I have read many articles on this site, and other sites, that explain why Glenn Dorsey would be a perfect fit for the St. Louis Rams.They are all wrong.
There is now word out of the Rams camp that they may "vote" on who they draft. Are you kidding me? How ridiculous is that?
St. Louis has a horrible recent record in the draft, and they will very possibly take the wrong player.
They may draft Dorsey, but they shouldn't.
There are many reasons why I would not draft the defensive tackle out of LSU. Here are a few:
Defensive Scheme
Most NFL teams run the 4-3 defense. Simply put, they have four down linemen and three linebackers in the front seven. If you are unfamiliar with this defensive set, here is a good read.
The Rams ran the 4-3 under defensive coordinator Jim Haslett until late last season, when they experimented with the 3-4. The 3-4 scheme is just the opposite of the 4-3. The 3-4 involves three down linemen and four linebackers in the front seven. Here is a good read on the 3-4 defense.
If Dorsey were drafted, it would force the Rams into an awkward situation. Haslett has been quoted as saying that he wants to move his team to the 3-4 defensive scheme on a more permanent basis. This would be very hard if Glenn Dorsey was on their depth chart.
Injury Risk
People have been comparing Dorsey to the infamous Courtney Brown.
Brown, the first overall pick in 2000, had a career plagued by injury. Many scouts think that Dorsey could be heading down the same road.
Dorsey played his final two years in LSU while injured, and it was discovered that he has other injuries that no one even knew about. If I were an NFL GM, there is no way I would take Glenn Dorsey in the top five.
Other Needs
The Rams need help almost across the board. They have a solid quarterback and running back, but their receivers are on the old side. If I were the Ram's GM, I would adopt the Jet's philosophy of old: build from the inside out.
They should focus on the offensive and defensive lines before they focus on the skill positions. After all, a tight end or receiver can be a lot better if they have three more seconds to get open.
St. Louis needs defensive ends. They currently have Leonard Little and Victor Adeyanju filling that position. Some people may argue that Adam Carriker would fill this hole if Dorsey were drafted. Think again.
Carriker was asked to gain 20-25 pounds last year in order to become a defensive tackle. How can they think about asking him to lose those 20-25 pounds the next year? As Walter Cherepinsky of Walterfootball.com puts it:
"Now, they're going to ask him to drop 20-25 pounds despite coming off shoulder surgery? Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen."
The Rams also need offensive line help. They could stand for a few wide receivers, but I think they should go with the build inside-out plan.
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2 months ago
I'm not sure I agree. Dorsey is a monster, even when hurt. The only thing I'd worry about is the potential stress fracture issue. If that's all resolved, then I'd have no issue taking him early. None at all. Even in the Rams' system.
from 2 months ago
He was a monster when hurt in the NCAA. What will happen in the pros?
I simply could not ask someone to lose 20-25 pounds after I just told them to gain 20-25 pounds. I never said that the Rams wouldn't do that, because they aren't exactly the smartest management team in the NFL.
Thanks for the feedback, Sean!
2 months ago
He will still be a monster. He also has the ability to play pretty well hurt. He showed character by passing up on that high pick status to help his team win a championship. What you have missed in all the reading is that Carracker can play DE, so that throws out your whole 3-4/4-3 argument.
You make good points about the Rams other needs, but he who controls the line of scrimmage controls the game. Look what your Vikings did with no passing game because they were good in the trenches. In the salary cap era, you pick the best player available in the first round unless there is a glaring need that is the only thing keeping you from contending, otherwise you overpay for a guy AND let your competition get someone better.
from 2 months ago
About the 3-4/4-3 argument, I did address that. I said that if I were the Ram's GM, I would never consider asking Carriker to lose 20-25 pounds after I just told him to gain 20-25 pounds.
The Rams might do that, but I would never consider it.
from 2 months ago
I noticed that in a second read--I think something pulled me away and then when I resumed reading I skipped the entire paragraph. Then again, I didn't even apparently spell Carriker right! But I don't think he'd have to lose that much weight (maybe 10 pounds) since the DE in a 3-4 has to be bulkier, especially on the strong side. That follows your "build from the inside out" statement, too, which I agree with. Plus I still think you take the best guy available, and Dorsey is that guy to me: I think the 'Phins should have taken him.
That being said, overall I understand your reasonable point even though I disagree. And the idea of a vote to make the pick is indeed utter absurdity--what if a lot of people picked Matt Ryan, when you already have Marc Bulger and Ryan is not even one of the top five players in my estimation?
from 2 months ago
Thanks for this great debate, MJ. I really enjoy this stuff!
ESPN is reporting that the Rams will draft Chris Long. I have no idea what their source is, but they seem pretty sure.
from 2 months ago
That's right, that's underway now. He's a safe pick--I think he'll be an Aaron Kampman-type--but not a #2 pick-level impact guy. If I were them, I'd have gone with either Dorsey or McFadden with the career-length of running backs. Or trade down a couple spaces if this is the guy you want.
Can you believe the Coboys trade two guys for a fourth round pick? Oakland is so dumb (like many of the fans we have both tired of...) picking McFadden. Adding Dorsey would have shored up a need, but they have Rhodes, Fargas (who came into his own last year), LaMont Jordan, and Michael Bush. They are at a horrible position to trade AFTER they added a fifth guy, but they could have traded down two spots, still gotten a stud, and picked up a second or third rounder since they won't be selecting again until the middle of tomorrow's draft. Now they'll be lucky to get a third-rounder for any of those backs.
from 2 months ago
Typical Al Davis-style move.
2 months ago
MJ wrote: "Adding Dorsey would have shored up a need"
Drafting a top 5 pick to fill a need is a very dangerous thing to do. The smart play is to draft the Best Player Available (BPA). A lot of mistakes are made when teams "reach" for a player to fill a need.
With that said, Dorsey, if healthy, is definitely a top-5 talent.
Did the Raiders make a mistake taking McFadden? Time will tell. I wrote a long article discussing McFadden vs Dorsey, from the (objective) perspective of a Raiders fan.
http://geocities.com/epark/raiders/draft-2008-report.html
People have to remember what the Raiders need is a 2-gap 4-3 NT. A run stuffer. Dorsey's strength is playing 1-gap 4-3 DT. It would be a waste of his penetration ability to have him play 3-4 DE.
The Rams absolutely made the right pick in Chris Long.
The guy is a rare combo of stud football player and stud athlete. He is one of the most technically sound DEs I've seen entering the draft, and he is extremely competitive and football smart. He proved at Virginia he can be productive playing in a 3-point or 2-point stance.
Congratulations again on Chris Long. A lot of Raider fans, including me, where hoping the Rams would take Dorsey and Long would fall to us. Your team made the right pick.
People are under-estimating IMO how good a pro Long will be. He is going to kick ass.
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