The ties that bind - St.Louis Rams -

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Tweets from the first round
Note: Will be updated as draft occurs

Spoiler

[Jumpman14]

I see the draft logic is out of whack. Logan Thomas going 1st? The bengals taking a QB?

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Quote: Originally Posted by Jumpman14

I see the draft logic is out of whack. Logan Thomas going 1st? The bengals taking a QB?

Yeah, a lot of teams took quarterbacks that shouldn't have. Thomas was projected at #2, but the Cards just took Bradford and now have him too, which doesn't make sense. The draft is normalizing more at the middle, but still saw a few odd picks.

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Tweets from rounds 2 - 4

Spoiler

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NFL Draft Grades for Round 1

Chicago Bears
(QB) Aaron Murray of the University of Georgia

This was a peculiar pick for several reasons. One the Bears just extended Jay Cutler's contract prior to the draft and while the offense needed weapons, the quarterback position wasn't the spot for it. While this move definitely will incite some quarterback controversy in the preseason it's hard to see Murray playing this year, it must mean that Jay Cutler's time in Chicago is coming towards it's conclusion, but it's odd for a team to resign a quarterback than go and draft his replacement in the same off season. Murray makes excellent reads and should excel in the NFL given his offensive line is up to snuff.
Grade: C-

Cincinnati Bengals
Tajh Boyd (QB) of the University of Clemson

Quarterbacks were definitely 'in' this season for the NFL draft and this joins another head scratching selection like the Bears before them. The Bengals just recently drafted Andy Dalton who hasn't excelled persay, but he has definitely been on the rise. Tajh Boyd immediately makes competition for the signal caller but things likely won't change too much for this upcoming season. The Bengals definitely fumbled on this pick, Boyd has the skillset to go high in the draft but the Bengals had other needs, especially on the line. Boyd's skillset lies heavily in throwing the ball downfield and making plays with his legs. He could be fairly successful in the NFL down the road, but he won't be turning heads season one.
Grade: C-

Buffalo Bills
CJ Mosley (MLB) from the University of Alabama
It's pretty obvious that the Bills went with the best talent available in their eyes with this pick, but it was rather odd since they had Kiko Alonso still held over from last season and the rookie struggled but didn't play all that badly. Mosley excels at diagnosing plays quickly and clogging up holes. He isn't a game changer yet but he could prove to be. This move could open up the Bills to move to a 3-4, otherwise this was an odd pick. Mosley is talented and it wasn't a stretch to draft him here, but the Bills had other needs.
Grade: C+

Denver Broncos
select Aaron Colvin from Oklahoma
This is an excellent pick for the Broncos, losing Champ Bailey figured to be a big loss for the Broncos and without a solution available for them in free agency, the Broncos turned to the draft and made a huge move to land Aaron Colvin. Colvin could start from day one, and at the least he will get nickle back duties. The Broncos secondary wasn't exactly dominant last season and while Colvin isn't 'Bailey good' yet, he stops the unit from regressing.
Grade: A+

Cleveland Browns
select AJ McCarron from Alabama
Alabama has been churning out first round draft picks since Nick Saban had taken over, but the one position that hasn't blossomed with those expectations is the quarterback position and AJ McCarron could join that list. McCarron figures to be a good game manager but with the first round selection it seems a bit far fetched for him to live up to lofty expectations. He should contest Weeden for the starting job which is a statement given the Browns were a playoff team, but it's hard to call this a good pick, especially since McCarron would've likely hung around through the second round.
Grade: D+

Arizona Cardinals
select Logan Thomas (QB) from Virginia Tech
The only reason the Cardinals get a bad grade here is because of the means they came about the first overall pick. The Rams had their minds set on Lynch and knew that the first overall pick was an overshot, and they had Sam Bradford still on the roster, having lost Carson Palmer, the Cardinals needed a quarterback and as such extended the offer that sent the picks out to the Rams and in turn gave them the top selection. Instead of building off Sam Bradford and building around him either offensively or defensively, they use the top pick to bring about another huge quarterback contract in Logan Thomas. Thomas is a dual threat quarterback that is likely the most NFL ready prospect among the quarterbacking group which would make him a good fit for a team needing a quarterback, but the Cardinals havent even let Bradford play a down and they are giving up on him? In turn absorbing a huge contract and losing a midround pick?
Grade: F

