation between the top three and everyone else.

“Somebody else might have a different opinion,” O’Brien said. “Just my opinion is that I see strengths and weaknesses with every one of these guys. I don’t see where there are one or two guys, or three guys, that are just light-years ahead of the rest of them.”

The consistent signal from Rams Park is that the team wants to take a quarterback in the mid-rounds, someone who isn’t a project and could compete for a starting job in a year or two.

“I don’t think there’s any question the Rams are taking a quarterback,” said Gil Brandt, the longtime NFL draft guru. “(General manager) Les Snead has been around looking at those guys.”

If that’s indeed the case, that would leave the Rams with Sam Bradford as the starter, veteran Shaun Hill as the backup, plus a rookie-in-training in 2014. Austin Davis also is on the Rams’ offseason roster.

Bradford has two years left on his contract; Hill signed a one-year deal in free agency, coming to St. Louis from Detroit after Kellen Clemens left for San Diego.

As O’Brien mentioned, there are pluses and minuses in just about every quarterback in this year’s class, whether it be the top tier of signal callers — or the second and third tiers.

“Carr is probably the best behind the top three,” Venturi said. “The guy that’s really rising and I do like him — but he can’t move — is the kid at LSU (Mettenberger). I think the kid at Alabama (McCarron) is solid, but I don’t think he’s great. I think he’s played with a lot of great players.

“Garoppolo, I really like a lot things about him. But I think he’s one of those kids that’s good at everything and great at nothing. I like Fales from San Jose quite a bit. And the guy who’s having the big offseason is Savage. ... He’s a workout phenom. Connor Shaw, he’s a competitor. He’s not a great talent.”

In the unusual case of Savage, there isn’t a ton of film to go on. He started out at Rutgers, then transferred to Arizona, and then transferred again to Pitt.

“You see someone transfer twice, your immediate thought is probably a red flag — there is something wrong,” Savage said. “Obviously, my journey has been a little different. It’s helped me mature as a person, and I wouldn’t want to do it any other way.”

Savage, 6-4, 228, was named offensive MVP at Rutgers as a true freshman in 2009, throwing for 2,211 yards and 14 TDs. But he lost his starting job to Chas Dodd in an injury-plagued sophomore season and didn’t take it well.

“The kid (Dodd) went in there and played great for the team,” Savage said. “Coach (Greg Schiano) went with the hot hand. I was a 20-year-old kid, bitter and ticked off. I thought I had all the answers and decided to leave.”

He transferred to Arizona, sitting out the 2011 season under college transfer rules. But decided to leave Arizona a year later without having thrown a pass in game action.

The native of Springfield, Pa., wanted to be closer to home. In addition, new (at the time) Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez employed a no-huddle spread offense, not exactly a fit for Savage, who’s a pro-style pocket passer.

After the NCAA denied Savage’s initial request to return to Rutgers without having to sit out another year under transfer rules, he ended up at Pittsburgh. Savage was so frustrated at the prospect of sitting out another year he thought about quitting football.

“Real close,” he said. “I walked on to Pittsburgh in camp. I was ineligible, doing the scout team for the second year in a row, paying my way to do scout team. I was kind of like, ‘I don’t think I can do this anymore.’ “

But he stuck it out, and for the first time since 2010 finally saw the playing field again in 2013.

“Before this season it was 1,000 days since I played an actual game,” he said.

Savage put up good but not great numbers in 2013, completing 61.2 percent of his passes for 2,958 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

He was much more accurate than his two seasons at Rutgers, where he completed 52.2 percent of his passes in 18 games. Some still question his accuracy. But at Pitt, he displayed a knack for hitting receivers in stride as well as very good arm strength and toughness in the pocket.

While Savage is light on experience, other quarterback prospects have plenty. Some are tall; some (like Shaw) are short. Some come from schools in power conferences, others (Garoppolo) don’t. The diverse QB Class of 2014 offers a little bit of everything.

“There are a lot of guys that have won championships, that have won a lot of games in tough conferences, that have brought their teams back with under two minutes to go,” O’Brien said.

