Quinyon Mitchell's Sr Bowl motivation and essential info for Rams fans from Combine

The LA Rams staff who did not attend combine events in Indianapolis, Indiana certainly have plenty to ingest and assess right now. The activities are at their peak right now, meaning medical data, interview information, and athletic achievements on prescribed events are all coming online. Now is the time for final flourishes to the team's draft board to take place.

The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine continues to press on, and the athletic events must now pivot from Group I toward Group II. The bench press and final administrative activities are all that remain for Group I. Still, there is no shortage of buzz and excitement from a day that welcomed defensive backs and got peak performances from defensive linemen and linebacker hopefuls.

There is no shortage of coverage about the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine right now, as virtually all eyes are trained on the events and reports, both useful and meaningless, are pouring into social media spaces like the raging waters of the Niagara River race over the falls. It is not my intention to add to the calamity of too much data.

Rather, the goal here is to filter out the background noise, and deliver data that you may wish to know about the top rookie prospects who have been mentioned most often as having a real fit with the Rams culture, who may be on the board when the team steps up to select the 19th overall selection of the 2024 NFL Draft, and other tidbits of information that may prove valuable as you continue to assess whether these players are truly in the team's sights in Round 1.

This is an exciting time for all 32 NFL teams, and 321 reasons for that excitement are competing at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine right now. But this is a different type of event. Those college hopefuls are making their introductions for the first time not only to 32 NFL teams, but to NFL fans nationwide. And first impressions are always oh-so-important.

So let's give you what you want. Here are some key quotes from players who may be of interest to Rams fans, and then we can break top athletic performers:

KEIs of key Day 1 prospects from NFL Scouting Combine

1. Rams are already ramping up for the 2024 NFL Draft
2. Best quotes
3. Group I: Defensive linemen
4. DT Braden Fiske, Florida State
5. Ruke Orhorhoro
6. Group I: LBs
7. Edgerrin Cooper
8. Kalen DeLoach
9. Trevin Wallace

Rams are already ramping up for the 2024 NFL Draft

Even as the LA Rams organization is not attending the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine with a full entourage of personnel executives, scouts, and coaches, the team is well represented with enough scouts to ensure that everyone who remains behind gets a full 360-degree picture of rookie prospects.

But the type of delegation of roles and responsibilities does not just happen. Even with fewer actual persons in attendance than other NFL teams, the LA Rams must still gather data, assess rookie prospects, and build their profiles that afford decision-makers key and relevant data on which to base their opinions.

And so, days earlier, the team has already set about aligning their draft process, and have even held their first of multiple draft meetings to coalesce everyone around common goals and ensure that real data is at everyone's disposal:

The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine had invited 321 NFL candidates, but the real number of rookies considered by the Rams team is closer to 500+ prospects. Even with that number, some worthy football players may not get the attention that they deserve.

The need to focus quickly from the universe of potential candidates down to a finite number who meet the criteria of talent, cultural fit, and draft availability is not a science. But it does matter, as any number of draft simulations done in pre-draft preparation allow the organization to understand the likelihood of which players will be available on the draft board, and when.

That strategy was instrumental for the team's unparalleled success during the 2023 NFL Draft, and could be a key force to success in the 2024 NFL Draft as well.

Best quotes

There are many articles detailing the myriad of quotes generated at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, and some are simply put out there to shock readers. But I would rather focus on the meaningful quotes that may have bearing on the team's efforts to draft the right players.

Rams fans seem to already be in agreement that the 19th overall pick should be used to add either UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu or Toledo defensive back Quinyon Mitchell. Some suspect that the highly touted Laiatu Latu may fall to the Rams at 19 due to medical concerns over a neck injury that forced him to temporarily retire from football. But he stated that no team has informed him that medical concerns are scaring them off:

Perhaps even more impressive, UCLA's Laiatu Latu stuck around to watch his former teammates perform drills at the combine today.

On the other side, Toledo DB Quinyon Mitchell was a popular prospect and has been speaking with many teams at the combine. But this may be the quote of the day, and referred back to his sensational Senior Bowl performance:

"At the Senior Bowl, I learned every ball thrown in the air is worth $2.5 million. Just trying to get that money."

Toledo DB Quinyon Mitchell

You can check out his time at the podium below:

If you were holding out hopes for the LA Rams to select elite Georgia tight end Brock Bowers, his latest quote may undercut those aspirations. Bowers made it clear who he would like to catch passes from:

Unfortunately, he did not mention LA Rams QB Matthew Stafford.