San Diego Chargers
select Charles Leno (LT) from Boise State
This pick has it's positives and negatives. Leno can be a franchise left tackle and he will help keep Philip Rivers upright. The problem however falls upon his durability issues, the Bronco was injury prone especially in his senior year where he missed six games on three different injuries. His upside his great, but his durability raised a lot of questions.
Grade: B-

Kansas City Chiefs
select Jared Abbrederis (WR) from Wisconsin
Abbrederis headlined a group of wide receivers that really lacked star power and ended up being the first one off the board. Abbrederis is raw, but has the potential to be an above average pass catcher in the NFL. He was exposed to a traditional NFL offense at Wisconsin and learning an NFL playbook especially the one Andy Reid will utilize shouldn't be overly difficult for the Badger, but he will need time to grow. He won't be the day one stud that Dez Bryant or Justin Blackmon was.

Dallas Cowboys
select Christian Bryant (SS) from Ohio State and Andrew Norwell (G) from Ohio State
The Cowboys jumped up in the draft to snatch two Ohio State prospects and while many consider Jerry Jones manical, this move sets the Cowboys forward in a big way. The Cowboys drafting of Norwell allows either Norwell or David Arkin to shift inside to the center spot and bring more flexibility among the guards, bolstering an already strong unit. Christian Bryant offers a slight upgrade over JJ Wilcox but this move did have a hidden purpose, it gives an immense upgrade to the depth of the safeties. Now with Barry Chruch having a potential back up of Wilcox or Bryant, this unit will now be able to deal with the pass heavy offenses the NFL has been gravitating towards with more ease now that they can rotate players in and out easier. Bryant is a more intelligent player than physically gifted and should be a playmaker from day one.
Grade: A-

Miami Dolphins
select Bryn Renner (QB) of North Carolina

The Tarheels product was likely surprised to receive the call in the first round but that was where he ended up being taken. Taken by a Miami Dolphin team that will likely try to use Renner to spur along the progression of Ryan Tannehill or be a valuable back up option if Tannehill hits his ceiling before the Dolphins would like him to. There were better options on the board than selecting a back up quarterback, especially in the first round, especially since Renner isn't a first round talent.
Grade: C-

Philadelphia Eagles
select Derek Carr (QB) from Fresno State
The mid-major star landed with the Eagles who reached throughout their draft and likely will end up regretting it come next season. Carr had an excellent run with the Bulldogs and he could end up a starter in the NFL later on in his career, but this pick doesn't make sense for the Eagles at all. The player nor the position was needed or fit well with the offense Chip Kelly is instilling.
Grade: F

San Fransisco 49ers
select Bennett Jackson (CB) from Notre Dame
This is an excellent move from a team looking to continue imposing it's will from the defensive side of the ball. The 49ers went heavy on the cornerback position using 2 of their 3 picks in the opening two rounds on cornerbacks and Bennett Jackson is an excellent player. The Niners upgrade their unit immediately and he could blossom into an all-pro.

New York Giants
select Joe Southwick (QB) from Boise State
The second Boise State player to leave the boards in the first round, obviously someone forgot to tell the Giants that they still had Eli Manning under contract. Eli is starting to get older and that could be the factor in this decision, but Southwick was a huge reach, when you pick in the top ten it's because you have glaring holes and the quarterback position isn't one of them. Long term it's likely this move could pay off, but short term the Giants growth is stunted.
Grade: C-

Jacksonville Jaguars
select Mason Walters (G) from Texas and Trey Hopkins (G) from Texas
Another tandem of teammates goto the same professional team in the same round. While Jaguars fans are nearly begging management for a change at quarterback, it appears that Blaine Gabbert will be staying another year as the head man, since the Jaguars parted ways with Chad Henne over the past season. Walters was the projected top pick but fell to the third slot and suddenly, the Jaguars have one of the best lines in the league and definitely the youngest. The Jaguars didn't add star power in this draft, but they got excellent pieces. They could be waiting for Manziel or Bridgewater to enter the draft.
Grade:A-