“A lot of guys that have been through tough times, you know, have had to win the position, lost the position. Maybe some tough times off the field they’ve overcome. So yeah, as far as that position goes, it’s a very intriguing position.”
 

moklerman

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Rams beat writers must just need a QB storyline going on. Since Tony Banks and all of his antics, Trent Green and Kurt Warner and the Warner/Bulger debates, they've just got it in their heads that there needs to be some drama surrounding the Rams QB.

Bradford just doesn't provide the TMZ sizzle that these guys must long for.

Thank god.
 
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If any QB falls then draft him (but only the first one), if Johnny Half Game falls to 13 take him, if a QB with a first round grade (Carr maybe) falls to the second take him. Best case Sam makes it through the year, shows why we drafted him #1 overall and we have a valuable trading commodity (QBs who don't play being the only thing which goes up in value). Worst case we have a QB to take over from an injured/subpar Sam.
 

FRO

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Why ask Rick Venturi questions about draft prospects? He wanted Dorsey over Long. Clayborne over Quinn. Why are asking him about QB prospects when he is a defensive guy who can't even get the defensive prospects down.

The Rams will pick a QB. I highly doubt it's in the first 3 rounds.
 

RamsFan14

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Aaron Murray is my guy if we draft a QB. He seems to do a lot of things very well, probably nothing great tho imo. Accuracy is solid, decision making is solid, mobility is... "there-ish", and he does seem like a smart guy with a lot of heart. Having him ride the bench to learn the game seems like a great decision to me.
 

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Rams could be planning to draft a quarterback
Posted by Mike Florio on April 20, 2014

murray.jpg
AP

At the Scouting Combine in February, Rams G.M. Les Snead told NBCSN’s Pro Football Talk that there’s no way his team would take a quarterback with the second overall pick in the 2014 draft.

That doesn’t mean the Rams aren’t thinking about beefing up the position later.

As explained by Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Rams are “strongly considering” drafting a quarterback next month. They’ve been spending time eyeballing the likes of Pitt quarterback Tom Savage, South Carolina quarterback Connor Shaw, Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray (pictured), SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert, Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr, and Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd.

While the Rams by all appearances remain committed to Sam Bradford, he’s recovering from a torn ACL and under contract for only two more years. Likewise, backup Shaun Hill has signed a deal that covers only one year.

If they land a rookie who develop quickly and quietly, it’s possible that, come next year, the Rams may be rethinking their commitment to Bradford.
 

blackbart

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Nothing to see here we've all known they want a developmental guy for a year. Someone in the 4th or later rounds would be good. No way in hell should they touch one in the first especially Manziel
 

scifiman

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I have slowly come around to really liking Tahj Boyd. He has a good arm and can move and throw on the run. Plus he is a natural leader with charisma. I think he is the big sleeper. I also like Connor Shaw. He is a competitor and that is what you want.
 

brokeu91

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I have slowly come around to really liking Tahj Boyd. He has a good arm and can move and throw on the run. Plus he is a natural leader with charisma. I think he is the big sleeper. I also like Connor Shaw. He is a competitor and that is what you want.
I haven't watched a lot of Tahj Boyd to be honest. I've only really watched hi-lite films of Watkins, but Boyd in those is terribly inaccurate. If he is like that every game, there is no way I'd want him near the Rams
 

RaminExile

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I wouldn't mind taking a flyer on someone like Logan Thomas actually. Low risk high reward (potentially). He's got impressive physical tools but has terrible mechanics and thus accuracy. But he might develop with a lot of coaching and without too much pressure on him. A bit of a Terrell Pryor type.
 

kurtfaulk

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If they land a rookie who develop quickly and quietly, it’s possible that, come next year, the Rams may be rethinking their commitment to Bradford.

yes, they will be offering him a 6 year extension.

.
 

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Rams among teams interested in QB Shaw
By Jim Thomas jthomas@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8197

He's tough, he's competitive, and he wins.

