St. Louis Rams
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NFL Team Column |
Time to Rebuild
Well we can all be thankful that the NFL season has finally come to a close. After turning out 106 yards of total offense in their last game versus the San Francisco 49ers, the 5th lowest total in NFL history, the Rams can finally close the book on a painful year.
We go into the off season with many big question marks.
1. Quarterback
Will Mark Bulger be back next year? This could be the year to pick a future Quarter back and groom him behind Bulger for one year. Bulger might have another year in him and he can start the beginning of the season. With the possibility of good Quarterbacks falling to the later rounds, the Rams could draft a franchise QB like Tony Pike from Cincinnati, Colt McCoy from Texas, or maybe even Tim Tebow from Florida. All these Quarterbacks have the potential to be a franchise player.
The Rams have the first round pick and in my opinion there are no QB prospects worthy of the first overall pick. If the Rams draft DT Ndamukong Suh, the fantastic defensive tackle out of Nebraska. Suh is 6’4 and 304lbs. and he is a dominating player who could help the Rams increase their sack totals. Adam Carriker was never comfortable playing DT. Drafting Suh would allow us to move Adam to his natural defensive end position. Having three first round draft picks on our defensive line would give us a young productive unit we could build upon.
2. Outside Linebacker
Trading Will Witherspoon halfway through the season without a replacement was not a smart move. Paris Lenon was a stop gap measure but we need a solution. Drafting a talented player like Micah Johnson (6‘2 266lbs.)LB out of Kentucky would really improve our defense. David Vobora has earned a starting job and he may yet become a contributor to our defense. James Laurinaitas led the team in tackles with 146, far surpassing everyone else on the team. Some supporter for “The Son of The Animal” should be a priority target in the draft.
3. Injuries
The Rams finished the season with 13 players on injured reserve. 3rd and 5th round selections Bradley Fletcher and Brooks Foster were placed on IR relatively early in the season, stunting their development. Marc Bulger was also placed on IR along with WR starter Laurent Robinson. All these injuries crippled the Rams. During their last game our last OG , Roger Allen III, was injured. Every guard that the Rams signed this season ended up injured. For the Rams to compete they first must stay healthy.
I have said this before - I think one of the most ridiculous things that sports writers do is to try and give teams grades for their draft. We will not know for a few years if the Rams or any team’s draft was a good one. I have seen Ram draft grades from C- to B- …… who cares? I love the writers who give a lower grade because there was a guy they liked better on the board – that makes no sense. There was one sports writer who gave the Rams choice of Jason Smith a B- because he said he like OT Eugene Monroe better (he was one of the few) and then gave the team who grabbed Monroe – the Jaguars a B for picking Monroe…huh?
It is obvious that the Rams 2009 draft was geared to fixing the defense and putting Coach Steve Spagnuolo’s blueprint on this team. Let’s look at these picks:
First round pick - Jason Smith, Offensive Tackle, Baylor – With Orlando Pace gone the Rams went with Jason Smith, who many regard as a franchise offensive tackle. This was not a surprise – he will start immediately and he will be a starter for many years. Smith has a no nonsense attitude and will bring additional toughness to the Rams offensive line.
After this pick, which was identified as the team's greatest need — the Rams moved toward addressing the defense on the next three picks– how can you argue with this as the Rams were torched repeatedly last year and need to get tougher on the defensive side if the ball.
Second-round pick LB James Laurinaitis of Ohio State figures to be the team's starting middle linebacker on opening day and despite what others say, this was a very good move for the Rams as they have not had a true middle linebacker since London Fletcher. The Rams probably would have taken WR Hakim Nicks here (taken by Giants) but I think in the long run they will be glad this was the pick. I believe Laurinaitis will bring leadership to the Rams – which is an intangible that he brings to the table.
Third-round pick CB Bradley Fletcher of Iowa has a chance to be the Rams' nickel back and could contend for a starting cornerback job. Fletcher, who was shooting up the boards prior to the draft is very different than the smaller, undersized type of cornerbacks the Rams have drafted in the past. Finally, the Rams are looking at cornerbacks with size knowing they have to chase down and bang heads with the likes of Arizona WR’s Antoin Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. Fletcher is a bigger, physical player who can play press coverage on wide receivers at the line of scrimmage while also providing strong run support. This was considered a controversial selection as many, including myself, expected the Rams to draft a receiver here.
Fourth-round selection DT Dorell Scott of Clemson immediately becomes the squad's third defensive tackle, and he will get a lot of playing time in the Rams defensive line rotation. The Rams need help stopping the run and Scott could have a huge impact here. Scott at 6-4 and 320 has great size and takes up a lot of room on the interior of the line – just what the Rams need.
