With the 190th pick, St. Louis selects Ken Shackleford, OT, Georgia

[Nick]

Ken Shackleford
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 322
Position: Offensive Tackle
College: Georgia

40-Time: 5.39
Bench Press: 28 reps

Full Bio


Discuss our sixth round pick here!

[BigGameMN]

This guy is huge and looks like a good project.

[Nick]

Positives: Has a thick frame with muscular arms, big gut, large thighs and calves, thick ankles and big feet … Shows great balance and lower body strength to maintain position vs. the bull rush … Has the long arm reach to engulf smaller edge rushers and knows how to use his frame to lean, push and wear down the bull rusher … Despite his size, he is efficient on pulls and traps, taking good angles and locating linebackers to neutralize on the move … Comes off the snap with great force, jolting the pass rusher back … Lacks timed speed, but uses his burst off the snap to gain leverage over the defender … Maintains contact on the move and is able to create huge holes with his explosiveness … Plays with good body control when called upon to trap block … Has a good running motion for a player of his size … Shows good arm extension and power in pass protection and the foot agility to slide out to neutralize the edge rush.

Negatives: Lunges and over-extends at times when his initial move fails to lock onto a defender … Needs to improve his hand technique (has the power, but seems to drop his hands too quickly on contact) … Short-arm blocks and his large frame sometimes poses problems when he has to go down low … Needs to be quicker recoiling and resetting his hands … Appears too stiff in his hips to run with a fluid stride … also must use his hands better to avoid tacklers at his legs (can be taken down easily when attacked low).

Compares To: Kevin Barry, Green Bay Packers … Like Barry, Shackelford can play either tackle position … Neither is known for his foot speed, but both do an efficient job of holding off the bull rush by using their size to lean into and occupy the defender until the play is completed.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/profiles/2007/shackleford_ken

[chipperjones]

I like Ken, I loved the Georgia program, and in 06 he did good there. I'll happily take him, but I thought we would get a LB in the draft.

[RAMMAN68]

Looks like a good pick, and can learn from Pace.

Looks like a ROT all the way.

That's okay...Barron is a future LOT.

[Nick]

Strengths:
Has excellent size and bulk...Strong and powerful...A decent athlete...Is versatile with experience at more than one position...A hard worker...Was part of a pretty productive offensive line...Made major strides as a senior...Still has some upside.

Weaknesses:
Does not have very good balance...Awareness is average...He was only a starter for one season in college...His technique is lacking and he'll need to be coached up...Not very quick...Plays with poor leverage...Very raw and may be years away.

Notes:
Could project to either tackle or guard at the next level...Also played basketball in high school...Recipient of Iron Man Award ( players who do not miss a practice or summer workout during the year ) at conclusion of the ’04 season...He could be a interesting guy to take a flyer on in the late rounds as a developmental prospect.

http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/sco...ackleford.html

[Keenum]

I read he can also play guard. Big man, only had one starting year, I think. I like the pick.

[Nick]

Ken Shackleford: Project
By Jeff Gordon
04/29/2007 2:47 pm

The Rams drafted Georgia tackle Ken Shackleford in the sixth round for one obvious reason. “Very large, very massive player,” coach Scott Linehan said.

He stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 325 pounds. But he is NOT polished.

“He’s raw, that’s a fair assessment,” Linehan said. “But he’s willing.

“It’s going to take time on the job. We’ll put him on the right side and leave him there. That’s his natural position.”

The Rams will have Alex Barron at right tackle for years to come, so Shackleford won’t be on the fast track when he gets to camp.

[timsum1283]

I think they should have drafted Brandon Siler at LB but hopefully this guy can prove me wrong

[Varg6]

Only time will tell because apparently he won't be playing any time soon timsum

Not a bad pick though, I like what I read about him, although I've never really heard of the guy

[RealRam]

Originally Posted by Z.nrd

Looks like a ROT all the way.

That's okay...Barron is a future LOT.

Z, it's a fair assessment of the current versatility of Barron, could can play either T (just keep learning the trade young man). I understand big Shackleford can also play either side but needs a lot of hitting the books and class sessions as well as leaning from the pros on the field, especially from Pace, as Ramman said.

We can always get the great Jackie Slater on the phone to come on down and help mentor too!


PS: I'm fine with this pick. Projected depth for OL.

[keith m. klink]

i like this pick for 3 REASONS ,
1, his size is AWESOME , AWESOME !!! , and can play more than one position.
2 , this brings MORE, young bodies to the team , that we said we needed .
3 , CAN BE COACHED , to fix the small part of his game that is lacking , by our line coaches , and have the mentoring of PACE AND STUESSE , and fill the spot when stuisse leaves next year .

this is team building , and linehan has done another great job of fooling people , and helping this team .

Originally Posted by RealRam

Z, it's a fair assessment of the current versatility of Barron, would can play either T (just keep learning the trade young man). I understand big Shackleford can also play either side but needs a lot of hitting the books and class sessions as well as leaning from the pros on the field, especially from Pace, as Ramman said.

We can always get the great Jackie Slater on the phone to come on down and help mentor too!


PS: I'm fine with this pick. Projected depth for OL.

I really don't think he can play the left side, not if he has issues with foot quickness. That's my main thinking. That's fine...it's not a diss on him to say he's really ROT material (or maybe guard too as someone mentioned).

Athletically, I just think it sounds like he would be a longshot at LOT.

But as I said it's not an issue, because if the Rams ever need another LOT for emergency reasons, there's first Steussie and then Barron.

But Shakleford sounds like he would make a real nice mauler ROT type.

Maybe one day they'll have a line consisting of:

Barron Setterstrom Romberg Incognito and Shakleford.

And it will be immediately voted the OL that sounded the most like a law firm.

[bigredman]

This pick intrigues me. I agree that he will primarily be used on the right side. Probably compete for right guard and possibly be used to push Barron at right tackle, although I doubt it this year. If he loses some of that baby fat and replaces it with mean pro muscle girth, he could make a financial future for himself as Pace's eventual replacement or blindside OT for some other team. He has the size. How well he absorbs what the coaches and veterans teach him is anyone's guess. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't make the team or lasts only a year or two with us either.