GBN: Breaking down the draft

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Medium-sized Lebowski
Joined
Jun 20, 2010
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35,576
Name
The Dude
Dave Sylverstren
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ST. LOUIS RAMS

#16 (1st)
#22 (1st) f/WAS
#46 (2nd)
#78 (3rd)
#113 (4th)
#149 (5th)
#184 (6th)
#222 (7th)

2013 Offseason: Where They Stand

The Rams were one of the busiest teams during the 2012 season when it came to acquisitions via street free agency and waivers. In turn, this current offseason has been full of goodbyes to some of their more productive and established players. There is a sense of leadership coming down the chain from the combination of Head Coach Jeff Fisher and General Manager Les Snead. They have a plan to build this roster up the right way. Their offensive line woes over the past few years have prevented them from really knowing what they have in Bradford. But as the season progressed, they really improved as a unit and on top of that, they signed the top left tackle in the market, Jake Long. They still lack a top tier wide receiver but there is a young, versatile group of pass catchers with a lot of upside here. 2012 7th round pick Daryl Richardson had a surprisingly strong rookie season, averaging nearly 5 yards per carry. It was a good enough performance to allow the team to open the door for Steve Jackson, as he signed with Atlanta. Defensively, the Rams have a solid young nucleus to build around but they’ve lost a lot of quality role players via free agency.

1 – Wide Receiver: While they have a nice trio if young receivers with upside, they lack a true number one threat to pair with Bradford. Jared Cook will help, but they’ve lost their two top pass catchers from 2012.

2 – Linebacker: They have a nice group of defensive linemen that can play the run and rush the passer. Behind them, however, is a thin group of linebackers that are in desperate need of speed and talent. In a division being run by two young athletic quarterbacks, this needs to be addressed. <>

3 – Defensive Back: The Rams are very thin at cornerback behind their solid starting duo and they’ve lost both of their starters at safety via free agency.

The Plan:

The 2012 draft-day trade with the Redskins will continue to pay off for the Rams this year. With two first round picks, the decision makers have something that most teams salivate for. This is a talented roster, but it is also a thin roster. They need to address their defensive depth chart early and often. There is a need for linebackers and safeties more than anything right now, but they must avoid reaching for players at specific positions with those first round picks. They are not done rebuilding and this is a part of the process that can be challenging to stick to the plan of bringing in top players, regardless of position.

When it comes to trading up in the draft, teams with multiple first rounders are always a prime candidate. While it may be tempting to try and move up in to the top 10, I would stay put and allow the value to fall. Again, the opportunity to take two players in the first 22 overall selections needs to be approached carefully. This could be a huge part of the Rams success over the next few seasons.

3 Round Mock:

#16 – Sheldon Richardson – DT - Missouri
#22 (f/WAS) – Jarvis Jones – OLB – Georgia
#46 – Markus Wheaton – WR – Oregon State
#78 – Phillip Thomas – S – Fresno State


Every other team here --
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