2:20 AM EDT, Fri March 29, 2024
Turf Show Times

Snead’s Snacks: Which defensive linemen in draft can help fill Aaron Donald void

Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Which defensive line prospects could Rams target in the NFL Draft? The Los Angeles Rams have one of the biggest challenges this offseason during the draft when they look to replace Aaron Donald. While the Rams won’t be replacing Donald, they will most certainly look to add to the rotation along the defensive line at the very least. Since the 2020 NFL Draft, I’ve done a series called Snead’s Snacks. In other words, we’re going to find and look at common themes and traits of previous Les Snead draft picks and see which...

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Best and worst free agent signing for each NFC West team

Photo by Cooper Neill/ How do the Rams’ signing match up to their division rivals’? The dust is settling on the NFL’s free agency period as teams and fans turn their attention to next month’s NFL Draft. How did the four NFC West teams fare in free agency? The San Francisco 49ers are looking to maintain their hold on the division and keep contending for Super Bowls. Last season was promising for a young Los Angeles Rams team, but what are they without Aaron Donald? Both the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals are amidst rebuilds and hope to make the jump...

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This wide receiver is being pegged as this year’s Puka Nacua

Photo by Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via NFL Draft Analyst Charles Davis pegs USC’s Brenden Rice as this year’s Puka Nacua Last season, the Los Angeles Rams arguably got the steal of the NFL Draft when they selected Puka Nacua late in the fifth-round. Nacua went on to break the rookie receptions and yards record while putting up a strong case for Offensive Rookie of the Year. Much like most late-round prospects that succeed, now the goal will be to find “the next Puka Nacua.” Charles Davis of The 33rd Team compared a receiver in this year’s class to Nacua...

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Rams 7-round mock draft: ESPN picks 11 new prospects for L.A.’s roster

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Rams pick Jared Verse in first, two kickers at the end of the draft, in ESPN’s 7-round mock The L.A. Rams picking three defensive players to start their draft would not be surprising at all, but going with a punter in round six would be since the franchise already seems to have a punter who they like. However, ESPN’s Matt Miller either thinks that the Rams want a competition...at punter...or he just didn’t really notice. Maybe this was an A.I. draft? In either case, Miller or A.I. made 11 picks for the Rams in this new 7-round mock draft...

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NFL Insider says Rams are sleeper team for this quarterback in the draft

Photo by Tom Hauck/ NFL Insider Jordan Schultz says Rams are a sleeper team for Michael Penix in NFL Draft. When it comes to the Los Angeles Rams, they have seemingly been connected to the quarterback position throughout the draft process. Early on in the process, JJ McCarthy was a player that was commonly mocked to them with the 19th overall pick. However, since McCarthy’s has picked up potential top-5 buzz, that clearly took the Rams out of the running. Now, however, they are getting connected to the other quarterback that was in the National Championship game,...

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ESPN analyst mocks college star QB to Rams in first round

Set Number: X164476 TK1 ESPN’s Michael Tannenbaum has the L.A. Rams picking Michael Penix, Jr. at pick 19 in his mock draft The L.A. Rams have two quarterbacks who are guaranteed to be on the 2024 roster, veterans Matthew Stafford and Jimmy Garoppolo, and Les Snead has let it be known that Stetson Bennett will return and give it another shot to make the team after a disappointing rookie season on the inactive list. This won’t stop people from speculating that quarterback is a potential need for the Rams in the draft, perhaps as early as the first round, and maybe...

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Rams make anticipated signing official on Tuesday

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports Rams edge rusher Michael Hoecht officially signed his free agent tender on Tuesday, he will be back The Los Angeles Rams were expected to sign edge rusher Michael Hoecht to a restricted free agent contract and that was made official on Tuesday: Hoecht signed his tender and is officially returning to the Rams for 2024. L.A. would still have the option to part ways with Hoecht if they end up liking other players better, so nothing is guaranteed and certainly the Rams should be looking at edge rushers in the draft, but this is another step...

