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Well, today was a fun day. We got to lock in yet another losing season. I just want to focus on the draft and forget today happened. In this mock, I'll avoid controversy and leave Cutler/Winston out of it. There will be some familiar names, some new names thrown in, and no trades.
Extension
Sam Bradford - 2 years $20 million($10 million first year)
As a quick explanation, we extend Bradford's contract by adding a second year but move money around to lower his cap his by $3 million this year. He agrees to this because we guarantee all $10 million in 2015 and give him $4 million of the $10 million in the form of a roster bonus the day after signing. He gets money upfront and guaranteed money, we lower his cap figure and get a team friendly deal in 2016. If Bradford has a strong comeback season, we get him in 2016 at a team friendly $10 million to see if he can put together back to back strong years. If he does not, there's no guaranteed money in 2016 so we cut him with no dead money. It's a fair deal all around.
Released
Jake Long - $8 million in cap savings
Kendall Langford - $6 million in cap savings
Scott Wells - $3.8 million in cap savings
Eugene Sims - $1.9 million in cap savings
Isaiah Pead - $900,000 in cap savings
Total Cap Savings: $20.6 million
Total Cap Room: $25.1 million
Re-signed Players
Kenny Britt - 3 years $15 million($5 million first year)
Lance Kendricks - 2 years $6 million($3 million first year)
Shaun Hill - 1 year $1.5 million
Mike Person - 1 year $745,000
Cory Harkey - ERFA($645,000)
Tim Barnes - RFA($1.4 million - Original round)
Rodney McLeod - RFA($1.4 million - Original Round)
Total Cap Spent: $11.6 million
Total Cap Room: $13.5 million
Free Agency
C.J. Mosley DT
1 year $1.7 million
Rotational DT known for his run stuffing ability to replace Kendall Langford.
Leger Douzable DT
2 years $3.0 million($1.5 million first year)
Another rotational DT that can step in and stuff the run when needed. Takes Carrington's spot in the rotation. Can also play DE.
Clint Boling OL
4 years $16 million($3.0 million first year)
Boling is capable of playing tackle or guard and can do it at a solid level. He's only 25 years old. And he offers the Rams a great 6th OL that can start if one of the rookies are not ready to go. With our propensity for getting injured on the OL, I think this is money well spent.
NFL Draft
Round 1 Pick #12 - La'el Collins OT LSU
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqwOXmGp2ns
Analysis: Being realistic, I think T.J. Clemmings is gone. While Collins does not have Clemmings's freakish athleticism and extreme smoothness, Collins is a powerful roadgrader with the feet to stay outside at OT. Collins does not possess great balance and needs to improve his bend while pass blocking. He has a tendency to play high off the snap and bend at his waist at times. I don't believe it's a flexibility issue, though. Collins also needs to be more consistent with his punch timing although his hand placement in pass pro is excellent. He redirects well, mirrors effectively, and when he locks on defenders with his shoulders square, it's game over. As a run blocker, Collins needs to play more in control as he'll lunge at times and will sometimes overextend himself leading to him losing balance. He needs to play more in control. He also needs to be more consistent with leverage. That all said, he's extremely powerful and consistently handles his man. He also has the mean streak to play through the whistle and wants to bury defenders. He's a devastating blocker on the second level and generally takes good angles then obliterates smaller defenders. He'll move into the RT spot and offer us a powerful drive blocker.
