St. Louis Rams Select Isaiah Battle in NFL Supplemental Draft

By Matt LaPan | Jul 9, 2015

Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead have added another player to the offensive line mix.

The St. Louis Rams have used a fifth-round selection on former Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle in the 2015 NFL Supplemental Draft. With the selection, the Rams will forfeit their fifth-round selection in the 2016 NFL Draft. Battle was the only player selected in this year’s Supplemental Draft.

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Battle is a 6’6”, 312-pound offensive tackle prospect who started 11 games for Clemson in 2014. Battle has 35 3/8-inch arms with massive hands. When asked about his decision to enter the Supplemental Draft, Battle stated that he was making a decision to support his family, with a new child expected this summer.

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Battle’s decision could have also been aided by a recent report that he was caught with simple possession of marijuana following a traffic stop on June 11. This, combined with previous discipline issues at Clemson are suspected to have aided the decision.

May 8, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive end Martin Ifedi (96) runs through drills with tackle Rob Havenstien (79) during rookie minicamp at Rams Park. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

With the selection, the Rams have now used five draft picks on the offensive line ahead of the 2015 season – Rob Havenstien, Jamon Brown, Andrew Donnal, Cody Wichmann and Battle. Of those selections, Battle, Havenstein, Brown and Donnal all have experience as offensive tackles.

In terms of on-field play, Battle uses his huge frame and great length to attack opposing linemen. He has great weight distribution, looking the part of a NFL tackle. He gets his hands into pass rushers pads quickly, then locks in to control them. He has good leg drive in the run game, but needs to improve his overall strength to compete with NFL linemen.

Battle’s athleticism is undeniable, but he gets himself in a lot of trouble with overall stiffness and waist bending. This gets him off-balance, something NFL defensive players will take advantage of much more than college players. Scouts have also cited worries about Battle’s character and work this.

Even with some of the red flags, many projected Battle to go in the third or fourth round of the Supplemental Draft. He is a project who will have to fight a deep group of young tackles to get playing time, but could be a good long-term answer at either tackle position.

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