As Connor Shaw says, "I think my record speaks for itself. In my opinion that's the best conference in college football (the SEC), and I believe I am an elite competitor. I think I am going to prove that in the NFL."

Shaw was 27-5 as a starter at South Carolina, making him the winningest quarterback in school history. Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier also has called him the best quarterback in school history. He's a leader who commands respect, and wants to be the toughest guy on the field.

"I think people look at your individual stats more than what you did as a team, and this is a team game," Shaw said. "Priority No. 1 wherever you go is to win, and we did a bunch of it."

Besides that 11-2 record last season, Shaw's numbers in 2013 were tough to beat: a 63.4 percent completion percentage on 284 attempts, 558 yards rushing, and 24 touchdown passes with only one interception.

The Rams have shown significant interest in Shaw as they sort through their options at quarterback. They have spoken with him multiple times over the pre-draft process. San Francisco, Oakland, Jacksonville, and Cleveland are among other teams that have shown interest in Shaw, who projects as a fourth- or fifth-round pick.

But Shaw is not the biggest QB on the block at 6-0, 207, and he had several injury issues over the course of his college career, including shoulder, foot, and knee ailments, plus a concussion. For the most part he played through the injuries, coming off the bench against Missouri this past season to rally South Carolina to a 27-24 double-overtime victory at Faurot Field. Shaw didn't start that day because of a knee injury.

The year before, Shaw completed a school-record 20 consecutive passes against the Tigers in a 31-10 South Carolina victory.

"There is not a specific mold you have to fit anymore to be an NFL quarterback," Shaw said. "You see Russell Wilson and he's kind of proved that. He's got a shiny rock on his finger now (as a Super Bowl champion) and he's 6-foot. I don't think there is a prototypical quarterback size anymore."

With nearly 1,700 yards rushing over his time at South Carolina, Shaw has shown an ability to extend plays with his legs when protection breaks down. But that has also led to some of those injuries, so Shaw plans on running less in the NFL.

"Absolutely," Shaw said. "If you don't take those big hits, you will last much longer in the NFL."

Follow Jim Thomas on twitter @jthom1

Tajh Boyd thinks he’ll be picked a week from today
Posted by Darin Gantt on May 2, 2014

590b40fc34bc9ed73d13c376651d7fc1.jpeg
AP

A.J. McCarron isn’t the only quarterback who thinks he’ll end up being chosen higher than projected.

Clemson’s Tajh Boyd told FOX Sports’ Alex Marvez and Phil Savage on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he’s hoping to be picked sometime on Friday.

Everything I’m hearing is pretty good right now,” Boyd said. “I’m hearing no later than the third [round]. Hopefully it plays out that way.”

Playing with a top-five talent like Sammy Watkins certainly helped, but Boyd was productive throughout his Clemson career, though he struggled at the Senior Bowl. Since then, he said he’s undergone a “rebuilding process,” and helped himself with a good pro day workout.

He’s also met with the Patriots, Panthers, Bears and Rams, and got positive reviews from them. Whether it’s enough to lift his draft stock remains to be seen, but the fact so many were looking so closely at Watkins can only help him.
 

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JASON LA CANFORA
CBS Sports NFL Insider

Rapid rise makes Savage's winding road to NFL Draft worthwhile

The situation could have been incredibly awkward.

Tom Savage, coming off a resurgent senior season at Pittsburgh, opened the door to begin his combine interview with the New England Patriots and immediately saw too familiar faces -- the often-scowling face of super-intense Bill Belichick, a coaching legend, and Belichick disciple Greg Schiano, who once brought Savage to Rutgers as one of the top prep recruits in the country, then watched him transfer to Arizona just before his junior season after a falling out over the starting role.

It was a daunting room, to say the least, but one that Savage took on straight away. He immediately set a tone by issuing a mea culpa to Schiano, who he didn't expect to be there, taking responsibility for immaturity and mistakes he made early in his college career. He broke the ice with a joke or two as well, sources said, and at a time when the focus back in February was on Johnny Manziel or Teddy Bridgewater or the NFL viability of Michael Sam, this was one of many behind-the-scenes moments that was setting the stage for Savage's meteoric rise.