Round 2 Pick #12 - A.J. Cann OG South Carolina
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlwRR2-tr_w
Analysis: Cann is one of my favorite prospects in this draft. I think he's a very NFL ready prospect with the tools to be a very good NFL LG. I have compared him to Josh Sitton. Cann has very flexible hips and ankles with a good sized frame at 6'4" 320. He shows the power to get movement in the running game and consistently shoots off the ball low to the ground which allows him to win the leverage battle. Cann also shows a good understanding of position and angles because South Carolina, unfortunately, has him sealing, reaching, and hooking far more often than he should in their zone heavy scheme. Cann shows the ability to be devastating while down blocking and drive blocking. Still, I wish he had more of a mean steak as I don't think he finishes blocks like he should. He doesn't look to bury defenders at all time and doesn't play through the whistle like Scherff and Sambrailo do. As a pass protector, Cann has some flaws that he needs to improve upon. He's very comfortable mirroring in his stance although he does sometimes cheat on his position step. Cann shows impressive lateral agility, is smooth when forced to redirect, sits comfortably in his stance with great bend/flexibility in his hips and ankles, and Cann has outstanding balance. He also understands how to position himself to protect his QB and open up passing lanes. Cann's hand strength and grip are extraordinary. Once he gets his hands locked in on the chest, defenders rarely are able to disengage even when they seem to have him beat. However, Cann's biggest issues with his pass protection are related to his arm position while setting, his punch timing, and his hand placement. Cann doesn't keep his elbows tight when setting off the LOS and rarely ever lands the first punch. He often relies on counter-punching after the DL has gotten his hands on him. Cann also does not do a good job of targeting his punches inside the shoulders and is often sloppy with his placement. These are all issues that I think should be corrected with NFL level coaching but they are a problem right now. If he fixes the problem, though, due to his hand strength and grip, he'll be one hell of a pass protector.
Round 3 Pick #12 - Shane Carden QB ECU
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGZVKLiIxQ8
Analysis: Well guys, here is the QB I draft. As I've said before, I'm not in favor of forcing a QB pick because it's a need so I needed a QB I liked. After watching Carden, I think he's the best guy after Winston and Mariota unless someone unexpected declares. Carden plays in a spread offense(Air Raid) right now and exclusively takes snaps out of the shotgun so there will be an adjustment period. Still, I think he's a better prospect than Garrett Grayson, who I've discussed before. Carden will be playing UF's strong defense in a bowl game so that should give us a good look at him if you haven't seen him(January 3rd). When I turned on the film, I saw a guy who dealt with a leaky OL and managed. The biggest issues I saw with him are that he doesn't seem to do a good job of feeling pressure off the edge(especially blind-side pressure) and he needs to improve his internal clock as he'll hold onto the ball too long looking to make a play. That all said, I think he showed of a NFL caliber arm with solid mobility and threw the ball with accuracy. His deep accuracy was the biggest weakness I noticed as he tended to under-throw guys and at times, he put too much air under the ball. But he was forced to make a lot of throws into tight windows in the game I watched and never shied away from throwing the ball to his WRs in 1 on 1 match-ups even when they were well guarded. His WRs were not getting a tremendous amount of separation in some of the games but I noticed him making good timing throws and putting the ball where it needed to be. He was also willing to take chances which did hurt him at times but all around, he was a solid decision maker. On his arm strength, I saw him make 10-25 yard throws from the pocket to the opposite sideline with requisite zip. I think his arm strength is more than adequate. He's an extremely tough and competitive player as I saw him take a number of hits due to his OL and he kept getting right back up. Not afraid to stand in under pressure and pull the trigger. A couple other small issues I had were that he tends to be overconfident in his athleticism and he needs to protect himself better when running. There were times where he tried to outrun the defense instead of throwing the ball away and he didn't do it. He has solid mobility but he's not Mike Vick. He needs to be smart about getting the ball out. And when he does run, he needs to slide or get out of bounds. He has a tendency to fight for yardage and try to make people miss or run over defenders. On a final note, while his footwork was generally good, there were some plays where he needed to set his feet as he rushed the throw and it hurt his accuracy. I also think his decision making was at its worst when he was on the run. He throws well on the run but he tends to try to be a hero and will force balls at times or throw late. He needs to do a better job of taking what the defense gives him. Still, this is the guy I'd take a shot on developing behind Hill and Sam as I think he has starter potential.
Round 5 Pick #12 - Rob Havenstein OT/OG Wisconsin
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTftkxEBw0U
Analysis: Havenstein is a massive man at 6'8" 330 but I think he's one of the few really big guys that can play OG. He seems to do a nice job of getting leverage in the run game and is your typical Wisconsin OL. He's a blue collar guy that can get some movement in the run game. Doesn't have overpowering strength but is able to generate movement while drive blocking and does a solid job with his positioning and angles. Also seems to have good burst off the LOS for his size and is relatively fast in a straight-line. He won't be a backup LT for us as he doesn't have the lateral agility to play there in the NFL. I think he could be a backup RT but he'd likely need some help with chipping on more athletic OLBs and DEs as his lateral agility is mediocre and he can struggle to hold the corner against faster rushers. However, as an OG, I think he has potential. He has a wide base in pass pro and controls players when he gets his hands on them. He had to compensate for his lateral agility in space which affected his anchor but I think at OG, his anchor will be fine. Only thing that concerns me is leverage and flexibility but I think he can get away with it. Like Alex Boone, I think he's a big guy that can passable at OT but might have a future at OG. He'll provide depth behind Saffold, Cann, Collins, and Robinson.
