Updated NFLDC Mock Draft: 12/15/08

[Nick]

2 ST. LOUIS RAMS: ANDRE SMITH, OT, ALABAMA

It's common knowledge that the Rams have been aching to address their offensive line for a while now and unlike last year, when Jake Long was selected one pick ahead of them, they should have no trouble landing a top blocker in the 2009 NFL Draft. Orlando Pace has been one of the best in the business for more than a decade but he is now in his mid-30's and injuries have really begun to take their toll. On the other side former first round pick Alex Barron continues to disappoint and the Rams would like nothing more than to bring in a capable replacement. Andre Smith is a couple inches shorter than most elite left tackle prospects and he has had a tendency to get a little heavy at times but there is no denying his talent. A dominating run blocker who is also light on his feet and athletic enough to hold his own against top sack artists in pass protection, Smith should be one of the first few players off the board next April and he will be in the mix for the #1 overall pick. If Smith is gone the Rams could turn their attention to either Eugene Monroe or Jason Smith. The Rams could also use a true #1 cornerback so Malcolm Jenkins might be a possibility and don't rule out Aaron Curry, who could man the strongside or the middle in St. Louis.

See the full mock draft here!!

[itsguud]

As long as its OL I don't care

[mde8352gorams]

When we lost yesterday's game and got the #2 pick (for now) in the draft I felt good that we could take A. Smith. The other tackles like Monroe, Oher or J. Smith are not Top 5 picks and they will not drop out of Round 1. If we lose out on Smith then we'll probably need to pick Jenkins, but we'll have to settle for a tier 2 or 3 OT at that point. This is a deep draft for OL, so I've read.

I'm hoping we can secure another 2nd round pick via trade because I'd like to see us take Scott McKillop (ILB) from Pitt, but at #34 he's a reach. He's a tackling machine and we need players who can tackle. We can move Witherspoon back to his natural outside spot and have him pass rush on the side of Adenjayu who's a better run stopper when he's in there. I'm expecting Little will be scaling back as he's getting older and his skills have seemed to erode based on his play this year. With Long on the other side we'd have a pretty good pass rush going this way. Of course everyone has to stay reasonably healthy.

Go Rams!

[tonyray05]

Hope we get Smith, but will SJ step up to the plate are sit on the sidelines when the going gets tough.

[shower beers]

Max Unger is the first Center taken, and the only in the first?

1. Who is Max Unger?
2. This would leaves Mack open for a second round pick, when it was previously thought he would be taken at this point. Would you want the Rams to go OL/OL in this years draft?

[Nick]

I'm hoping we can secure another 2nd round pick via trade because I'd like to see us take Scott McKillop (ILB) from Pitt, but at #34 he's a reach.

We probably won't need another second rounder to take McKillop. Unless he has an insane workout, I doubt he's selected on the first day. That being said, if we're upgrading from Witherspoon at MLB, I'd think about someone with a bit more size. Love McKillop's fire on the field though.

1. Who is Max Unger?

Offensive lineman for Oregon. He's pretty versatile, could potentially play anywhere on the line. Mack is generally considered to be the better center because he's a true fit there, whereas Unger could play a couple of different places. If teams view him as a potential left tackle, he'll shoot up the board.

Centers aren't as highly regarded in the NFL so it wouldn't be shocking if Mack ended up slipping a bit. Remember, Ryan Kalil was viewed as a potential first round center and fell into the mid to late second two years ago.

2. This would leaves Mack open for a second round pick, when it was previously thought he would be taken at this point. Would you want the Rams to go OL/OL in this years draft?

Obviously it would depend on who is on the board, but in theory I'd be fine with it. We need young future starters at both LT and C, and this could knock it out right there. It'd be even better if we had a defensive-heavy free agency period, because then I think we'd feel better about skipping over defense in the first two rounds of the draft. Because let's face it, the defense could use as much attention as the OL, really.

[RockinRam]

I say if Alex Mack is available when we pick in the second round, we should immediately draft him. That would mean we would have two very high caliber blockers added to our trenches, which would almost solidify our o-line.

[Mooselini]

I really want the OT pick in the first round. He will most likely start over Barron. What we do with Barron, I could honestly careless.

But this OT we pick in the first round will be Barron's current replacement and Pace's future replacement.