Savage further fueled his growing buzz with a very strong combine performance and followed that with a series of workouts for NFL teams that has many scouts talking about Savage in more of the glowing terms that accompanied his journey to Rutgers and much less about the series of transfers and lack of playing time that marred much of his college career.

He has had much to overcome in a short period of time. So far Savage has navigated it with aplomb, to the point where many projections have him going in the second round, possibly quite high, and he was invited to attend the draft at Radio City Music Hall (Savage politely declined). None of it, however, may have been as potentially stressful as that initial meeting with the Patriots, a team that very well could select a quarterback. Savage is among those whom they would have in-depth firsthand knowledge.

"I was surprised to see him in the room," Savage said of Schiano, who has been doing consulting work for Belichick since being let go as head coach of the Buccaneers. "And obviously I was a little nervous, too. At the time, I was a little nervous just to meet Coach Belichick, because you see him all the times on the sidelines and he's pretty intimidating on his own, and then I see Coach Schiano is in there, too. It was a unique experience, I have to say, and it was fun, too. I can look back on it and laugh. It was a good time and I really enjoyed the combine.

"Coach Schiano and I, even when I left Rutgers, I felt like we were on pretty good terms and I was a young kid at the time and I thought I was entitled to stuff and people make mistakes when they're younger and leaving Rutgers was one of mine, and I told him that at the combine."

The Patriots were impressed by Savage's upfront approach and demeanor. He has continued to make a good impression on NFL coaches and decision makers ever since, leading to a player barely even being mentioned in connection with the draft about three months ago now the subject of considerable debate about just how high he might go on the second day of the draft next week in New York City. It has also led to a whirlwind tour in which Savage got requests to either visit or work out for so many teams that several clubs had to be turned away. There simply was not sufficient time to meet them all.

Teams had until April 27 to complete their series of player visits at their facility (they are allowed to bring in a maximum of 30 draft prospects), and Savage was in demand. At 6-foot-5 and 230 pounds, he certainly looks the part, and the more work teams did on him the more they seem to like what they see.

"I'm already like Silver Premier," he noted, a nod to all the frequent flier miles he built up crisscrossing the country. There were too many visits and workouts for Savage to remember them all off the top of his head as he paused Thursday afternoon to collect his thoughts after a dizzying run the past six weeks.

"I went and visited roughly 12 teams and I think 10 to 12 teams came and worked me out as well," he said.

Many of the obvious candidates -- teams lacking viable options at quarterback on their current roster -- are smitten with him. He could go as high as 33rd overall, to the Texans, some believe, if they do not take a quarterback in the first round. The Vikings would be looking at him in the second round as well, and the Jaguars would be another legitimate possibility at No. 39, again assuming they do not take a passer with their first pick.

Savage has approached each meeting with teams as an opportunity to absorb as much as possible, to tell his story and explain how he went from a nationally heralded recruit to a walk-on at Pitt his senior year just hoping to earn a scholarship and then a few months later something of a pre-draft darling.

"Most of the coaches I've met, to be honest, it's a full day," Savage said, "and you are sitting in their office for two or three hours and you get to communicate with them and it's fun just to talk ball with them and to pick their brains as well. People think it's just them interviewing you, but you can soak up a lot too and I tried to get as much as I could from all those guys and try to gain a little edge for the future."

img24548514.jpg

Tom Savage started strong at Rutgers before things soured and he moved on to Arizona and Pitt. (USATSI)

Savage in many ways is still pinching himself. His journey is far from the norm.

When he chose Rutgers it was cause for celebration throughout New Jersey, a crowning achieving for Schiano (who league sources said has championed Savage's ability when approached by NFL teams considering drafting the youngster), rebuilding the long-dormant program, and he was immediately big man on campus. Top that off with an excellent freshman season, in which he earned national honors, and it seemed like great things were ahead.