Round 7 Pick #31 - J.J. Nelson WR/KR UAB
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P34KWtpfzAQ
Analysis: With this being the late 7th round, I usually look for a player that can fill a certain role for our team. J.J. Nelson returned FOUR kickoffs for TDs in 2014. He led the NCAA in average yards per kickoff return. Nelson is listed at 5'11" 160 but possesses breathtaking speed. I wouldn't be surprised if he flirts with a 4.2 40. I saw him run right by Phillip Gaines who ran in the mid 4.3s in a game. Nelson has rare speed, impressive cutting ability, and good balance which makes him a very dangerous returnman. However, the guy also actually has some WR skills that could allow him to challenge Givens's role as the situational deep threat. Even if he doesn't, this kid has potential to be a special teams dynamo. Bennie has done a great job on KRs this year but I'd love to get a guy who could take it to the house.
Starting Line-up
QB: Sam Bradford
HB: Tre Mason
FB: Cory Harkey
XWR: Brian Quick
ZWR: Kenny Britt
SLWR: Tavon Austin
TE: Jared Cook
LT: Greg Robinson
LG: A.J. Cann
C: Barrett Jones
RG: Rodger Saffold
RT: La'el Collins
LDE: Chris Long
LDT: Aaron Donald
RDT: Michael Brockers
RDE: Robert Quinn
WLB: Alec Ogletree
MLB: James Laurinaitis
SPUR: Mark Barron
LCB: Trumaine Johnson
RCB: Janoris Jenkins
NCB: E.J. Gaines
FS: Rodney McLeod
SS: T.J. McDonald
K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Johnny Hekker
LS: Jake McQuaide
KR: J.J. Nelson
PR: Tavon Austin
Extension
Sam Bradford - 2 years $20 million($10 million first year)
As a quick explanation, we extend Bradford's contract by adding a second year but move money around to lower his cap his by $3 million this year. He agrees to this because we guarantee all $10 million in 2015 and give him $4 million of the $10 million in the form of a roster bonus the day after signing. He gets money upfront and guaranteed money, we lower his cap figure and get a team friendly deal in 2016. If Bradford has a strong comeback season, we get him in 2016 at a team friendly $10 million to see if he can put together back to back strong years. If he does not, there's no guaranteed money in 2016 so we cut him with no dead money. It's a fair deal all around.
Released
Jake Long - $8 million in cap savings
Kendall Langford - $6 million in cap savings
Scott Wells - $3.8 million in cap savings
Eugene Sims - $1.9 million in cap savings
Isaiah Pead - $900,000 in cap savings
Total Cap Savings: $20.6 million
Total Cap Room: $25.1 million
Re-signed Players
Kenny Britt - 3 years $15 million($5 million first year)
Lance Kendricks - 2 years $6 million($3 million first year)
Shaun Hill - 1 year $1.5 million
Mike Person - 1 year $745,000
Cory Harkey - ERFA($645,000)
Tim Barnes - RFA($1.4 million - Original round)
Rodney McLeod - RFA($1.4 million - Original Round)
Total Cap Spent: $11.6 million
Total Cap Room: $13.5 million
Free Agency
C.J. Mosley DT
1 year $1.7 million
Rotational DT known for his run stuffing ability to replace Kendall Langford.
Leger Douzable DT
2 years $3.0 million($1.5 million first year)
Another rotational DT that can step in and stuff the run when needed. Takes Carrington's spot in the rotation. Can also play DE.
Clint Boling OL
4 years $16 million($3.0 million first year)
Boling is capable of playing tackle or guard and can do it at a solid level. He's only 25 years old. And he offers the Rams a great 6th OL that can start if one of the rookies are not ready to go. With our propensity for getting injured on the OL, I think this is money well spent.
