Rams Team Report - Unlikely to move up?

Rams Team Report
4/14/2006

By Jim Thomas
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

DRAFT BUZZ: The Rams rarely move up in the opening round. The idea is to avoid getting fixated on one guy as the make-or-break player of their draft. Coach Scott Linehan has said repeatedly he will stick to the value board, particularly in the early rounds. Although the Rams almost never trade down, this could be the year.

TARGETING: After passing on several tight ends in the free-agent market, the Rams need to take one on the first day, and he needs to be able to contribute right away. Maryland's Vernon Davis is an athletic freak who would bring another dimension to the passing game. If he isn't there at No. 11, that would leave UCLA's Marcedes Lewis, Colorado's Joe Klopfenstein, Southern California's Dominique Byrd, Georgia's Leonard Pope and Notre Dame's Anthony Fasano as possibilities in the second round. The team likes Florida State DT Brodrick Bunkley as another first-round possibility; he has the kind of pass-rushing and penetrating skills coordinator Jim Haslett covets. Texas S Michael Huff is another strong possibility. N.C. State DE/OLB Manny Lawson has superb speed and could be an ideal fit as a rush linebacker if Haslett tries to incorporate elements of the 3-4 into the Rams' base defense. In the middle rounds, look for the Rams to address needs at running back, kick returner, linebacker and the interior of the offensive line. UCLA's Maurice Drew makes a lot of sense at running back and also has plenty of return potential, though there is some concern about his ability to secure the ball.

Doesn't bother me at all. Thanks for the post though.

I certainly like the idea of Drew, not sure if he is worth our second, but I don't think he will be there for us by our third though.

I certainly don't remember the Rams ever making any major move, (up or down) on draft day. So I don't anticipate anything different this year. I just hope they draft players who can make an instant impact.

They made a move for Steven Jackson. That is the only one that I know of.

Are you sure Utter? I thought that he just fell to them.

Seems to me we moved all the way up to the first pick in the entire draft to take Orlando Pace........

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Originally Posted by RamsFan16

Are you sure Utter? I thought that he just fell to them.

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Naw they worked some deal and moved two spots to get him. Aren't you the research expert? You should be able to find the answer. Go look and see what you can find.
:clanram:

We traded with the Bengals to get up to 24th overall to take Jackson.

And yes, we traded up to first overall to take Pace.

Here are the details....

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St. Louis Rams 2004 Draft Report Card

St. Louis wanted to get a running back to groom behind Marshall Faulk on the first day of the draft. The only thing the club didn't know was that it would be in position to acquire the top-rated rusher in the entire draft -- Oregon State's Steven Jackson.

The Rams saw Jackson slipping down the draft board and moved quickly to trade up from the 26th pick to get him. St. Louis sent its first- and fourth-round picks to Cincinnati in exchange for the 24th pick, which the club used on Jackson. The Bengals wound up with Michigan's Chris Perry at 26. It will be interesting to follow the two careers and see which player is a better pro.

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I like Jackson, but i wonder what would have happened if the Rams didnt trade up to get Jackson? Jackson would have been a Bengal and Perry would have been a Ram (most likely) but I'm really happy rams decided to trade up and get jackson

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Originally Posted by RamsFan4ever

Jackson would have been a Bengal and Perry would have been a Ram (most likely)

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Not necessarily. You can't just say that based on the order they were chosen. The Bengals may have preferred Perry, and the Rams may have actually taken Kevin Jones instead of Perry if Jackson were off the board.