Cooper Kupp, Gerald Everett, Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Joseph Noteboom, John Johnson III, Micah Kiser, Jamil Demby, Tanzel Smart, Sam Rodgers…
What do all those guys have in common? They were all Senior Bowl participants in the last two years that received calls from General Manager Les Snead to come out to Los Angeles Rams camp and put on pads. Going back beyond 2017, other Senior Bowlers-turned-Rams continue to pop up: Rob Havenstein, Austin Blythe, Sean Mannion, Paul McRoberts, Kevin Peterson, Louis Trinca-Pasat.
With a shortage of premium draft picks in recent drafts, Les Snead has used the Senior Bowl as his team’s lifeblood. The Senior Bowl has provided the Rams with a great opportunity to see guys from smaller schools test their skills against experienced players from power conferences, and sometimes diamonds in the rough start flashing. The Rams have certainly shown that it is worth their while to take a flyer on some of these talents that will surely be available on days two and three of the draft.
Finding a key contributor or three in the mid-to-late rounds will be integral to the Rams as they look to replenish their talent and depth, as their numerous pro bowlers soak up a large portion of the team’s cap space.
The following players are 2019 Senior Bowl participants that might be lurking on Les Snead’s draft board:
Safeties
With the likely departure of previously franchise tagged FS Lamarcus Joyner, the Rams may look to the free agent market to fill the void. Regardless of how that plays out, there is a great chance that they will also select a safety somewhere between the fourth and seventh rounds. Here are some Senior Bowl participants that could go somewhere in that range:
Kentucky S Mike Edwards
Ranked 209 overall
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Michigan State S Khari Willis
Ranked 231 overall
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Boston College S Will Harris (another BC safety next to John Johnson III?!?)
Ranked 196 overall
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Maryland S Darnell Savage Jr.
Ranked 160 overall
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Tight Ends
The Rams tight ends preformed well when called upon in 2018. Tyler Higbee was a solid blocker and Gerald Everett made some notable plays in the passing game down field. However, no Rams opponent would have ranked tight end highly among things to worry about against the Rams’ offense. It is entirely possible that the Rams will continue to poke around the mid-to-late rounds to see if they can find their guy. This year’s Senior Bowl had a couple of four-catch tight ends:
Washington TE Drew Sample
6’5” 251 lbs
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and…
UCLA TE Caleb Wilson
6’4” 235 lbs
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others include these skyscrapers…
Stetson TE David Parham
6’8” 240 lbs
Ranked 272 overall
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LSU TE Foster Moreau
6’6” 256 lbs
Ranked 179 overall
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EDGE/outside linebacker
The quest for heat is still on. We don’t know whether Dante Flowler Jr, Dominique Easley, or Matt Longacre will be retained, so this area remains in flux. Here are some Senior Bowlers that could potentially provide competition on the edge:
TCU OLB Ben Banogu
6’4” 249 lbs
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Northern Illinois OLB Sutton Smith
6’1” 237 lbs
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Notre Dame OLB Drue Tranquill
6’2” 233 lbs
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Mississippi State OLB Gerri Green
6’4” 255 lbs
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Defensive End
TCU DE L.J. Collier
6’4” 276 lbs
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Iowa DE Anthony Nelson
6’7” 271 lbs
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Texas DE Charles Omenihu
6’6” 275 lbs
(1 forced fumble, 1 sack, 3 tackles in Senior Bowl)
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A few more that Snead might have seen…
USC T Chuma Edoga
6’4” 295 lbs
(Senior Bowl Practice Player of the Week)
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Alabama DT Isaiah Buggs
6’2” 286 lbs
(3 tackles in Senior Bowl)
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UMass WR Andy Isabella II
5’10” 195 lbs
(7 rec, 74 yds, 1 TD; 1 car, 14 yds in Senior Bowl)
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There’s a great chance that one — or more than one — of these names will be in Irvine with the Rams this July. If the Rams can find a couple contributors in the second half of the draft, it will be another coup for the team as they look to add depth on the cheap around their blue chip stars.