NFL Draft
Round 1 Pick #12 - La'el Collins OT LSU
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqwOXmGp2ns
Analysis: Being realistic, I think T.J. Clemmings is gone. While Collins does not have Clemmings's freakish athleticism and extreme smoothness, Collins is a powerful roadgrader with the feet to stay outside at OT. Collins does not possess great balance and needs to improve his bend while pass blocking. He has a tendency to play high off the snap and bend at his waist at times. I don't believe it's a flexibility issue, though. Collins also needs to be more consistent with his punch timing although his hand placement in pass pro is excellent. He redirects well, mirrors effectively, and when he locks on defenders with his shoulders square, it's game over. As a run blocker, Collins needs to play more in control as he'll lunge at times and will sometimes overextend himself leading to him losing balance. He needs to play more in control. He also needs to be more consistent with leverage. That all said, he's extremely powerful and consistently handles his man. He also has the mean streak to play through the whistle and wants to bury defenders. He's a devastating blocker on the second level and generally takes good angles then obliterates smaller defenders. He'll move into the RT spot and offer us a powerful drive blocker.
Round 2 Pick #12 - A.J. Cann OG South Carolina
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlwRR2-tr_w
Analysis: Cann is one of my favorite prospects in this draft. I think he's a very NFL ready prospect with the tools to be a very good NFL LG. I have compared him to Josh Sitton. Cann has very flexible hips and ankles with a good sized frame at 6'4" 320. He shows the power to get movement in the running game and consistently shoots off the ball low to the ground which allows him to win the leverage battle. Cann also shows a good understanding of position and angles because South Carolina, unfortunately, has him sealing, reaching, and hooking far more often than he should in their zone heavy scheme. Cann shows the ability to be devastating while down blocking and drive blocking. Still, I wish he had more of a mean steak as I don't think he finishes blocks like he should. He doesn't look to bury defenders at all time and doesn't play through the whistle like Scherff and Sambrailo do. As a pass protector, Cann has some flaws that he needs to improve upon. He's very comfortable mirroring in his stance although he does sometimes cheat on his position step. Cann shows impressive lateral agility, is smooth when forced to redirect, sits comfortably in his stance with great bend/flexibility in his hips and ankles, and Cann has outstanding balance. He also understands how to position himself to protect his QB and open up passing lanes. Cann's hand strength and grip are extraordinary. Once he gets his hands locked in on the chest, defenders rarely are able to disengage even when they seem to have him beat. However, Cann's biggest issues with his pass protection are related to his arm position while setting, his punch timing, and his hand placement. Cann doesn't keep his elbows tight when setting off the LOS and rarely ever lands the first punch. He often relies on counter-punching after the DL has gotten his hands on him. Cann also does not do a good job of targeting his punches inside the shoulders and is often sloppy with his placement. These are all issues that I think should be corrected with NFL level coaching but they are a problem right now. If he fixes the problem, though, due to his hand strength and grip, he'll be one hell of a pass protector.
