Rams Player Profile: Isaiah Battle

There hasn’t been a player selected in the Supplemental Draft since 2012, when Josh Gordon was selected, but today the St. Louis Rams put a mark in that stretch with the pick of Isaiah Battle. The Rams drafted Battle with a 5th round pick today, which takes away their 5th round pick next year. What makes this pick somewhat surprising is that the Rams drafted 4 offensive lineman in the NFL Draft this year. Saying the Rams have stockpiled on offensive lineman this year would be an understatement.

Les Snead might’ve been surprised when Battle was still there in the 5th round. According to ESPN’s Ed Werder, this is how the Rams called in their pick:

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So what exactly are the Rams getting with Battle?

There is a reason why Battle was drafted today through the Supplemental Draft, and part of that reason is off the field issues. As we all know, Fisher hasn’t had any problems with players that have had multiple incidents off the field, so that part of this pick doesn’t come as a surprise.

Battle’s issues first started when during a game against North Carolina State, he punched an opposing player in the face. Sometimes it is hard to control your emotions during the heat of battle, but punching an opposing player takes it too far and I’m sure Fisher won’t let that happen. Battle also was cited for possession of marijuana. These are both things that can be controlled with maturity and also some help from the Rams as well.

Battle comes in at an astounding 6’6″ 312 lbs. Battle has a wingspan of 85 1/4 inches and 35 3/8-inch arms. His body is about as ideal as you can get when it comes to an offensive tackle, but Battle will be a project for the Rams. From the little cut ups I’ve watched of Battle I think there could be real upside for not only Battle himself, but for the Rams also. Battle is very athletic for his size. He can pull of the line and go take out a DB in run blocking and have that explosion to get to the second level.

With all that said though, Battle’s value is in his pass protection. He has those long arms which makes it easy on him to get first contact and stabilize a defensive lineman, but what separates him is how low he stays on his blocks and being able to shift his feet. Battle is one of those guys where you could see him stick on a guy for a whole minute and not let him go anywhere, and that’s what gets coaches excited.

Battle is going to be a project there is no doubt about that, but with talent comes optimism. The only thing that can stop Battle from being a productive NFL player is himself. If Battle can keep himself from getting into trouble, don’t be surprised if you see him opening eyes in training camp, and possibly getting some snaps on the offensive line.

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