With the 66th overall pick, the Rams draft Brad Fletcher, CB, Iowa

[Nick]

Analysis coming soon!



Height: 6'0"
Weight: 196
College: Iowa
Conference: Big 10
Hometown: Youngstown, OH
High School: Liberty HS
View Combine Page >>

Combine Results:
40 Yard Dash : 4.5 seconds
Bench Press : 20.0 reps
Vertical Jump : 38.5 inches
Broad Jump : 122.0 inches
3 Cone Drill : 7.06 seconds
20 Yard Shuttle : 4.3 seconds


Overview
The waiting was finally over in 2008 for Fletcher, who emerged as one of the elite pass defenders in the Big Ten Conference in his final season.

Always the good soldier since arriving on campus in 2004, he toiled on special teams as a redshirt freshman. He started four games while sharing left cornerback duties with Adam Shada as a sophomore and then shifted to the right side in 2007. He spent his junior campaign alternating with Charles Godfrey, picking up four more starting assignments.

With Godfrey having graduated, it was time for Fletcher to step up his leadership role in 2008. He manned the left cornerback position all season, as the All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention finished fifth on the team with 60 tackles and defended 13 passes.

Fletcher was a first-team All-Conference, All-County, All-District, All-Northwest Ohio, All-Ohio and North/South All-State selection as a senior at Liberty High School. He was also named first-team All-Conference and All-County, along with special mention All-Ohio as a junior.

As a defensive back, Fletcher recorded 207 tackles (81 solo), 13 pass breakups and four interceptions during his career. He registered 74 tackles (43 solos), two interceptions and six pass deflections as a senior. He also performed as a running back, as he rushed 143 times for 815 yards 12 touchdowns as a senior, adding 17 receptions for 314 yards and one kickoff return for 61 yards. In addition to football, he was also an All-State choice in basketball.

Fletcher enrolled at Iowa in 2004, spending the season on the scout team. He played in nine games, seeing action mostly on special teams in 2005, finishing with one solo tackle. He shared left cornerback duties in 2006, appearing in 13 games with four starts. He ranked 11th on the team with 38 tackles (24 solos), as he caused one fumble and broke up four passes.

In 2007, Fletcher again started four times, this time on the right side, seeing action in 11 games. He sat out the season opener vs. Northern Illinois for violating team rules, but went on to post 53 tackles (31 solos) while causing and recovering a fumble. He broke up three passes and had the first two interceptions for his career.

The 2008 campaign saw Fletcher receive All-Big Ten Conference mention. The starter at left cornerback made the most of his opportunity, coming up with 60 tackles (44 solos), as he caused a fumble and knocked down ten passes. He also had three interceptions.

High School
Attended Liberty (Youngstown, Ohio) High School, playing football for head coach Jeff Whitaker...First-team All-Conference, All-County, All-District, All-Northwest Ohio, All-Ohio and North/South All-State selection as a senior...Named first-team All-Conference and All-County, along with special mention All-Ohio as a junior...As a defensive back, Fletcher recorded 207 tackles (81 solo), 13 pass breakups and four interceptions during his career...Registered 74 tackles (43 solos), two interceptions and six pass deflections as a senior...Also performed as a running back, as he rushed 143 times for 815 yards 12 touchdowns as a senior, adding 17 receptions for 314 yards and one kickoff return for 61 yards...In addition to football, he was also an All-State choice in basketball.


NFL Draft Countdown analysis:

Strengths:
Outstanding athlete...Prototypical height and bulk...Long arms...Good speed...Excellent leaper...Great strength...Physical and aggressive...A reliable tackler...Agile with good change of direction...Decent hands and ball skills..Good special teamer...Versatile...Still has lots of upside.

Weaknesses:
Marginal instincts...Doesn't play as fast as he times...Still raw from a footwork and technique standpoint...Average hips...Doesn't have a lot of starting experience...Minor character concerns...A bit of a 'tweener.

