The NFL draft is almost here and the Los Angeles Rams are already making a splash after moving up to the No. 1 overall pick. We're less than a week away from the draft, which means you have plenty of questions on the topic.
As always, you can find me on Twitter @nwagoner and fire away with any Rams-related questions you might have. Please use hashtag #RamsMail so I can see them.
On to your questions.
@nwagoner Drafting a QB is one thing, but do the Rams have the offensive staff in place to guide a young talent into stardom? #ramsmail
— Nick Carbaugh (@CarbaughNation) April 21, 2016
@nwagoner: This is a really good question and one we don't really have an answer for at this point. Clearly, Jeff Fisher is not an offensive coach, and though he gets some credit for what the offense did with Steve McNair in Tennessee, it's not as if it was his system even if it was his philosophy being employed. Rob Boras is a first-time NFL offensive coordinator (for a full season), quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke is in his second season in that role and Mike Groh is in his first season as the passing-game coach. In other words, the offensive staff that's most likely to be working directly with the new quarterback is almost wholly unproven in their current roles at this level and certainly with this team. So yeah, it's fair at this point to leave the jury out on that and/or be skeptical about whether the Rams have the right people in place to get the most out of a quarterback taken No. 1 overall. Of course, if it doesn't work out and the Rams make a coaching change after the season, that wouldn't help a young quarterback, either, because he'd be starting over again.
Adding to that, the Rams don't exactly have a great supporting cast on the field for a quarterback. They have a star in the making at running back in Todd Gurley but otherwise, the offensive line still has a lot of improving to do and the receivers and tight ends are pedestrian. In an ideal world, the players will improve because the coaching staff is doing a good job. But it feels as though it's asking a lot of all parties for this offense to improve simply by plugging in a quarterback taken No. 1 overall and making a few changes to the coaching staff.
@nwagoner Do the #Rams have any plans to draft a TE to replace Jared Cook? #RamsMail
— Greg Divers (@GDive) April 21, 2016
@nwagoner: Put it this way: The Rams are well aware they need to add some bodies at tight end. They tried to do so in free agency by visiting with Zach Miller and making a push for Marcedes Lewis, but they re-signed with Chicago and Jacksonville, respectively. So now the Rams have just three tight ends on the roster in Lance Kendricks, Cory Harkey and Justice Cunningham. That's not enough bodies for camp and the preseason, so it's safe to assume they'll add multiple tight ends through the draft, in undrafted free agency or, more likely, a combination of the two. It's really more a matter of if there are still good prospects available when the Rams draft in the fourth and sixth rounds. If they like a prospect at tight end, I have little doubt they'll be eager to grab one.
