The St. Louis Rams selected LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers with the 14th selection of the 2012 NFL draft. The deal came after the team dealt away it’s sixth overall pick following a bold move by Shahid Khan and the Jacksonville Jaguars to move in front of the Rams to take Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon.
Thursday night, Rams fans weren’t exactly pleased, as the team spent yet another high draft pick on an interior lineman. Names like Jimmy Kennedy, Adam Carriker and Damione Lewis are still sore spots for Rams fans. Furthermore, even with Blackmon off the board at the sixth pick, promising cornerback Morris Clayborne sat there as the last of the six studs available this year.
But for its troubles, the Rams received an additional second-round pick from the Cowboys for moving back yet again in the draft. So ultimately, what the team does with picks 33, 39, 40 and 65 will determine whether the strategy of hording picks will pay off the the team.
As far as Brockers, he’s an interesting choice. Team officials say he was highly rated on the Rams draft board, rated just after Blackmon. While plenty of fans clamored for Notre Dame wideout Michael Floyd, Rams GM Les Snead and coach Jeff Fisher were apparently not quite as enamored as the rest. Even if they had been, like Blackmon, he was snatched up just before the Rams picked.
Brockers is a raw, young, inexperienced player with lots of “upside.” Hopefully Fisher can bring him up to speed fast and enable him to be a key contributor early on. He definitely has potential to be an impact player. But potential has gotten plenty of coaches fired over the years.
It’ll be interesting to see how the team addresses key needs such as wide receiver, offensive line, backup running back, etc. But until those picks are in the books, it’s almost impossible grade out the Rams 1st pick.
