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New mock from my man Dan Kadar over at MTD. He's got a cool spin on this one to have backup options for each pick with one or two names for each team beyond the mock selection.
Let's do tha damn thang.
| # | Team | Pick | POS | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay | Marcus Mariota | QB | Oregon |
| 2 | Tennessee | Jameis Winston | QB | Florida St. |
| 3 | Jacksonville | Randy Gregory | DE | Nebraska |
| 4 | Oakland | Leonard Williams | DL | USC |
| 5 | Washington | La'el Collins | OT | LSU |
| 6 | New York Jets | Vic Beasley | OLB | Clemson |
| 7 | Chicago | Bud Dupree | DE | Kentucky |
| 8 | Atlanta | Dante Fowler | DE | Florida |
| 9 | New York Giants | Shane Ray | DE | Missouri |
This is probably the dream scenario for the Rams right now.
They're not faced with the difficulty of having to deal with the ramifications of a potential trade up to grab one of the two QBs. Six of the seven following picks are D-line or pass rush additions. The only prime target for the Rams off the board is Collins, leaving all the other O-line options and every wide receiver on the board. Of course if we're going to look at it and suggest the Rams have it easy regarding the two QBs because they're gone so early, there is a bit of the opposite here in that Amari Cooper, Kevin White and every other WR prospect as well as having nearly every lineman. How the Rams make the call at 10 among those options is not only difficult, but the opportunity costs are somewhat overwhelming. That's the case with every draft, sure, but as the Rams only have one pick in the first 40 (and only five in the entire draft) this decision is a bit heavier than in recent previous drafts.
In any case, here's how Kadar mocks it:
Brandon Scherff (OT, Iowa)
The No. 10 spot remains a tough spot for the Rams. There isn't a viable quarterback or center option, so that should lead St. Louis to the right side of its offensive line. Scherff could replace free agent Joseph Barksdale, and represent an upgrade. He could also be moved inside. The same can be said for Pittsburgh's T.J. Clemmings.Other options: T.J. Clemmings (OT), Trade down with a team needing a wide receiver
Every year, we always throw out "TRAID DOWN" as if it's that easy without acknowledging that if every fan base is screaming it, that would kind of inherently negate any other team from being the other half required to pull off a trade. But that logic aside...trading down seems awfully rational this year. One, the options at 10 don't seem much more attractive than later on in the first. Two, this draft is set up more to reward good scouting and finding the right "fit" from a prospect than just grabbing top talent. And three, more specifically to the Rams, despite the weakness of the top of the draft the Rams are still light on picks throughout the draft. I certainly wouldn't be against adding a day two pick to the Rams' haul at the cost of moving down a bit in the 1st, but I'm just not sure who would be moving up to 10 let alone why.
As it stands, I think we're going to see some steam pushing the train for the Rams to try to move out of the pick only because there's just not a lot of momentum here for them to go after a specific prospect or role at 10. For a first round that's seemingly going to be built around finding a good fit for every team, the Rams might not have one on day 1.