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Random Ramsdom: Stetson Bennett hoping to help team this year?

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 3/25/24 According to the article below Stetsn Bennett is hoping that he can still get a chance to compete with the Los Angeles Rams. The reported quote is from Bennett’s former college coach so it’s not like we are hearing it from Bennett himself. Only Stetson knows what he truly wants to do, but if he can help the Rams in any way then I am opended minded, however I must admit I am of the opinion that LA may want to draft another quaterback this year, and or be prepared to go another season...

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A mock draft pick for the Rams that I haven’t seen until today

Would the Rams be willing to take edge Darius Robinson in the top-20? Since the news broke that Aaron Donald is retiring this year, mock drafts everywhere have shifted focus from Cooper DeJean or some cornerback to Johnny Newton or some defensive tackle. That is what you can expect from the “original ideas” that are typical NFL mock drafts between January and April: “We swear this is the player your team will NEED! Until something happens tomorrow that makes someone else the player your team definitely needs.” Recently, mock after mock has gone with Illinois defensive...

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Rams mock draft: Chad Reuter gets same prospect as CBS, but with trade down

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/ Could Johnny Newton be the next man to take snaps left by Aaron Donald on Rams? What will the L.A. Rams do in the 2024 NFL Draft and could they trade down, potentially all the way to the last pick of the first round? Anything is possible with Les Snead. I was going to do a showdown between a CBS mock draft by Tom Fornelli and an NFL.com mock draft by Chad Reuter, but they both had the Rams picking the same player: Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton. There was one key difference though. Reuter had the Rams trading down 13...

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Deep group of safeties and cornerbacks left on free agent market

Photo by Ethan Miller/ The Rams should be active in the second, third, and fourth phase of free agency If the Los Angeles Rams were to field a defense today, they would most likely be starting Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick next to free agent signee Darious Williams, as well as Russ Yeast next to safety addition Kamren Curl. And going that route could be fine, or just as fine as if it was Jason Taylor II, Tanner Ingle at safety or Tre Tomlinson and Quentin Lake at cornerback. But between the draft and the next three phases of offseason free agency between now,...

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Should Rams still draft a quarterback after signing Jimmy Garoppolo?

Photo by Maddie Meyer/ Should quarterback be an option for the Rams on day two of the NFL Draft? The Los Angeles Rams addressed the backup quarterback position by signing former San Francisco 49ers quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency. While Garoppolo doesn’t give off a lot of excitement, he is a quarterback that knows the system and has proven that he can win games with the right supporting case. The issue with Garoppolo is that not only is he past his prime, he doesn’t give the Rams much of a future at the position. Stetson Bennett may never have been a...

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Pass Rush Needed: How Rams free agent signings set up the draft

Photo by Scott Taetsch/ What are the Rams biggest needs after free agency? For the most part, the Los Angeles Rams have wrapped up free agency. There may be another small signing or two, but focus will now shift towards the NFL Draft. The Rams did manage to fill some needs in free agency and supplement the roster. However, there are plenty of needs that they will still need to address in the draft, primarily at pass rusher. Here’s how the Rams’ needs stack up. 1. Edge Rusher The Rams still very much need an edge rusher. While Byron Young showed some promised as a...

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Don’t be surprised if Les Snead targets this defensive lineman in the first round

Photo by Tim Warner/ Les Snead could fall in love with Byron Murphy given his similarities to Grady Jarrett The Los Angeles Rams will be looking to fill the massive void left by Aaron Donald following the star defensive lineman’s retirement. While that is easier said than done, the Rams will have a few options to choose from in the NFL Draft. One of those players is Texas’ Byron Murphy. Murphy has been a popular first-round selection for the Rams in mock drafting since Donald’s retirement. In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. slotted Murphy to the...

