For a number of years, when the NFL draft would come along, the St. Louis Rams had a tendency to be unimaginative, unresponsive and unlucky. Poor drafts were one of the main components of the Rams’ fall from yearly playoff contenders to picking in the top 10 of the draft.
Now in their second year as the new regime, General Manager Les Snead and Head Coach Jeff Fisher have completed another three-day extravaganza inside the comforts of what is called The War Room.
Leading up to the draft I was holding out hope that the Rams would still land the player they want at 16. And when that scenario didn’t materialize, the only thing I thought maybe the Rams would trade up to number 12 with the Miami Dolphins. So when the Dolphins switched places with the Oakland Raiders (who were drafting third), it looked like again the Rams will not get their man.
There was only one other way it could happen. It was for the Rams to swap with the Buffalo Bills, who picked eighth. And when the trade was announced that the Buffalo Bills had traded that pick to the St. Louis Rams, I couldn’t hear what the Rams gave up. It didn’t matter at the moment, because I knew who they were going to draft – or who’d they better have drafted after moving up into the top 10.
It was none other than Tavon Austin. It had to be Austin. The Rams have been in need of a talent of his caliber since Az-Zahir-Hakim.
He fills multiple roles. Austin is like a Swiss army knife with all the things he can do for your football team. What a move by Snead and Fisher. They weren’t done, though.
Snead orchestrated a trade with the Atlanta Falcons to get back into the first round and select linebacker Alex Ogletree. Ogletree was another risky move since his stock had fallen because of off-the-field issues. Prior to those issues, he was looking at becoming a top 10 pick. He’s an ideal fit for Fisher who likes having a big, fast linebacker who can cover a tight end and participate in a blitzing scheme.
The Rams went on to add wideout Stedman Bailey (Tavon Austin’s teammate at West Virginia), safety T.J. McDonald (USC), guard-center Barrett Jones (Alabama), cornerback Brandon McGee (Miami), and running back Zac Stacy (Vanderbilt).
This team has gotten younger. The Rams have added more youth and speed. Snead knows there will be some growing pains. But at least these players can grow together.
My draft grade for them is an A. Getting two top talents like they did in the first round was what did it. However, I do remember the strong second and third day of the draft the Rams had last year, and Snead may have exceeded last year’s feat already.
