Selecting 5th in the 2008 draft, the rams choose....

[general counsel]

This thread may be in the wrong place, but i was just wondering what we are looking at picking 5th. Of course, at the rate we are going, we could be picking closer to #1 but i suspect we will win some games at some point.

Glen Dorsey, dt Lsu? We dont need a qb so that knocks out broehm, ryan or woodson. We certainly dont need a running back (knocking out mcfaddin). Best pass rusher? Maybe if there is someone that good available. Top offensive tackle? Tempting and almost a certainty if pace isnt coming back. Corner? Only if there was a champ bailey type prospect.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[RealRam]

Ugh. :x

Looking ahead is always a good thing, I agree to that much, GC. But right now I'm so into winning this Sunday that I couldn't possibly think of collegiate prospects for next year. Much too difficult for my Ram brain.

[Tampa_Ram]

Theres also Brennen(i think that Martz would love this guy in Detroit)...i think we should go after a pass rusher or offensive tackle, preferably an offensive tackle.

[RamWraith]

I can not look at the draft in week 3 of the season. There is a lot of football to play....no matter what the circumstances are.

[keith m. klink]

TRADE BACK FOR PICKS , A WHOLE BUNCH OF 2-3-4TH ROUNDERS , off. tackle , def. end , safety , new wr . sorry , maybe trade for a new coach if we are picking 10th or below .

[mde8352gorams]

Wow....who thought this early into the season this thread would appear? Given the tenuous nature of our coaching staff, that may be the first order of business during the off-season. Although he has a terrible post-season record Marty Schottenheimer may be on the radar screen. He certainly brings HC experience and his approach is running back oriented to suit our best player SJ. He also seems to be a good judge of talent, so the draft may be different than we expect. I know he believes in good lines offensive and defensive. Keep the name Jake Long, OT Michigan in mind. Regardless of Orlando's plans we need to plan for the future.

I hope we look back at this thread in a few weeks and laugh at ourselves for even talking this way. 13-3 should still get us into playoffs! We need to keep thinking positive.

Go Rams!

[Rambos]

We just lost SJ. We might get the first pick. SS with the first.

[RealRam]

:\ Well, now that Wraith has flashed in the Jackson-groin injury news just minutes ago, no doubt the Rams will have to start thinking about early draft plans. Early...

Those groin injuries are difficult to overcome (well, at this point even a hangnail is considerable). Hard to expect Jax back at 90% in two weeks; practice limited and all.

[RamsFan16]

Kenny Phillips. Safety from Miami is amazing.

[serkicker32]

I want to see someone who will bring the killer mentality and heart to this defense like Kenny Phillips, Chris Long, James Laurinaitis or Ray Maualuga, or if OP is done the an o-lineman like Jake Long, Barry Richardson, Alex Boone or Sam Baker.

[blood85]

Man this gets more depressing by the minute.

[Nick]

Since this is a thread about college players and the Draft forum is closed down for a while, I'm going to move this to the College forum.

Keep in mind that plenty changes from September to April - for instance, Quentin Moses was widely considered the top DE prospect last year at this time - so some of these names may rise and fall.

If the front office thought pick #12 was too high to take a safety (Polamalu) in 2005, I'd be surprised if they turned around three years later and wanted to pay a safety top five money. That being said, junior safety Kenny Phillips is widely considered one of the best safety prospects to come along since Sean Taylor. He's physical in run support, is very effective in man coverage, and seems to be a very intelligent player as well. Should he declare, he looks to be a top ten kind of prospect and one of the few true top end safeties that look to be in this class. Another junior to keep an eye on is Oklahoma's Nic Harris, who is a tall free safety prospect who has also spent time as a nickel back.

At defensive end, there are a number of top candidates the Rams could look at as a future pass rusher. Chris Long may be one of the highest rated ends on the board but he's not a speed rusher off the edge. He's more in the mold of an Adam Carriker - versatile and relentless with good strength and technique but he's a guy that's going to win more because of leverage than pure speed off the edge. USC's Lawrence Jackson is another end who could be looking at the top half of the first round if he can return to his sophomore form after a disappointing junior season. TCU's Tommy Blake and Auburn's Quentin Groves seem to be two guys who can challenge the pocket with their speed and burst from the outside, though both lack the prototypical size and bulk to consistently hold up in the running game, and Groves may be looked at as a 3-4 OLB prospect. The best DE in this class may ultimately be junior Calais Campbell (Miami), a huge 6'8" behemoth who is surprisingly agile and athletic (he was a tight end in high school). Another junior to watch for is Florida's Derrick Harvey, who tore up last year in the national championship game against Ohio State.

Finally at offensive tackle, there look to be a number of talented prospects that could make this one of the best positions in the 2008 draft. Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long is the frontrunner for the top tackle in this draft, and most feel he is one of the elite prospects in this class. He has prototypical size and excels both in the running game and in pass protection. He may not be as athletic as Joe Thomas but he falls right into that same range in terms of pro potential and should be a top five pick. It should be noted that Long was named last year's Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year over both Joe Thomas and Levi Brown. USC's Sam Baker will be another contender for one of the spots in the top half of the '08 draft. He has the kind of size, arm length, and athleticism that teams look for in a franchise left tackle, but he doesn't seem to have the dominant tough attitude that scouts love from top prospects. Didn't they say the same thing about Pace, though? I can't recall. Don't rule out Boston College's Gosder Cherilus as someone who could contend for a first round spot, and junior Ryan Clady of Boise State could shake things up as well though it doesn't seem like he's having a great start to the season.

[general counsel]

If i was a betting man right now i would say we either go offensive tackle or trade back to a team that wants a qb and pick up an extra #2 pick. we trade down a couple of spots and still pick up the top de or safety, both of which we need to build for the future. We may even be able to trade back a bit and still get one of the two stud ot's.

ramming speed to all

general counsel

[elchiludo]

I have no i dea why our team is the only team so far to be decimated by injuries. This news is so disappointing.

[Goldenfleece]

Wow, it sure is early to be discussing this...but maybe not inappropriate. :\

Offensive tackle is a sensible and safe pick, but if the front office thinks Barron is our future at left tackle, they may not be willing to spend on another first round tackle. Defensive end would be a good choice for the future as Leonard Little and James Hall are getting up there. Whenever Bruce decides to hang up the cleats, receiver will become a priority, but I expect he'll want to go out on top...and that probably isn't happening this year.

I wonder if the impact players like Polamalu, Ed Reed, and even Bob Sanders have had on their teams might be able to influence the Rams FO to think differently about drafting a safety in the first round. We took Archuleta at the 20th pick overall in 2001, but of course there's a big difference in salary if you're talking about potentially a top 5 or 10 pick versus the 20th pick.

I just hope we don't go for yet another tight end.