Cat Scratch Reader

The Panthers are signing former Rams and Bengals safety Nick Scott

Photo by Andy Lyons/ Add another Evero disciple to the defensive backfield. Well, his name isn’t DJ Moore, but the Panthers have added another former Rams late round pick to their defensive backfield. The #Panthers add one more, agreeing to terms with former #Rams and #Bengals S Nick Scott, source said.— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 22, 2024 The former Penn State Nittany Lion was selected in the 7th round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Rams. He mostly served as a special teams backup from 2019-2020, eventually seeing some time as a rotational player in 2021....

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Current Lions front office played key role in Rams drafting Aaron Donald

Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports Brad Holmes and Ray Agnew played a key role in Rams drafting Aaron Donald in 2014 With the retirement of Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald, there have been a lot off stories coming out from former players and coaching reminiscing on the all-time great’s career. Back in 2014, the Rams undoubtedly ended up with the steal of the draft when they selected Donald with the 13th overall pick. One of the biggest questions has always been how was it possible that Donald fell that far in the draft. In Bucky Brooks’ final mock draft,...

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3 questions remaining for Rams before the draft

Photo by Ryan Kang/ Without Aaron Donald for the first time in over a decade, how will Rams address these questions? It’s not often in their entire careers that an NFL general manager will suffer a loss as great as the one left by Aaron Donald when he retired last week. They will say (all the time) that “You can’t replace Aaron Donald!” Yeah, we know. But you know that the Rams...have to...replace Aaron Donald, right? Like that’s a spot on the 90-man and 53-man roster that has to be filled with a defensive tackle. That’s one way that you have to replace him....

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Rams find themselves on other end of compensatory formula in 2024

Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/ Les Snead said F them (compensatory) picks this year For years the Los Angeles Rams and general manager Les Snead have used the NFL’s compensatory draft selection formula to their advantage. We’ve seen the Rams target recently released players—such as Leonard Floyd after being cut by the Chicago Bears—because they don’t count against the compensatory formula. Los Angeles usually receives towards the max amount of picks (4) each year after watching several key players earn free agent paydays elsewhere around the league. However, that...

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Sean McVay called Rams’ secret weapon in free agency

Photo by Ezra Shaw/ From “running through a brick wall” to other commitments, Rams new free agents want to play for McVay In March we have free agency, in April we have the draft, but the L.A. Rams have Sean McVay in all 12 months of the year. That’s an advantage unlike what most NFL teams could hope to gain between every Super Bowl. Of all the moves that have happened in the NFL over the last 10 years, including coaching changes, GM hires, free agency, trades, and the draft, the Rams hiring McVay in 2017 has to be among the top-10 most important and impactful....

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Rams had the least amount of cash spent on departing free agents

Photo by Ric Tapia/ Retaining Kevin Dotson seemed to be a key priority in Rams’ offseason The dust is settling on the NFL’s free agency period. While there will still be moves made before and after the NFL Draft, the bigger names have come off the market and the pace of signings has certainly slowed. The Los Angeles Rams were very active in the first couple weeks of free agency. They started out by retaining WR Demarcus Robinson and RG Kevin Dotson on new deals, placing a second-round restricted free agent tender on LT Alaric Jackson, and then signing a new LG in...

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The NFL draft QB prospect who already knows the Rams playbook

Photo by Andy Lyons/ Could Devin Leary be a day 3 target for Sean McVay’s Rams? Playing at Kentucky has been sort of a blessing and curse for quarterbacks recently. It was a blessing for Will Levis in 2021, when he was linked up with offensive coordinator Liam Coen, then a curse in 2022 after Coen and top receiver Wan’Dale Robinson departed for the NFL, and perhaps both a blessing and curse for transfer Devin Leary in 2023. On one hand, Leary wasn’t bestowed the best supporting cast and didn’t have quite the rebound year he hoped for after transferring from NC...

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Where should Rams rank in the NFC after first wave of free agency?

