Rams moving to Los Angeles

The St. Louis Rams are on the move.

The franchise that’s been in St. Louis since 1995, winning the club’s only Super Bowl championship there while getting the best years from all-time greats like Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk and quarterback Kurt Warner, will move to Los Angeles for the 2016 season.

The decision was made via a 30-2 ownership vote after the move received unanimous approval from the NFL’s relocation committee. It’s fitting, considering the Rams moved to St. Louis from Los Angeles after the 1994 season, moving in place for Kroenke to acquire a 40 percent stake in the team. Previous majority owner Georgia Frontiere passed away in 2010, clearing the way for Kroenke to purchase her share of the team.

Six years later, he’ll move the team to L.A., returning it from whence it came, but also taking a severe hit in terms of public relations in his home state. Jerald Andrews, President and CEO of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in Springfield, told KMOV-TV in Springfield, Mo., the group might consider removing Kroenke from the hall when they meet again in November.

The Rams will be long-gone by then, and either the Rams or Chargers might join them next year. Until then, the Rams are only administrative filings away from becoming again the Los Angeles Rams.

St. Louis Rams (7-9)

Current Draft Slot: 15
2015 First Round Pick: RB Todd Gurley
Potential Team Needs: WR, QB, CB, C, TE, OG, FS

Despite only winning seven games in the 2015 NFL season, the St. Louis Rams had multiple bright spots throughout the year. The obvious one is Todd Gurley and the running game. Not only is Todd Gurley the overwhelming favorite to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year, but he also has not experienced any setbacks since his major knee injury at Georgia. St. Louis’s offensive line also improved as a whole throughout the entire season, as young players like Greg Robinson, Rob Havenstein, and Jamon Brown made decent work on their extended amounts of playing time. Another big upgrade this season was the play of the secondary. Both Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins had career best seasons, however, they are well on their way to testing the free agent market in the upcoming offseason.

The St. Louis Rams do not have many glaring holes on this roster, but with players like Trumaine Johnson, Janoris Jenkins, Nick Fairley, Mark Barron, Rodney McLeod, Jo-Lonn Dunbar, and Tim Barnes all being unrestricted free agents, this team must be as focused as ever in the offseason.

1. CB Mackensie Alexander, RS Sophomore, Clemson Tigers

The dream pick here for St. Louis would be the ultra talented cornerback out of Clemson, Mackensie Alexander. Alexander’s height is below average for the position, but has top notch athleticism and smooth transition skills while shadowing a receiver down the field. He played a lot of zone coverage at Clemson, but has shown in spots that he can play nearly anywhere on the field whether that be in the nickel, in off man coverage, or in press coverage. Even though the St. Louis Rams do not necessarily have a need at corner yet, both Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins are both unrestricted free agents. This could mean the end of the road for one of the two players, and I would expect a player of Mackensie Alexander’s caliber and athletic skill set to be at the top of the Rams wish list come April 28.

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2. WR Tyler Boyd, Junior, Pittsburgh Panthers

Tavon Austin finally exploded for St. Louis this season as they hoped when they drafted him in the first round a couple years ago, but the Rams still lack that primary go-to threat on the outside. Odds are, the Rams are too far down the board to grab a player like Laquon Treadwell, but there is a player named Tyler Boyd that has everything you want in a wide receiver and more. Despite being a top flight route runner, natural hands catcher, and elite technician, there is not much talk about Tyler Boyd being a top WR prospect. People may say that his 90 catches for 900 yards in 2015 shows his lack of ability after the catch and ability to separate consistently from defenders in one on one situations, while the fact is that Tyler Boyd’s lack of big play numbers this season, that he put up in both 2013 and 2014, is because of how Pittsburgh used him this year. With that being said, he can find a way to get open as good as any receiver in this draft, and to my knowledge, the Rams do not have a guy of Boyd’s skill set or caliber on the outside. To me, this would be a major upgrade at the wide receiver position and would give Case Keenum or whoever the Rams QB is in 2016 a legitimate go-to guy on the outside.

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3. QB Carson Wentz, Senior, North Dakota State

Some people may consider this a reach right now, but I fully believe that Carson Wentz is going to be the quarterback that will experience a meteoric rise up until draft day. The product of North Dakota State can make all the throws, move out of the pocket, and has an excellent arm. However, he is still inconsistent with his ball placement and overall presence as a pocket passer. Also, he must be able to play a little bit faster when reading the defense as he will miss open receivers running downfield. With that being said, Wentz has as big of a ceiling as any quarterback in this draft class with his size, arm talent, and athleticism. However, the question remains if this front office is willing to make that leap. In my opinion, it is not a MUST that St. Louis drafts a quarterback in the first round this year, but if they intend on rolling with Case Keenum in 2016, they will not be playing to win, but they will be playing not to lose.

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Rams moving to Los Angeles