But Savage fell into a slump his sophomore season, got injured, the team underperformed and Schiano made it clear that in his junior year, the hotshot would be fighting for a job. He wouldn't be guaranteed the starting position. Had he stayed, as Savage knows he should have, he would have won the job and it probably would have lit a fire under him and propelled him to regain his form.

Instead he split, transferring to Arizona, where he had to sit out a year. And then the Wildcats made a coaching change, bringing in Rich Rodriguez and a style of offense that didn't fit Savage at all, and he was transferring again (the moves are not unlike what Nick Foles went through in his college career, and Foles, who had a breakout season with the Eagles in 2013, is a confidant of Savage's and someone he draws some comparisons to).

"I was a young kid at the time," Savage said, "and I speak to Coach Schiano often and I tell him the God's honest truth -- I was a young kid at the time and I thought I was entitled to the starting job or a second chance, but to be honest, this game is a business and Coach Schiano has to feed his family as well and he made a decision to go with the other guy and at the time I would have said I didn't get a fair shot, but I did. Looking back on it now, I learned a good, valuable lesson at a young age."

So, at this point, after starting 12 games as a freshman with a 129 passer rating, Savage appeared in just six games between 2010 and '13, when he arrived at Pitt. That's a lot of lost time. Panthers coach Paul Cryst offered Savage an opportunity to make his team, nothing else, and perhaps salvage something from his college career, and Savage took full advantage.

He won the quarterback job, ended up being a team leader and, after an admittedly slow start and some struggles in September -- only natural given how long it had been since he was in a game setting -- Savage began to take off (it should be noted that Savage had six touchdown passes against a quality Duke secondary in his third game of the season, too). He tossed 11 TD passes to just three interceptions in his final seven games, his completion percentage began to soar, and Savage ended up fourth in the ACC in passing yards and third in touchdowns.

"It was a good experience this season," Savage said. "Obviously, looking back at it, I would have liked to win more games and we only went 7-6 and I wanted to win more games, but I think the program is on the rise and for me, personally, I just enjoyed getting back to a team, getting back to the guys. That's the first thing you miss -- being around the guys and being in the locker room.

"The whole process just helped me out a lot. And it was humbling. Shoot, I went into Rutgers as a top recruit, I played my freshman year and get freshman All-American and I never had any adversity, and this helped me out and I evolved. I was voted a captain my senior year and I was only at Pitt one year and I earned the team's trust and these were guys who had been playing together three or four years and they're like, 'Who is this hotshot walking in our locker room?' And I was able to earn their trust and that helped me out a lot."

With his travels to teams now complete, Savage is trying to exhale a bit. He is maintaining his running and throwing program, and maintaining this base he has built up. He throws regularly to some friends who played college football, and some neighborhoods and even his father when need be, though those options are waning.

"My dad doesn't like it anymore," Savage said. "He wears big construction gloves now when I throw to him and he just swats the ball down. He doesn't even try to catch it."

I fully anticipate another team or two to schedule a second workout with him, very quietly, in this final week before the draft, and I suspect Savage won't have to wait all that long to hear his name called over the three-day affair. In the meantime Savage is trying to avoid the hype, staying away from the mock drafts and savoring the opportunity to be with an NFL team soon enough, something that was hardly assured this time a year ago.

"Before the season started I wasn't imagining any of this," Savage said. "I just wanted another shot to play the game again and I've been through that process where I didn't have football in my life, and I am just enjoying everything about it now. I try to keep my expectations low, especially with this draft process.

"I don't know what's going to happen and a lot of it is fluff, and I have no idea what to believe and you can't really control it. A lot of it is just rumors and no team is going to tell you, 'We're definitely going to take you here.' You just find out when the commissioner calls your name. I'd be lying if I said I should be in the second round and all of that, but I try not to get excited by it. But it's a different game now, and a team is going to make their decision the way they want to make it, and all I know is it looks like I am going to get a shot, and that's what I am focused on."
 

DR RAM

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I think we are going to pick all of them, throw them in a death cage match, and sole survivor wins the backup job to Sam Bradford,