New York Jets
select Ty Zimmerman (SS) from Kansas State and Christian Jones (ROLB) from Florida State

The Jets resurgence under Rex Ryan came from the defensive end of the ball and while the team is locked in a stage of rebuilding, they will look to add power on the defensive end to rebuild in a way they are familiar with, the way that had them minutes away from a Super Bowl birth. Ty Ziimmerman is probably the best player out of the two but he could be muddled in a safety group that has a lot of depth. Zimmerman is among the best and especially for his age it was a great pick, but he may not see the field this season. Christian Jones is an excellent defender that should be expected to start from day one, and he is a huge upgrade.
Grade: A+

Detroit Lions
select Josh Huff (WR) from Oregon

The Detroit Lions aren't looking for a #1 wide receiver with this pick, they are simply looking for a compliment to Calvin Johnson to take pressure off the wide receiver and give quarterback, Matthew Stafford more targets to play around with. In that sense this move is good, Huff has limited upset and should work well enough as a #2 option to make defenses occasionally deviate the double team from Calvin Johnson, but his upside is tangible. He will need some time to acclimate himself to an NFL offense and he won't help blocking on the ground game to the outside.
Grade:B-

Green Bay Packers
select Jake Matthews (LT) from Texas A&M
The Packers had a disasterous season last year riddled with injuries and plagued with so many errors that many fans likely thought that the 2013 Packers weren't actually the players from 2012. The bright side is a very talented roster got to pick up a franchise left tackle in the draft that should help out both quarterback Aaron Rodgers who suffered from injuries and halfback Eddie Lacy who was the offensive rookie of the year from the NFC last season. This is an excellent pick and he should be starting from day one. He excels in the ground game and can get blocks to the second level.

Carolina Panthers
select Jeremey Smith (HB) from Oklahoma State
Smith comes in old at 25 and joins a crowded Panthers backfield. It wasn't a strong class for halfbacks which makes this move even more of a shocker. The Panthers love their two back sets and while this allows them to continue with that, Smith didn't fill a need and he wasn't strong enough to warrant the pick as 'best available'. It was a reach when he could've been around in the second round and he doesn't have 'star' potential. With the team needed secondary players and wide outs gravely, this hurts them.
Grade: D-

New England Patriots
select Casey Pachall (QB) from TCU
What people need to remember is Tom Brady is mortal and he is getting up there in years, the Patriots don't want a huge drop off in that skill level and with minimal turnover in their roster, it's acceptable for them to go for a backup in the tail end of the first round. Pachall was marred by issues in college but Bill Belichick isn't afraid to take on those challenges. Pachall could pan out in the wake of Tom Brady's inevitable retirement, but to consider this pick anything more than average is a massive overstatement. Especially since the Patriots took two quarterbacks in this draft, it signals the end of Ryan Mallet's time in Foxborough.
Grade: C-

Oakland Raiders
select Marquis Flowers (OLB) from Arizona

It's hard to hate this pick with Flowers being as talented as he is, but he is a questionable fit for the Raiders, who seem to have given up on Si'o Moore. Flowers will likely start from day one and have a young rotation at the outside linebacker position. Given who was on the board, it's a reliable, safe pick for a team that had made a lot of high risk deicisions and been burned repeatedly by their risks. It works for the situation. He is average physically with solid decision making, he can cover the tight end or crash the line on the rush.

Saint Louis Rams select
Jordan Lynch (QB) from Northern Illinois and Ciante Evans (CB) from Nebraska

With the departure of Sam Bradford, the drafting of a quarterback was inevitable. Jordan Lynch is a high risk/ high reward player that could pay off in big ways or could blow up in the Rams faces. He was projected to go around the 8th to 15th picks, and waiting for him at 16 seemed to be too much of a stretch. The Rams passed on line prospects to get their signal caller but it could work out. Ciante Evans is a huge acquisition that suddenly gives the Rams secondary three corners that can all be counted on to make a stop. Adding depth to a unit lacking just that a year ago, the Nebraska native can expect a decent amount of playing time in his first year, while the Rams groom him to succeed Cromartie or Finnegan. There were safer picks at the quarterback spot, but Evans was a safe pick that should pay off.