Notes:
Could project to cornerback or safety at the next level...Worked in a backup capacity early in his career...Earned four starts in 2007 before taking over a full-time starting job as a senior...Named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2008...Was suspended for the 2007 season opener after being arrested for drunk driving...A very underrated, developing prospect with all the physical tools you look for...Not quite as good of a prospect as Charles Godfrey but they share a lot of traits.

Sporting News War Room analysis

Strengths: Has a good size-to-speed ratio. Looks the part of an NFL cornerback, with long arms and legs. Uses his size to intimidate receivers. Is good in traffic, knocking balls away. Plays with good strength near the line when needed. Is a solid run defender who tackles well and looks for big hits. Shows good range and above-average toughness.

Weaknesses: Is a one-speed player, showing below-average closing burst. Lacks flexibility; plays high and shows stiff knees and hips. Doesn't have sound technique. Lacks natural hands, often fighting balls. When playing "off" man-to-man coverage, gets shaken in the open field. Does not always play smart.

Bottom line: Fletcher is a good-looking athlete but only a decent player. He may have to move to safety in the NFL because his stiff hips limit his ability in coverage. Fletcher could hang around the league for at least a couple of seasons as a special teams contributor.

YouTube - Bradley Fletcher - St. Louis Rams - Draft Video Profile

[A-Web]

Don't know about this, but then again, I was hoping for Shonn Greene, and he just went off the board. That leaves us hoping for Ramses in the following rounds.

[Milan]

Huge reach for this one.

[itsguud]

I know nothing about this kid. Not even on my radar as a potential pick. however CB is a need. So I guess its filling holes.

YouTube - Bradley Fletcher - St. Louis Rams - Draft Video Profile

Looks great from this video!

[tomahawk247]

strange pick with us having the pick of DEs and WRs left in the draft, but maybe this is the guy to start opposite Ron Bartell

[DistantRam]

Not happy about this pick. Must be some reason (character issues?) why we didn't go for D.J. Moore, but we have areas of more need than CB. Hill, King and Wade offer plenty of options on the other side from Bartell.

[jackson3909]

i dont like this pick beacuse he is just another small, raw corner back. and it probly would have been better to go with a WR here, but spags and deavney must really see potential in this kid.
So okay welcome to the rams!

[Jackson39]

youtube his name, theres a draft profile for him...seems good

[A-Web]

I like the size and speed of him, and we do have some receivers to compete against in our division that have that;

Larry Fitzgerald
Anquan Bolden
T.J. Houschmandzadeh (spelling?)
Michael Crabtree


With that said, maybe we do need a bigger, faster dback. Maybe a reach, but maybe we just needed it.

To look at it this way, if we already had a target at round 4,5,6,7...you get the point, if we have guys we think will be there for those, you may as well take what is left on the need board.

[richtree]

I don't think it is a bad pick becaus Fletcher is a strong kid with pro type talent but it is hard to pass up all the LB's and DT's on the board.

Especially when we have youth and some players that should be able to play the 4th spot in the secondary.

So Fletcher is a nice player, that I am happy to have but now we need a little luck for a guy to slip to us next round at LB or DT.

I think WR is out of the question and we will try to sign a vet in free agent.

Go Rams

[Goldenfleece]

That one's a bit of a surprise. Looks like he had a drunk driving arrest. Four pillars guy?

Sounds like he has potential, but I would have thought there were other directions we could have gone where value and need would have met better.

[Ahmedrams81]

this guy to me is a mirror image of Bartell. he is 6'0 and very physical. I think he could have potential to be a second corner by year 2.

[Milan]

Safety is a huge need, and there's a great coverage safety available right now.

[C-Mob 71]

Day 2 we need to go BPA, we have bigger needs than corner, so he obviously was our highest rated player, so i'm a fan of this pick.

[richtree]

I don't think it is a bad pick becaus Fletcher is a strong kid with pro type talent but it is hard to pass up all the LB's and DT's on the board.

Especially when we have youth and some players that should be able to play the 4th spot in the secondary.

So Fletcher is a nice player, that I am happy to have but now we need a little luck for a guy to slip to us next round at LB or DT.

I think WR is out of the question and we will try to sign a vet in free agent.

Go Rams