Rams sign rookie Isaiah Battle

Earlier this month the Rams selected offensive tackle Isaiah Battle in the NFL’s supplemental draft. St. Louis selected the lineman in the fifth round. For those unfamiliar with the way the supplemental draft is designed, when a team selects a player they forfeit the corresponding rounds selection in next years NFL rookie draft. In this case the Rams selected Battle in the fifth round, so they will forfeit their 2016 fifth round pick in the NFL draft.

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At just 22-years-old, Battle left Clemson University after dealing with numerous off-field issues and failed drug tests. He was starting to come into his own during his final season at Clemson, and attracted over 20 NFL teams to his pro-day. However, expecting a child this summer, and other family matters to attend to, Battle opted to enter the supplemental draft instead of the NFL rookie draft.

Dec 7, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; St. Louis Rams offensive linemen line up during pre game warm ups prior to the Rams

As of last Friday, after the Indianapolis Colts signed D’Joun Smith and Henry Anderson, all draft picks from the 2015 class were under contract. As of today, all draft picks from the supplemental draft are now also under contract. St. Louis signed Battle to a four-year deal, financial details have yet to be released, but one can safely assume they would be comparable to a player slotted in a similar spot in the NFL draft. Battle is going to be a project for the Rams and won’t be expected to step into any meaningful work for quite some time.

In other offensive line news, the Rams placed sixth-round pick Cody Wichmann on the active/physically unable to perform list. Wichmann suffered a leg injury during OTA’s and has not recovered just yet. Wichmann can be activated from the PUP list at any point during training camp without penalty, after passing a physical.

Wichmann, a selection out of Fresno State, is expected to compete for a depth slot on the offensive line in 2015. Having spent time blocking for current NFLer Derek Carr, and showing signs of excellence as an anchor run blocker in college, the Rams can’t afford any set backs in the area of offensive line. St. Louis is hoping Wichmann can return soon.