In the fifth-round wide the Rams selected wide receiver Brooks Foster of North Carolina. Foster, who is considered an excellent athlete, provides size (6-1, 211), speed, strength and versatility. If he can stay on the field (he has had some injuries) he could be a sleeper pick for the Rams. The Rams needed to move up to get an impact receiver and they did not, this was the most glaring deficiency in this years draft.
In the sixth round the Rams drafted QB Keith Null, (6-3, 222) from West Texas A&M. Keith who? The Rams could have signed Null as a free agent so it is difficult to see why they made this pick. Are they looking for the next Kurt Warner? Null was a Division II quarterback in West Texas A&M's spread offense. Null leaves as the school's all-time leader in passing yards (9,769) and touchdown passes (92) after setting single-season records for passing yards (5,097) and touchdowns (48). It will be interesting to see if Null will stick as the Rams third quarterback.
In the seventh-round the Rams drafted running back Chris Ogbonnaya of Texas, who played only one season with Texas. Ogbonnaya can run and catch the ball, as he is a converted receiver. Ogbonnaya could be an ideal third-down back because of his above average pass-catching ability, good size and above-average blocking skills. He is a project, but you never know.
Overall you can see some trends in the Rams Draft – Fix the Defense and get bigger and stronger on both sides of the line.
The Rams still have a lot of needs but the first two picks are high impact picks and will make the Rams better in 2009. The inability to draft an impact receiver hurts this years Rams draft, but their needs are many and they still may able to make some moves for a wide receiver. Again drafts take a few years to evaluate but the feeling here is that the Rams are moving in the right direction.
St. Louis Rams Post Draft Analysis
Round 1 (pick 2) – Jason Smith, OL, Baylor (6’5”, 309 lbs.)
Smith has the talent to have gone number 1. Let tackles are the new “sexy” position the last several years and he was the best in class this year. He is extremely athletic and has a mean streak that offensive linemen need. With Orlando Pace no longer a Ram, this is a perfect replacement for a position that has been a bright spot for a long time. Smith seems to have all the skill sets to become a ‘boom’ instead of a ‘bust’.
Round 2 (pick 35) – James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio State (6’2”, 244 lbs.)
The defense needed a direction to go. With head coach Steve Spagnuolo’s expertise on defensive schemes, he picks a guy that can run his complex defense for years to come. With the defensive line becoming more and more dangerous each year, Laurinaitis will not only be a productive starter from day one, he also will allow Will Witherspoon to move back to his natural position of outside linebacker.
Round 3 (pick 66) – Bradley Fletcher, DB, Iowa (6’0”, 196 lbs.)
Although the Rams may have drafted him as a tall cornerback, I think he eventually finds his place at safety. Man-coverage was never his strong suit, although he can play in space. With his size and speed, look for him to produce as a dime back initially.
Round 4 (pick 103) – Dorrell Scott, DT, Clemson (6’3”, 312 lbs.)
With Spagnuolo’s fondness for building inside out, he gets a beast in Scott. Scott has a lot of tools that could make him the anchor in the middle. He is incredibly inconsistent, which is why he and the rest of his Tigers fell off the national radar. With a head coach whom always gets the best from his defensive linemen, he has a shot to rotate heavily into the mix early and start in the near future.
Round 5 (pick 160) – Brooks Foster, WR, North Carolina (6’1”, 211 lbs.)
The Rams are replenishing their WR core slowly through the draft with no notable free agents coming in to replace legends Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt. He has some consistence issues and a bad knee that may slow his growth into a NFL ready receiver. He has a lot of upside, especially for a 5th round pick, as he is extremely strong and could develop into a great back up or above average possession receiver.
Round 6 (pick 196) – Keith Null, QB, West Texas A&M (6’3”, 220 lbs.)
Although I thought they needed to address this position at a higher round, this was an interesting pick. With incumbent Marc Bulger still able to produce, Null has a good chance to become a 3rd string and learn the nuances of playing quarterback in the NFL. The competition he played was smaller and his numbers were inflated by playing in a spread offense. Still, he has the size, leadership ability and awareness to compete and make the team.
Round 7 (pick 211) – Chris Ogbonnaya, RB, Texas (6’0”, 222 lbs.)
Although Texas’ leading rusher was QB Colt McCoy, Ogbonnaya was a major contributor in the run and pass game, equally, and knows how to pass protect. Although he is slower (4.65 40 yard dash time at the NFL Combine) he can be used in 3rd and short as the tailback because of his soft hands and size.
Overview:
The Rams seem to be building the right way the last few years. After falling off the NFL Elite team radar some time ago, they have made small strides through the draft to add quality starters that do not have as high potential to become a bust.
Still, they addressed some major needs and took some chances on ‘roster fillers’ in the late rounds. The first 3 selections should see major time, which will help make this class a good one. Smith and Laurinaitis should immediately become fixtures for years to come and if a late round pick ends up shining through that will only help the grade. The Rams definitely are in the front running for best 1st Day selections.