Random Ramsdom, 2/5: Mock draft roundups

SB Nation’s Dan Kadar posted a mock draft on Tuesday and because it was two rounds, that means we get to talk about the LA Rams.

After dealing two firsts for Jalen Ramsey, the Rams are left outside the top 50 picks unless they trade up or find another way in. And that’s okay, Ramsey is a great player who any team would be hard-pressed to find at pick 20. Even knowing that they also sacrificed their first in 2021, Ramsey is the type of player who can help this type of team mean that the Jaguars are getting an even lower pick the following year.

Of course, much of the value hinges on Ramsey remaining on the Rams for the long-term and not exiting after next season, but most first round picks will be worse than Jalen Ramsey. Can LA find a first-round player if they stay on the board at pick 52?

That answer is a long time coming but Kadar has them selecting Boise State edge player Curtis Weaver in that slot. Weaver is 6’3, 265, and drawing some hype as a first round prospect. More will be known after the combine but should Weaver be available and the Rams take him, they’d potentially be getting someone to replace Dante Fowler, should he be gone; Fowler is 6’3 and probably on some days weighs 265.

Over at NFL.com, they have LA selecting Bradlee Anae, another edge player, out of Utah. In round three, LA addresses offensive line with Jonah Jackson out of Ohio State. The generically-named DraftSite.com has the Rams taking edge Jabari Zuniga out of Florida.

So yes, you can pick your nose, you can pick your friends, and you can still pick players for the Rams as long as you go past round one.

Onto some links...

LA Rams RB Malcolm Brown may need new zip in 2020 - Ramblin’ Fan

The LA Rams begin another journey of metamorphosis. Despite the fans best intended wishes, the Rams, like every NFL team, reinvents itself from one year to another. Familiar faces move on to other NFL teams, some gracefully retire, while still others hope to have the phone ring, but are disappointed to find that the game of football has moved on without them. It’s necessary, because hundreds of new football hopefuls stream into the league, buoyed by their raw talent and enthusiasm, hoping to earn their place on the roster in the new season. Such is the role of backup running back Malcolm Brown.

Mock Draft Roundup: Offensive linemen are popular picks for Rams - Rams.com

It is Mock Draft Monday on the Rams.com, where we will be taking a look at various experts’ projections for who the Rams will select in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Although Los Angeles does not have a first round pick in this year’s draft, there are still some outlets which produce mock drafts that go beyond the first 32 selections. Those are what we will be using to highlight predictions for L.A. The Rams’ first pick in the draft will be No. 52 overall in the second round.

LA Rams backup quarterback John Wolford is a lone wolf - Ramblin’ Fan

The LA Rams have a great deal of faith in starting quarterback Jared Goff. So much so that the team has very little insurance on the roster in the case of injury, poor play, or illness. That vestige of backing up the Rams franchise quarterback currently rests entirely upon quarterback John Wolford. Nobody else. That makes Wolford a bit of a lone wolf. It also make him a bit of an enigma.

Best of Sean McVay on ESPN’s Postseason NFL Countdown - Rams.com

Rams head coach Sean McVay joined ESPN’s Postseason NFL Countdown as a guest analyst for their Super Bowl LIV pregame coverage. As a couple of the highlights from his appearance below show, his connections to the 49ers go beyond facing them twice a year as a divisional opponent.

Andrew Whitworth funds shopping spree for Big Brothers Big Sisters Ventura County youth - Rams

On Thursday, December 19, Los Angeles Rams’ Tackle ANDREW WHITWORTH funded a shopping spree for 77 youth with Big Brother Big Sisters of Ventura County (BBBSVC), providing each “little” with a $100 gift card to purchase items for the holidays. BBBSVC builds and professionally supports one-to-one mentoring relationships to provide underserved youth the opportunity to achieve their full potential.

Free Agent Profile: Michael Brockers - Mile High Report

Why the Broncos should sign him

If Denver loses Harris, they’ll need a quality starter to replace him. Brockers has been a steady and dependable starter throughout his career and would be a stabilizing force if the defensive line were to lose a starter in free agency. Adding Brockers would create a very strong inside run defense that could end up leading the NFL against the run in 2020 if we saw Mike Purcell, Brockers, and Wolfe starting on the inside.

PFF ranks top 10 quarterback prospects in NFL Draft - 247 Sports

PFF says, “Gordon is going to be set in the shadow of Gardner Minshew throughout pretty much the entire draft process, but that particular comparison is one I’m not on board with whatsoever. Gordon may actually be more talented as a pure passer, but he has far more flaws in terms of on-field play. When things went south for Gordon this season, things got very ugly. Against Utah, he threw directly to multiple stationary defenders, and against Washington, he dropped back 70 times and completed only three passes 10-plus yards downfield.”

2020 NFL Mock Draft: Five quarterbacks go in Round 1; Chargers, Bucs, Vikings all land franchise passers - CBS Sports

“That’s why I wanted out (of Cincinnati),” Palmer told CBS Sports Radio’s Damon Amendolara. “I never felt like the organization was really trying to win a Super Bowl, and really chasing the Super Bowl.”

It’s also worth noting that Carson’s brother, Jordan Palmer, is training Burrow in the weeks leading up to the draft.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid still drives the car his dad bought for $25 in the 1940s - CNBC

Reid also drives a 92-year-old car that this dad bought for $25 in the 1940s, despite the fact that he brings in an annual salary of $7.5 million.

The car is a 1928 Model A, Ford’s successful follow-up to the iconic Model T, and it’s likely not Reid’s only mode of tranportation. However, Reid still occasionally drives the classic car that he fully restored after inheriting it from his father, who died in 1992.

A 5-Part Plan To Fix The NFL’s Coaching Diversity Problem - FiveThirtyEight

To explore this issue, we looked closely at the resumes of the 32 current NFL head coaches, a group that includes 28 white coaches; Washington’s Ron Rivera, who is Latino; and Brian Flores of the Miami Dolphins, Anthony Lynn of the Los Angeles Chargers and Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers, all of whom are black. A big part of that research involved measuring what the head coaches tended to do in any given year of their life — finding patterns along the path to the top that might explain the whiteness of the current group of coaches, and give us ideas about how to increase its racial diversity.

Chiefs’ Eric Bieniemy covets head-coaching job, not disappointed with ‘process’ - ESPN

“Everyone wants to hear I’m disappointed,’’ Bieniemy told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio on Thursday as the Chiefs continued preparations for Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers. “That is not the case. We’re still playing. We’ve got one of the biggest games this weekend. So I’m really looking forward to having that opportunity to share in this moment in time with our organization, our players and also, too, our coaching staff.