Grade: B+

Baltimore Ravens
select Donald Hawkins (LT) from Texas and Jaxon Shipley (WR) from Texas
One good and one bad, both cases of infatuation by management. Hawkins could compete for a starting job on the line, he has the build to be a franchise left tackle and has the intelligence to do just that. He needs to acclimate himself to the NFL pacing and he likely will struggle against upper tier talents and teams like the Bengals will give him fits. Inversely Jaxon Shipley seemed overweight going into the combine and while he displayed above average hands, he lacked much explosiveness and didn't seem to make good reads on option routes. He also seemed to be a little late on making his cuts. Shipley will have to do a lot to overcome the negatives and it's not ever a smart decision to write off a player before he even takes a snap, but he has bust written all over him.
Grade: C-

Seattle Seahawks
select Shaun Lewis (OLB) from Oklahoma State
The Seahawks excel defensively and just added more ammunition during the draft. Shaun Lewis is a top tier prospect that should blossom into a Pro Bowler through his career. The Seahawks are a team with few holes, and they filled one of the few on the defensive end by plugging in Shaun Lewis. He should be a starter from day one and to land that, late in the first round is huge. The Seahawks get one step closer to that illusive Lombardi Trophy with a steal.
Grade: A+

Pittsburgh Steelers
select Terrence Brooks (FS) from Florida State
The Steelers have an ancient secondary and as much as Troy Polamalu and the rest of the secondary had been dominant in their time. It's time for the new age to work it's way through Pittsburgh and taking a step in the right direction with this drafting. Terrence Brooks gives them a huge talent without having to sift through free agency for it. He could be an all-pro talent at his peak, and the Steelers will hope for just that.
Grade:B+

Houston Texans
select John Hubert (HB) from Kansas State
Having lost Ben Tate to free agency, the Texans were expected to groom a replacement through the draft, it did surprise some that they chose to do so in the first round but they ensure the fall off in secondary production won't be as big. Hubert hits his top speed quickly and can outrun the majority of the defensive unit, which provides an excellent compliment to Arian Foster and should make him a valuable target out of the backfield, especially if a linebacker gets the trouble of covering him.
Grade: C+

Tennessee Titans
select Trevor Reilly (DE) from Utah
Bust? It definitely looks like the end will falter when it comes down to it all. He isn't adept at much at anything and while the Titans are hoping he will be similar to Star (current Panther), he is extremely raw. His ceiling is high enough to warrant the pick, but he needs a lot of time to develop, and as such he doesn't fill much of a need at this point, and he could just as easily be replaced by a more talented end during his career. It's a very questionable pick.
Grade: F-

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Saint Louis Rams Draft
Pick	Player	College	Pos	Ht	Wt
1 (6)	Jordan Lynch	Northern Illinois	QB	6'0	216
1 (16)	Ciante Evans	Nebraska	CB	5'11	190
2 (1)	Chris Watt	Notre Dame	G	6'3	321
2 (2)	Usua Amanam	Stanford	CB	5'10	175
3 (1)	Lamin Barrow	LSU	OLB	6'2	232
3 (6)	Travis Swanson	Arkansas	C	6'5	314
4 (1)	Shaquelle Evans	UCLA	WR	6'1	201
4 (2)	Venric Mark	Northwestern	HB	5'8	175
5 (1)	Jonathon Mincy	Auburn	CB	5'10	191
6 (1)	Bernard Reedy	Toledo	WR	5'9	175
7 (1)	Trey Millard	Oklahoma	FB	6'2	259

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Tom Brady shocks the nation

In a surprising move, following the drafting of a quarterback to the Patriots, one of the greatest Patriots to play the game called it quits. Tom Brady will go into the hall of fame, side by side with Patriots owner, Robert Kraft. The two celebrated super bowl victories and were truly a dynasty in the modern era, one of the few across all sports to be so consistently dominant that they could almost be written in for a super bowl birth.

