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Shane Gray provides special Rams commentaries on 101sports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ShaneGmoSTLRams.
The St. Louis Rams made arguably the biggest splash of the 2013 NFL draft’s first round, boldly moving up from No. 16 to No. 8 to secure the player they perhaps coveted above all others in the draft, the diminutive Tavon Austin of the University of West Virginia – the draft’s most explosive offensive talent.
For the second consecutive season, Rams general manager Les Snead acted with conviction and aggression in pulling off a major draft-related trade, just a year after engineering the massive Robert Griffin III swap.
“We have yet to stay put with our first-round picks over the last two years,” Snead said. “It’s not something you just say we’re going to do.”
Certainly not, but Snead and company have ultimately ended up making major transactions related to round one of the last two drafts, moving down in 2012 and up Thursday night for Austin.
In listening to St. Louis head coach Jeff Fisher describe his newest offensive weapon, it is clear why the Rams valued him enough to go up and get him.
“You look at his college career and what he’s accomplished (and) the fact that he has not missed a game and the explosive plays just week after week after week,” Fisher said. “It felt like we needed a player that created the mismatch and so he helps to create that for our entire offense now.
“Clearly, there’s a lot you can do with him. He’ll start off as that slot receiver, but it doesn’t end there. There’s a lot of different things you can do with him. He can stretch the field. The 4.28 (40-yard dash) is real. That itself creates some problems. He’s got excellent hands. He’s quick out of the break. He understands and likes football. He’s going to be really fun to watch.”
Austin, who possesses both elite speed and world-class quickness,
(Hope you guys (and girls) enjoy the full piece with much more here):
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.101sports.com/2013/04/27/st-louis-ready-to-unleash-multidimensional-austin/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.101sports.com/2013/04/27/st- ... al-austin/</a>
The St. Louis Rams made arguably the biggest splash of the 2013 NFL draft’s first round, boldly moving up from No. 16 to No. 8 to secure the player they perhaps coveted above all others in the draft, the diminutive Tavon Austin of the University of West Virginia – the draft’s most explosive offensive talent.
For the second consecutive season, Rams general manager Les Snead acted with conviction and aggression in pulling off a major draft-related trade, just a year after engineering the massive Robert Griffin III swap.
“We have yet to stay put with our first-round picks over the last two years,” Snead said. “It’s not something you just say we’re going to do.”
Certainly not, but Snead and company have ultimately ended up making major transactions related to round one of the last two drafts, moving down in 2012 and up Thursday night for Austin.
In listening to St. Louis head coach Jeff Fisher describe his newest offensive weapon, it is clear why the Rams valued him enough to go up and get him.
“You look at his college career and what he’s accomplished (and) the fact that he has not missed a game and the explosive plays just week after week after week,” Fisher said. “It felt like we needed a player that created the mismatch and so he helps to create that for our entire offense now.
“Clearly, there’s a lot you can do with him. He’ll start off as that slot receiver, but it doesn’t end there. There’s a lot of different things you can do with him. He can stretch the field. The 4.28 (40-yard dash) is real. That itself creates some problems. He’s got excellent hands. He’s quick out of the break. He understands and likes football. He’s going to be really fun to watch.”
Austin, who possesses both elite speed and world-class quickness,
(Hope you guys (and girls) enjoy the full piece with much more here):
<a class="postlink" href="http://www.101sports.com/2013/04/27/st-louis-ready-to-unleash-multidimensional-austin/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.101sports.com/2013/04/27/st- ... al-austin/</a>
