Who should the Rams select in the first round?

[AvengerRam]

The list is comprised of players that (1) the Rams have a reasonable shot at with their first pick, and (2) play a position that the Rams would likely consider with their first pick.

[AvengerRam]

My current pick:


Shawne Merriman, OLB, Maryland

Hard to say if he'll be there. I've seen some mocks with him going as high as number 3, while others don't even have him in the first round.

To me, Merriman is in the mold of a Terrell Suggs. A OLB/DE "tweener" who can play in space, or line up on the end and rush the passer. He has a reputation as a hard hitter and has played through minor injuries.

[Nick]

I think Merriman's a good speed rusher from the outside, but I think there are better candidates for our needs. At less than 250 pounds, he'd need to do some bulking up to play defensive end for us, and I'm not sold on him as a 4-3 linebacker. I haven't heard anything about his skills in coverage except that he "has experience," which sounds pretty questionable - if all someone can say about his coverage abilities is that he has experience being in coverage, then the word "raw" comes to mind.

If the entire list of players above was available at our spot, then I'd take Jammal Brown. After Brown, I'd probably go with Marlin Jackson because of his experience as both a cornerback and a safety. His best year was I believe his sophomore campaign and his stock has fallen a bit due to other rising cornerbacks, but from what I've heard, he's looked very good at Senior Bowl practices and the Rams would benefit from his versatility in the secondary.

[AvengerRam]

I would expect most some, but not all, of the ten listed will be on the board when the Rams make their choice. Some guys I really like who won't be there when the Rams pick are Derrick Johnson, Antrell Rolle and Alex Barron.

[AugustaRamFan]

If he can hit hard, fight off a block or two and tackle... he could play anywhere for the Rams D.

The name is not material to the choice.

[Ramsfan8503]

i think in all seriousness i think the rams should serioulsy statrt thinking about kyle turley because if he doenst come back i think we should slect jamaal brown. jamaal is a huge tackle but the usc oklahoma game does kinda scare me. but if hes there we should get him.

[RAMarkable]

Initially I was going to select Marlin Jackson but I had noticed his name dropping on several mocks so I selected Thomas Davis. But after reading Nick's clip about Jackson 's showing at the Senior Bowl, I would probably be happy with either one. Davis is a pure safety while Jackson would bring more versatility. Either way the Rams need these types of players.
My question is can Davis, or Jackson for that matter, play both safety positions or are the better suited for one or the other?

WHAT SAY YE?

[AvengerRam]

I don't see Jackson as a strong safety.

[DJRamFan]

I like Marlin Jackson, but he would fit at FS.

Linebacker is important, I went with Channing Crowder because the LB crew was useless. I wouldn't mind seeing Jackson in our secondary

[Nick]

Originally Posted by AvengerRam

I would expect most some, but not all, of the ten listed will be on the board when the Rams make their choice. Some guys I really like who won't be there when the Rams pick are Derrick Johnson, Antrell Rolle and Alex Barron.

How huge of an addition would Johnson be to this group of linebackers? There's a dream scenario.

Originally Posted by Ramsfan8503

i think in all seriousness i think the rams should serioulsy statrt thinking about kyle turley because if he doenst come back i think we should slect jamaal brown. jamaal is a huge tackle but the usc oklahoma game does kinda scare me. but if hes there we should get him.

I didn't get a chance to watch it - was he getting beaten on the right side there?

Originally Posted by RAMarkable

My question is can Davis, or Jackson for that matter, play both safety positions or are the better suited for one or the other?

I would say Davis is a strong safety or even linebacker prospect, and Jackson would be better suited at cornerback or free safety.

[AvengerRam]

Derrick Johnson may be the only player in the draft that I would advocate trading up for (maybe Rolle too). It would probably take at least a package of the Rams' first pick and a future #2. Maybe even a #1. I might still make that trade, though, as he could be a difference maker (particularly if the Rams can land a FA LB like Hartwell).

[Nick]

The question is where would he go? Some have him falling all the way to New Orleans in the teens, while I think he'll be gone no later than the seventh pick. It cost the Bills two first rounders to move from round two to round one to get Losman. I suspect it would cost us at least two first rounders to jump into the top eight to pick Johnson, if he's there.

[AvengerRam]

Okay, so lets take a scenario.


If the Rams had a chance to trade their 2005 first round pick and their 2006 first round pick to jump up and take Johnson, would you do it?

I think I would. While there's no guarantee with any player, if he ends up being an elite player at LB, I think that would have a huge impact on the rest of the defense, as the presence of such a player would allow players like Pisa and Arch to roam free and make plays.

On a similar vein, I'd probably give up this year's #1 and a future #2 to move up to get Antrell Rolle. I've seen him play probably as much or more than any other player in the draft, and I can tell you his is a disrupter in the mold of a Ed Reed.

[Nick]

Honestly, I'm not sure if I would. I'd have to give it some thought. Chances are yes, but the team has more needs than linebacker, and I'm not quite ready to give up the 2006 first rounder, knowing what their class might look like (D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Ahmad Brooks, etc etc).

if you look at our history.. i'd almost say throw everything at it... after all where is D.Lewis, Pinkett, R Thomas etc etc etc... best to through everything at a chance at a standout than a lot of wasted average guys