Round 3 Pick #12 - Shane Carden QB ECU
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGZVKLiIxQ8
Analysis: Well guys, here is the QB I draft. As I've said before, I'm not in favor of forcing a QB pick because it's a need so I needed a QB I liked. After watching Carden, I think he's the best guy after Winston and Mariota unless someone unexpected declares. Carden plays in a spread offense(Air Raid) right now and exclusively takes snaps out of the shotgun so there will be an adjustment period. Still, I think he's a better prospect than Garrett Grayson, who I've discussed before. Carden will be playing UF's strong defense in a bowl game so that should give us a good look at him if you haven't seen him(January 3rd). When I turned on the film, I saw a guy who dealt with a leaky OL and managed. The biggest issues I saw with him are that he doesn't seem to do a good job of feeling pressure off the edge(especially blind-side pressure) and he needs to improve his internal clock as he'll hold onto the ball too long looking to make a play. That all said, I think he showed of a NFL caliber arm with solid mobility and threw the ball with accuracy. His deep accuracy was the biggest weakness I noticed as he tended to under-throw guys and at times, he put too much air under the ball. But he was forced to make a lot of throws into tight windows in the game I watched and never shied away from throwing the ball to his WRs in 1 on 1 match-ups even when they were well guarded. His WRs were not getting a tremendous amount of separation in some of the games but I noticed him making good timing throws and putting the ball where it needed to be. He was also willing to take chances which did hurt him at times but all around, he was a solid decision maker. On his arm strength, I saw him make 10-25 yard throws from the pocket to the opposite sideline with requisite zip. I think his arm strength is more than adequate. He's an extremely tough and competitive player as I saw him take a number of hits due to his OL and he kept getting right back up. Not afraid to stand in under pressure and pull the trigger. A couple other small issues I had were that he tends to be overconfident in his athleticism and he needs to protect himself better when running. There were times where he tried to outrun the defense instead of throwing the ball away and he didn't do it. He has solid mobility but he's not Mike Vick. He needs to be smart about getting the ball out. And when he does run, he needs to slide or get out of bounds. He has a tendency to fight for yardage and try to make people miss or run over defenders. On a final note, while his footwork was generally good, there were some plays where he needed to set his feet as he rushed the throw and it hurt his accuracy. I also think his decision making was at its worst when he was on the run. He throws well on the run but he tends to try to be a hero and will force balls at times or throw late. He needs to do a better job of taking what the defense gives him. Still, this is the guy I'd take a shot on developing behind Hill and Sam as I think he has starter potential.
Round 5 Pick #12 - Rob Havenstein OT/OG Wisconsin
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTftkxEBw0U
Analysis: Havenstein is a massive man at 6'8" 330 but I think he's one of the few really big guys that can play OG. He seems to do a nice job of getting leverage in the run game and is your typical Wisconsin OL. He's a blue collar guy that can get some movement in the run game. Doesn't have overpowering strength but is able to generate movement while drive blocking and does a solid job with his positioning and angles. Also seems to have good burst off the LOS for his size and is relatively fast in a straight-line. He won't be a backup LT for us as he doesn't have the lateral agility to play there in the NFL. I think he could be a backup RT but he'd likely need some help with chipping on more athletic OLBs and DEs as his lateral agility is mediocre and he can struggle to hold the corner against faster rushers. However, as an OG, I think he has potential. He has a wide base in pass pro and controls players when he gets his hands on them. He had to compensate for his lateral agility in space which affected his anchor but I think at OG, his anchor will be fine. Only thing that concerns me is leverage and flexibility but I think he can get away with it. Like Alex Boone, I think he's a big guy that can passable at OT but might have a future at OG. He'll provide depth behind Saffold, Cann, Collins, and Robinson.
Round 7 Pick #31 - J.J. Nelson WR/KR UAB
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P34KWtpfzAQ
Analysis: With this being the late 7th round, I usually look for a player that can fill a certain role for our team. J.J. Nelson returned FOUR kickoffs for TDs in 2014. He led the NCAA in average yards per kickoff return. Nelson is listed at 5'11" 160 but possesses breathtaking speed. I wouldn't be surprised if he flirts with a 4.2 40. I saw him run right by Phillip Gaines who ran in the mid 4.3s in a game. Nelson has rare speed, impressive cutting ability, and good balance which makes him a very dangerous returnman. However, the guy also actually has some WR skills that could allow him to challenge Givens's role as the situational deep threat. Even if he doesn't, this kid has potential to be a special teams dynamo. Bennie has done a great job on KRs this year but I'd love to get a guy who could take it to the house.
Starting Line-up
QB: Sam Bradford
HB: Tre Mason
FB: Cory Harkey
XWR: Brian Quick
ZWR: Kenny Britt
SLWR: Tavon Austin
TE: Jared Cook
LT: Greg Robinson
LG: A.J. Cann
C: Barrett Jones
RG: Rodger Saffold
RT: La'el Collins
LDE: Chris Long
LDT: Aaron Donald
RDT: Michael Brockers
RDE: Robert Quinn
WLB: Alec Ogletree
MLB: James Laurinaitis
SPUR: Mark Barron
LCB: Trumaine Johnson
RCB: Janoris Jenkins
NCB: E.J. Gaines
FS: Rodney McLeod
SS: T.J. McDonald
K: Greg Zuerlein
P: Johnny Hekker
LS: Jake McQuaide
KR: J.J. Nelson
PR: Tavon Austin
