Ahead of the the NFL draft on April 30th the St. Louis Rams are in a prime position to make another big statement and fill key positions that could make them a serious playoff contender. With an already bolstered defense adding Nick Fairley, Les Snead and Jeff Fisher need to address many concerns on the offensive side of the ball.
Over a series of articles myself along with Chris Turner of SB Nation will break down each round and examine potential available players at each pick. I’ll primarily focus on the current state of the Rams team and what needs they should address at each pick and Chris will examine the available players and how they can improve the team.
Chris Turner: We’re already less than a month out from the NFL Draft…in Chicago? Feels weird doesn’t it? I mean, in all the drafts I have grown up with have been in Radio City Music Hall. It’s different, but definitely interesting. Do you remember the draft being anywhere else back in your day?
Nick Yahl: I like the change of venue. It certainly gives fans from different teams more of an opportunity to attend the draft, a time when the history of their franchise is determined. This draft class especially is loaded with potential pro bowl talent at a number of positions that includes quarterback, wide receiver, and defensive end.
Quarterback: Marcus Mariota
Nick: On the surface the Rams quarterback situation looks a lot better than it did a month ago. After giving up Sam Bradford, the banged up first overall selection in the 2010 draft, to Philadelphia in exchange for Nick Foles, St. Louis finds itself in a much better position to compete in the NFC West. Though the Rams likely will still need to address the quarterback position at some point in this draft purely for insurance purposes if nothing else.
Chris: Quarterbacks may be one of the hotter commodities in this year’s draft, but the question here is: Is it one the Rams need to invest in this year? There are several options that can have an immediate impact for St. Louis. It’s safe to assume that Jameis Winston will be long off the board at this point and you’d be hard-pressed to find a mock draft that has him going elsewhere than first-overall. The QB Rams fans seem more interested in right now would be Marcus Mariota. Some think his style of play won’t transition to the NFL, but there are few quarterbacks that played with more patience or intelligence than him. He won the Heisman for a reason. 57 total touchdowns to only four interceptions speaks volumes on the type of player he is. The major question with him is if he can adjust to a pro-style offense compared to the spread he worked with during his time in high school and college. I wouldn’t say a QB is priority number one at this pick, but I feel it would be Mariota or nothing else if the Rams went this way.
Wide Receiver: Amari Cooper, Kevin White, DeVante Parker, Dorial Green-Beckham
Nick: St. Louis fans haven’t seen a dominant wide receiver since the dynamic duo of Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce graced the Edward Jones Dome with their speed and swagger. That could all change come draft day in round one. There are two targets in particular a top the draft board that everyone is drooling over in Kevin White and Amari Cooper, but let’s take a look at the current state of the Rams wide out corps.
Brian Quick represents the top talent right now for St. Louis. Standing at 6’4” Quick has the ability to jump over the top of opposing defensive backs and create plays. His stats from a season ago started out nicely with 25 receptions and three touchdowns before his season was cut short due to a shoulder injury. Questions arise about whether or not he will be able to return to top form and without a true number one or two wide out on the roster, the wide receiver position becomes that much more of a concern.
Further down the depth chart are Kenny Britt and Tavon Austin. Britt a seasoned veteran came over to the Rams after previously playing under Jeff Fisher at Tennessee, but has failed to fit into a the role as an everyday wideout. In a similar fashion Austin, with the exception of a few explosive plays, hasn’t lived up to the first round Desean Jackson esque player he was compared to. This is concerning if you’re Fisher and the Rams because with a brand new offensive coordinator taking the reigns you need playmakers on the field that can adapt when certain plays don’t work out. Foles has a cannon to get the ball deep, but I’m not sure if these current crop of wideouts have enough skill to produce week in and week out. Adding a talent like White or Cooper forces defenses to focus more attention on them thus opening up the rest of the field. If St. Louis can somehow figure out the offensive line situation it might almost be worth it to find a way to get Cooper or White before the 10th pick.
Chris: Believe it or not, for a passing offense to be effective, quarterbacks need wide receivers to throw to. The crop of pass-catchers in this draft is just as deep as the quarterbacks, and after a season finishing in the bottom ten in the league in passing offense, coach Fisher could use a big-name receiver to light up the stat-sheets. Depending on who you ask, the number one receiver in this draft is either Alabama’s Amari Cooper or West Virginia’s Kevin White. White blew up the combine with great numbers, and as a result shot up every draft board into the top ten. He had great hands, along with a quick jump off the line and good vision to go up-field after catching the ball. Cooper is known for his highlight reel catches with great awareness and coordination with the ball in the air. He can break open a game quickly with just one play, just remember his 99-yard touchdown catch in the regular season finale against Auburn.
Of course, there’s a very possible chance both of these guys are drafted by the time the Rams come on the clock. Louisville’s DeVante Parker would be more than a optimal third option, or even former Missouri Wide Receiver, Dorial Green-Beckham.
Offensive Line: La’el Collins, Brandon Schreff
Nick: Offensive line is arguably the biggest issue right now with this Rams team. Over the past five seasons the lack of stability on the O-Line has crippled St. Louis’ offense both on the ground as well as through the air. Hopefully the solidified tandem backs of Tre Mason and Zac Stacy and a quarterback who’s a little less gun shy in Foles can help give the team a scoring boost.
Currently the offensive line features Greg Robinson, one the teams first round draft choices in 2014, at left tackle with Rodger Saffold at one of the guard positions. As of now either Tim Barnes or Barrett Jones will be the starting center, but the pair lack experience with only a combined four career starts. As for the other spots, Joe Barksdale has yet to resign with the team and general manager Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher might need to look elsewhere to plug the gap. One name that’s floated the radar the past month or so is Atlanta’s Justin Blalock. Blalock had previously visited the Detroit Lions before leaving without deal and has yet to sign anywhere. If the Rams opt to pass on Blalock an early pick at 10 offers a variety of options to help solidify the most important aspect of any football team.
Chris: A fun little stat here. The Rams gave up 47 sacks last year, good for the eighth-worse mark in the NFL. It can only get better from here, right? 2nd overall pick Greg Robinson struggled his rookie year, especially in pass-blocking scenarios, but with Jake Long no longer holding his spot at left tackle, there could be room for improvement. It would make sense for Fisher to grab another big offensive lineman to shore up the rushing attack and protect whomever is at quarterback. If available, Iowa’s Brandon Schreff could be the answer on the line. A second-option to look at would be La’el Collins from LSU, a big offensive tackle who could add a lot of muscle and size that is desperately needed on the Rams offensive line.
Ultimately there are a number of ways Fisher and Snead could elect to go, but which one is right? That’s always the magic question that gets answered during the regular season. Championships are built or broken in the NFL draft so making the smartest choice over taking the highlight talent is key. I was pretty pleased with Fisher’s drafting abilities and loved what he did in last years draft, especially grabbing E.J. Gaines in the sixth round. The Rams primarily need protection for the quarterback and a big playmaker so I see them going in one of those directions. They will either take the best wide out available at 10 or trade down and take an offensive tackle a few spots lower somewhere in the 13-17 range.
No one really knows until the players are drafted what the GM and coach will decide because like any sport anything can happen on draft day.
Thanks for reading and be sure to catch round 2 preview early next week. For more sports talk be sure to Follow myself @NickYahl and @ChrisLTurner on Twitter.