Tom Brady leaves behind a legacy, an underdog story and a memoir in what constantly aiming to improve oneself can accomplish for someone. He joins a star studded class that includes Robert Kraft, Tony Gonzalez, and Ed Reed, who will all be enshrined in front of a sell out crowd at the hall of fame game.

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First preseason matchup lights up the scoreboard

Saint Louis Rams (1-0) 34 @ San Fransisco 49ers (0-1) 31

Preseason matchups are really just intersquad scrimmages where the starters may take a few snaps to acclimate themselves with their new players that have been slotted in during the offseason but mostly it provides a somewhat full speed look at what to expect from the tail end of the roster. For both sides in this matchup, the offense looked beautiful, while the defense.. not so much.

Starting out however, this game didn't reach it's conclusion without injuries that will extend beyond this week. Alec Ogletree was hurt on the first play of the game for him, when he made a tackle on Frank Gore. The outside linebacker was later revealed to have a tear in his abdominal muscle and is listed as doubtful for this next matchup against the Giants. The other came late in the game when rookie wide receiver Bernard Reedy went up for a pass and was brought down roughly. It was revealed that he had a slipped disk in his back and the herniated disk would take a minimum of two months to heal. This could end his tenure on a bloated wide receiver depth chart, and it was a big blow given the teams hopes that he may end up with a role with the team by the end of the season. The 49ers escaped the injury bug in this matchup.

Given this is preseason, the game will be broken down with positives and negatives for both squads, starting with the 49ers.

The Good:

Of the two rookie quarterbacks on the roster, only Stephen Morris saw extended playing time and had a team high 236 passing yards and a touchdown, his only knock came when he tossed a late interception that sealed the win for the Rams.

Stevan Ridley came over from New England and is thrust into a bloated halfback roster that already has an entrenched number one, Ridley however outshined his starting counterpart and slashed through the Rams defense, rushing for 95 yards on 5.6 YPC with a pair of touchdowns.

The 49ers have acquired an insane amount of wide receivers in the past season and with a breadth of talent at the position including new acquisitions Mario Manningham and Riley Cooper, one of them stepped up in a huge way, Manningham had four big catches with 119 yards and a touchdown.

The bad:

The defense didn't have much of an answer, the starters allowed the Rams to drive downfield with ease and if they hadn't forced a Jordan Lynch fumble, the Rams would've put up six easily. They weren't a force on the turnovers and the youth at cornerback was exploited regularly.

Frank Gore have 7 carries and a horrible 2.2 yards per carry

For the Rams:

The Good:

Nathan Enderle is playing for the third string spot and he made a strong case for it in this one, Pat White will get the go ahead in the second half next week and a cut will follow, but Enderle pulled out a 182 yard 2 touchdown performance including leading the game winning drive. This far, the Idaho signal caller has earned his spot.

Venric Mark was fairly unheralded coming in from Northwestern and was a fringe option on a roster that had several young backs. Getting enough playing time however showed that the rookie back has some reason to make a case for the back up half back slot, rushing for 80 yards and 8.9 yards per carry.

Both Brian Quick and Shaquelle Evans made big contributions in the opening game and could figure to parlay that into playing time in the regular season. Quick was aided by moves at the wide out position while Shaqulle Evans, being a draft choice by the Rams this season is simply looking ot find his place in the league.

Chris Watt manhandled the opposition and picked up two pancakes in limited action.

Carmen Messina was an absolute force at the right outside linebacker slot, hitting double digit tackles and swarming the ball carrier, it's unlikely for him to take over the top job, but he's making Jeff Fisher at least look at the linebacker as a potential option.

The Bad:

Jordan Lynch ran the ball once and fumbled on the run, that could be an issue going forward.

Ben Tate wasn't very impressive in his first showing as a Ram, a yawn inducing 1.9 yards per carry, but Venric Mark isn't exactly pulling close just yet.

Alec Ogletree being hurt on the first play of the preseason raises more concerns about the durability of this Rams squad.