However, if you want to take a chance on a very passionate tight end, then South Carolina tight end Trey Knox could be someone you want to track. He gave an impassioned speech about how he found his love of football once more. Ignoring all else, that truly sounds like a player who could succeed in horns:

One of the best linebackers in this draft is NC State linebacker Payton Wilson, a 6-foot-4 233-pound linebacker who can line up virtually anywhere, and crushed his athletic events. He also has a wrestling background, and cited that as the reason why he is so effective at making tackles:

One of the top defensive backs on many draft boards, Iowa CB Cooper DeJean, is unable to compete at the NFL Scouting Combine due to his recovery time from surgery. Still, he was able to get his message out to NFL teams, and his humility at disregarding where he plays certainly sounds ideal to fitting on this team:

"Does not matter to me, I will play anywhere. I just want to play ball."

Iowa CB Cooper DeJean

These are just a small sample of quotes from football hopefuls. I was careful to select only quotes from players who are believed to be on the Rams radar, or who should be. Now let's break down the combine top performers:

Group I: Defensive linemen

Defensive linemen are seldom make or break from their straight line speed, but it's one of the key markers that everyone seems to fixate on from the NFL combine. And for defensive ends, who are most often viewed as the pass rush component of the defensive line, it does make some sense. So with that in mind, here are the top times from defensive ends this year:

Of course there were some players who truly raised eyebrows at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. One such player is Florida State defensive lineman Braden Fiske

Not to be outdone, defensive ends were equally impressive today as well:

Here is the video of defensive linemen edge rushers throughout the competition. You can see how your favorite player performed.

DT Braden Fiske, Florida State

If you hope for the Rams to apply better pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but would rather the team not spend more than one of two picks in Round 3, then you may want to focus on Flordia State defensive tackle/end Braden Fiske. Standing 6-foot 4 and weighing 292 pounds, Fiske is a powerful force at the line of scrimmage, and can slide among all three defensive linemen positions on a 3-4 front.

And he just crushed the combine:

Fiske was originally projected to be selected in Round 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft, and that may still be the case. But his secret is officially out now, as he was the star of the show. And to add to enerfy of his rising stock, Director of the Reese Senior Bowl, Jim Nagy, chimed in with a very strong endorsement for Fiske:

Fiske's stock is certainly rising. Will be rise out of the Rams' reach?

Ruke Orhorhoro

Another top interior defensive lineman is Clemson's defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro. Standing 6-foor-4 and weighing 294 pounds, Orhorhoro is a versatile defender who can line up or stunt to any of the Rams three defensive lineman positions on their 3-4 base defense.

While he is still developing and refining his pass rush moves, Orhorhoro is brick wall in terms of run defense, holding his ground and shedding blockers to make the tackle. His onfield production was already peaking his projection as high as Round 2. With this combine performance, his stock could be on the rise even higher.

Orhorhoro certainly got a ringing endorsement before he competed from GMFB's NFL Insider Peter Schrager, who put him in the spotlight befor the competition began.

And Orhorhoro delivered.

Group I: LBs

Linebackers were also tested today, and while there may be a bit of overlap between defensive ends in a 4-3, and outside linebackers in a 3-4, the NFL Scouting Combine does a good job of ensuring that players end up in the appropriate category. They put up some very impressive 40-yard-dash times as well:

Now let's break down some prospects who could be targeted by the LA Rams in the 2024 NFL Draft:

Edgerrin Cooper

Believed to be a Round 2 prospect, Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper certainly reinforced his status as one of the best linebackers in the 2024 rookie class with a solid performance. He exhibits superb coverage of tight ends and running backs, Standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 230 pounds, he is better suited as the weakside linebacker in a 4-3, but he has all of the skills required to play any linebacker role in a 3-4, provided he bulks up a bit if he is projected as an outside linebacker.

While his projected spot at Round 2 seems a bit rich for the Rams right now, he is worth keeping on your radar.

Kalen DeLoach

Florida State linebacker Kalen DeLoach certainly buoyed his stock with very impressive speed at the combine. Standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 215 pounds, DeLoach was considered a late-Day 3 prospect as a safety/linebacker hybrid. Because he has as strong background as a safety, he is ideally suited for NFL sub packages on defense for nickel or dime coverages.

It's that safety background which resulted in his lighter-than-desirable 215 pound weight. But even at that, he projects well in a special team coverage role, and he could be very useful in specific defensve coverage schemes.

I love DeLoach as a target in Round 6. He may not be a three down secondary starter, but his skillsets translate well in specific packages and in special teams.

Trevin Wallace

Another diamond in the rough is Kentucky linebacker Trevin Wallace, Standing 6-foot-1 and weighting 237 pounds, Wallace is a powerful linebacker who can cover and stop runners. His stock is rising after a very impressive combine performance, which showcased both his speed and agility.

He projects as a special teams specialist, perhaps hearing his name called late on Day 3. His combine performance should serve him very well in that regard. His downside is that he struggles to shed blockers, and that has made him less effective in stopping runners.

Still, everything he needs to improve is coachable. He possesses tremendous speed, agility, and is at his happiest when playing a physical style of defense.