The big day is just around the corner. The day is one that St. Louis Rams’ fans have been talking about since the early part of the 2008 season when it had been determined it was going to be a long, long season. Little did we know that the Rams were going to be in the same position for “that” day.
Draft day is here again, and yes the Rams for the second year in a row will have the second pick. That, my friends is really hard to do these days. After all, you would think after the first year they have the pick they would have to be a little better, right? That was not the case as they won even fewer games than the previous season..
There is a new sheriff in town, and he is General Manager Billy Devaney. He has been charged with turning around this mess we call the St. Louis Rams. Last year’s top pick was Chris Long, a defensive end from Virginia who was a player that had great promise going into the season. He had high energy at the start, but ended up being undersized and overwhelmed at times.
The key for Devaney is not to draft a player with the second overall pick to be just average. I shall present the options that are at hand come Saturday.
Option One. Take an offensive tackle. It was evident right after the start of the season that the Rams would need offensive line help. Orlando Pace was questionable due to health concerns, and Alex Barron was struggling to live up to first-round expectations.
There are a number of tackles in this year’s draft that can help. The question is, are any of these players ultimately going to be immediate difference makers? Most seem to think that they will not. I would take a pass on taking any of these guys second overall.
Option Two. Take the best player available, even if it is not at a great need position. The Rams were 2-14 last year. Short of a kicker, punter and long snapper, they need everything.
Aaron Curry, the linebacker from Wake Forest, looks and acts the part. There is one problem. The Rams need a middle linebacker and Curry plays outside. If he is that good, could you move him inside? At this high of a pick, you should not have to make position switches. Pass.
Option Three. Take a quarterback. Mark Bulger has done very little over the last three seasons. At some point you have to look to the future and create a competition. Matt Stafford or Mark Sanchez will be there. Both have legitimate ability. You will need a quarterback soon but it may be a tough spot to put a rookie head coach in. Pass. The Rams need players who can play NOW.
Option Four. Trade down. The Rams need players that can play and grow together. Having more picks means having more players who can challenge for positions sooner. The drawback is if they are any good they will be up contractually at the same time in most cases, which would create a salary cap challenge.
The smart move would be to trade down, which would include getting draft choices in next year’s draft as well. You can get away with it because this is the first year for the coach and he is assured to be back next season, barring some catastrophe. The other challenge will be getting teams that are willing to trade up a couple times. They may not think any of these players are that good either.
By the way, there will be no grades on how they did in the draft, as they have so many needs it will be hard to mess it up. Or will it?