Photo by Kiyoshi Mio/Icon Sportswire via Rams have their sights set on taking back the NFC in 2024 The first wave of free agency is complete and the L.A. Rams appear to be in great shape with the NFL Draft now a month away. LA seemingly came out of nowhere to make a surprise postseason run following a 3-6 start last season. The Rams should have a path back to contention in a wide-open NFC, yet not everyone was convinced by their 2023 success as evidenced by this tweet: This is laughable. 10th?!? pic.twitter.com/TH8TksL8aX— JAKE ELLENBOGEN (@JKBOGEN) March 19,...

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Are Rams headed toward an overwhelmingly defensive draft?

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/ Rams offense significantly outweighs defense after Aaron Donald’s retirement The Los Angeles Rams say they knew Aaron Donald planned to retire shortly after their wildcard loss to the Detroit Lions. Still, they mainly focused on offense in the early going of free agency by signing LG Jonah Jackson and adding TE Colby Parkinson. On Friday they chose Jimmy Garoppolo as the backup QB to Matthew Stafford. CB Darius Williams was a relatively affordable signing that immediately upgrades LA’s cornerback room. More secondary help came via...

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Rams 7-round mock draft: Post-free agency edition

Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/ Rams go defense-heavy in post-free agency mock draft While free agency isn’t over, the first week came and went with a lot of excitement. The Los Angeles Rams signed Jonah Jackson, Darious Williams, Colby Parkinson and Kam Curl and their big signings that should help supplement the roster. It’s possible that the Rams still add a player or two in the second wave of free agency over the next few weeks, but for the most part, the focus will now be on the draft. With Aaron Donald’s retirement announcement, it certainly spiced up the rest of...

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Is Dallas Turner worth the Rams trading up for him?

Photo by Kara Durrette/ The Rams desperately need an edge rusher, but are they desperate enough to trade up in the draft? Dallas Turner has the one NFL draft advantage that every prospect wants the most. Is it speed? No. Is it size? No. Is it a Heisman Trophy like Jayden Daniels has? No. Dallas Turner has “the most buzz” at his position. That’s enough to think that at worst, an NFL owner is going to tell an NFL GM, “Hey, Turner is still on the board, why don’t we take him? I heard he’s the best edge rusher in the class!” and then an edge rusher is off the...

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Random Ramsdom: Some potential prospects in the draft who could help replace AD

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Los Angeles Rams News and Links for 3/18/24 The Los Angeles Rams lost one of the greatest players in their franchise history recently when Aaron Donald announced his retirement. It’s a huge loss for LA who will need to figure out how they can try to replace him. Do you have any ideas or any potential prospects you’d like to see the Rams add? You can read about some potential soluitons right here! It’s Monday, try to have a good start to you week and please comment on whatever you’d like! Thanks for checking out Turfshowtimes! 5...

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What is Rams biggest need after Aaron Donald retirement?

Photo by Ric Tapia/ Replacing Aaron Donald is impossible for Rams, but there are more holes to plug than just defensive tackle It would be easy to say that the biggest hole on the L.A. Rams roster is the one left by Aaron Donald following his retirement on Friday, and it is true to say that the team must now be taking a harder look at defensive linemen in the draft, but the fact is that the depth chart might have even bigger needs than that. The Rams might be considering one of the few defensive tackles getting first round buzz this year, such as Byron Young out of...

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Are the Rams still contenders without Aaron Donald?

Photo by Nic Antaya/ What are the Rams without their best player, Aaron Donald? The Los Angeles Rams made quick work of their rebuild in 2023 with the help of an impressive 14-member draft class and behind the star performances of QB Matthew Stafford and DE Aaron Donald. They seemed like a team primed for contention in 2024 and beyond, but that was maybe derailed over the weekend when Donald announced his retirement. Donald’s sudden absence leaves a massive void in the middle of the Los Angeles defense that has several promising young players but overall lacks star...

Is Todd Gurley worthy of a top pick? Where to draft Zeke Elliott, Melvin Gordon | The Fantasy Show

Matthew Berry addresses the concerns of fantasy football managers on Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley and his unpredictable workload in 2019. Berry also breaks down how to handle the holdouts of Ezekiel Elliott with the Dallas Cowboys and Melvin