These guys are on the board who do you take?

[Rambos]

No trading out of the spot

[Rip32]

If they were my only choices I would take Bunkley,he has the speed of a linebacker playing D tackle

[Nick]

Tye Hill is my choice. I think he's the only player listed where value meets need in the first round. We have good depth at cornerback, but lack a true #1 lock down guy. Hill has the speed and coverage skills to be just that, and he's no smaller than Travis Fisher, so starting a corner of Hill's size shouldn't be concerning to Rams fans who have watched Fisher start for years.

Why not Chad Greenway? If it's not Hill, then I think it will be Greenway. His value is in the late teens early twenties, which isn't great for us @ 11th, but he fills a big need at outside linebacker. There are still concerns about how well he'll be able to play SAM linebacker, but worst case scenario is he plays the weak side and Pisa moves back to strong side.

Why not Tamba Hali? He might not even be a first rounder at this point. Less than ideal size for the position, and pretty poor workout numbers from his pro day. I think he goes in the mid 20s right now.

Why not Gabe Watson? I don't even have him projected as a first rounder right now. Best case scenario for Gabe, IMO, is going to a team like the Bengals late in the first. At 11th? No way.

Why not Brodrick Bunkley? I just made a thread about why we shouldn't draft Bunkley. He's more of a La'Roi Glover than he is the Ryan Pickett we need to replace. Bunkley showed good upper body strength but is not a run-stuffing defensive tackle, and we need one of those to compete with Kennedy for that second starting interior line spot.

Why not Jimmy Williams? Concerns about whether or not he can play corner at the next level combined with poor attitude and a dropping stock. I think Williams goes in the late teens early 20s still, but first year coach Scott Linehan would not be wise to spend a high first rounder on a poor attitude guy who might have to switch positions.

Why not Ernie Sims? We have an undersized OLB in Pisa Tinoisamoa. Do we need another one in Ernie Sims? He's really risen up the draft boards recently, and compares well to Tampa Bay outside linebacker Derrick Smith. I don't necessarily dislike Sims as a pick, but I think like Greenway, he probably could play the strong side but he'd be a better fit at WILL linebacker, and I'm not convinced the value is there for him being taken 11th overall.

Obviously I'm not saying all these guys that we should pass up on are going to be bad players. I think the majority of them will be very good if not great. But you have to look at the current value, and since the rule stipulates no trading out of the spot, I think Hill is the closest value that also fills a significant need.

[Rambos]

Good stuff as always Nick. Question if we don’t take a LB, with the first pick can we find a guy in the second or third round that’s can step in and start, with Spoon and Tino? And who might that be?

[Nick]

Good stuff as always Nick. Question if we don’t take a LB, with the first pick can we find a guy in the second or third round that’s can step in and start, with Spoon and Tino? And who might that be?

As obvious as this is going to sound, our biggest obstacle to finding a second round strong side linebacker is what happens in the late first and early second. There's talk that guys like Bobby Carpenter and Demeco Ryans, both of whom I think would be ideal SAM linebacker choices, could be available in the early second, but then again, some people still have both ranked in the mid to late first. I see them going in the mid to late 20s.

I am honestly not confident that a good strong side linebacker will be available in the second. The Rams may have a shot at Thomas Howard, but he's more of a weak side guy, IMO. There's talk that D'Qwell Jackson could move outside at the next level, but I think he's gone by the time the Rams pick.

UCLA's Spencer Havner is a guy I like with good size for the strong side, and could be had in the third or even the fourth round, depending on who you talk to. He's not an immediate answer though, and will likely have to be developed a bit.

[RamsFan16]

I'd take Chad Greenway. We need another LB. He could fill that spot.

[chiguy]

Now that RF16 has chimed in, how long until RJ39 shows up and says he likes Demeco Ryans better than all these guys?

I think we'd have to go Bunkley, Hill, or Greenway there. It looks more and more to me, though, like 11th is one of the worst places to draft this year. If we can move down in the first and move up in the second, I'd feel a lot better about our ability to draft for value.

[serkicker32]

Trust me it is not one of the worst places to draft, it is better than 12-32.