If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

[AvengerRam_old]

If the Rams don't trade down from the first pick in the draft, their choice really comes down to four players.

The Frontrunner: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
I call Suh the frontrunner because he is the player that most people consider the best prospect in the draft. While I obviously don't have any inside information from the Rams, I certainly can see a coach like Steve Spagnuolo, who built a champion defense on the strength of the D line, favoring Suh.

The Dark-Horse Candidate: Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
While he is currently overshadowed by Suh, he is still considered a top 3-5 pick. If Suh slides during the evaluation period, while McCoy shines, he could rise to the top.

The Cult Favorite: Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
Those who like Clausen really like him. In my opinion, his size is potentially an issue, and I'll be curious how he is reported as comporting himself in interviews. That said... QBs can rise quickly in the eyes of scouts, coaches and personnel guys. Just ask Mark Sanchez.

The Forgotten Candidate: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
Bradford may have been the first pick in the 2009 draft had he come out. Now he stands as the poster child for those who advocate early departures from college. Still, if he passes all the tests he'll be put through in the next few months, teams could fall in love again with his 2008 game tapes.

There are other top prospects who I really don't think the Rams would take No. 1 overall. I have Derrick Morgan rated #2 on my draft board, but I really don't see the Rams passing on Suh (or McCoy) to take him. Eric Berry and Joe Haden are A list DBs who will both go in the top 10 selections, but again, not to the Rams at No. 1. The Rams may like C.J. Spiller (as do I), but they can't afford to take a RB at No. 1 unless they trade Jackson, which isn't likely to happen. Finally, Dez Bryant, though a top WR prospect, does not appear to be a guy who would go that high.

So, in my book... its one of these four players or a trade down (which I don't expect to happen).

Anyone think there are more than four candidates?

[HUbison]

Re: If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

Right now in January, I'd have to agree.

And I say "right now in January", because every year, between January and April, prospects magically slide up and down the draft boards without playing a single meaningful down of football. Those are the ones that worry me.

[swatter555]

Re: If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

I agree with the four, but the frontrunner is not at all clear. According to the logic in a passing-centric league, QB is the most important position and a position the Rams are severely lacking in. Our defense as it stands can compete and give the offense a chance to win. Our offense as it stands cannot compete on an NFL level. Maybe if a truly exceptional QB candidate was available in FA (aside from a risky Vick), then a defensive pick could easily be justified.

I cannot say who will come first, but if Clausen and Bradford do well in the pre-draft period, the Rams cannot pass one of them up to pick Su.

[Varg6]

Re: If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

Considering that our team's rebuilding outline is to kind of mimic, if you will, what the Jets' organization has done, I'd say Suh is the clear-cut pick. Quite frankly, if there's a serviceable QB available in Free Agency that we can acquire (Campbell, Vick, etc), I'd get him and worry about our QB of the future in the later rounds and/or wait for next year because this offense is primarily built around feeding the ball to SJax anyways; if there's a QB who can throw the ball here and there, I don't see why we need to get the high profile QB. We still have work to do when it comes to the defense and grabbing Suh will help that cause immensely.

[MauiRam]

Re: If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

I cannot say who will come first, but if Clausen and Bradford do well in the pre-draft period, the Rams cannot pass one of them up to pick Su.

Oh yes they can! And hopefully they will pass on both if we keep the first overall pick. If Suh is anywhere close to being the player he's cracked up to be, it's hard to see Spags passing on him ...

[swatter555]

Re: If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

Oh yes they can! And hopefully they will pass on both if we keep the first overall pick. If Suh is anywhere close to being the player he's cracked up to be, it's hard to see Spags passing on him ...

I would love to see a dominant DT on the Rams too, but not at the cost of making our team better overall. Su cannot lead the Rams to the playoffs, a good QB can. That is the bottom line, and I promise you the front office knows that better than any of us.

Aside from rolling the dice on the FA market and hoping to roll big, this QB decision cannot be put off any longer. Hoping there is some decent QB talent remaining in the second round is not a good long-range plan.

[Richbert88]

Re: If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

I can't really see the QBs as an option, at this point.

Those that swear that you can't get to the playoffs or big game without a "Franchise" QB, and I am in no way saying either is, have to ignore the NY Jets to get to that presumption.

Seems this teams direction, as per Spag's, is a power running game with a dominant defense. The Jets are where they are now due to their defense and running game. Sanchez has a "don't mess it up" role at QB, and he still throws picks. And that aside, it takes defense to win once your in the playoffs.

The Rams have to get that part of their game fixed. They improved. But they'll improve a great deal more with the selection of Suh. After the other major holes are fixed, I wouldn't mind seeing them more aggressively pursue a "franchise" QB. And even then, I really hope they get lucky, cause they'll need luck to actually get one.

Until then, I'd like a defense that keeps the opponent under 14 points a game. Yah, I am asking alot. But I, and every other RAMs fan, deserve it!

[swatter555]

Re: If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

And the Jets used their first pick on Sanchez, since you decided to bring it up. I agree with your point of a power running game, but without a good QB you have what happened to us last year, a back with 1400+ yards and a record of 1-15. Without a threat of being burned through the air, SJ is going to be swamped every play, and Su does nothing to change that, and THAT is why we are losing. We are not losing because of our defense.

[Goldenfleece]

Re: If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

I'd say that as of the moment, Derrick Morgan is probably as much on the list as Gerald McCoy--which is to say you could argue that both should be on or that both should be off. I say that because the argument for each of the other top three is pretty simple to make without assuming that anyone else's stock falls.

The case for McCoy or any other player not on that list assumes that (a) Suh's stock falls and (b) the team is not excited about either of the quarterbacks. It would seem to me that McCoy and Morgan are rated closely enough now that if it is feasible that one could rise to the top assuming others fell, it is feasible the other could as well.

[C-Mob 71]

Re: If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

I would love to see a dominant DT on the Rams too, but not at the cost of making our team better overall. Su cannot lead the Rams to the playoffs, a good QB can. That is the bottom line, and I promise you the front office knows that better than any of us.

Aside from rolling the dice on the FA market and hoping to roll big, this QB decision cannot be put off any longer. Hoping there is some decent QB talent remaining in the second round is not a good long-range plan.

Even though a lot has changed in ten years, I direct your attention to the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl victories. Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson are by no means "franchise" quarterbacks, and Mark Sanchez is certainly not the reason the Jets are in the AFC championship game. These teams relied on dominant defenses and great running games.

I agree that we need to fix our QB situation, but you simply can not pass on the best defensive line talent in the last twenty years for a guy that may be a good QB. We have our great runnning game in place, and believe it or not imho, pieces in place to become a dominant defense. We need to stick with our plan and build up the trenches. If we pass on the closest thing you get to a sure thing in the form of House of Spears, ole Jimmy Claussen sure as heck better be making the Pro Bowl by year three.

[Richbert88]

Re: If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

And the Jets used their first pick on Sanchez, since you decided to bring it up. I agree with your point of a power running game, but without a good QB you have what happened to us last year, a back with 1400+ yards and a record of 1-15. Without a threat of being burned through the air, SJ is going to be swamped every play, and Su does nothing to change that, and THAT is why we are losing. We are not losing because of our defense.

And the obvious point is, the Jets are where they are because of the running game and the defense, not because Sanchez make defenses shake in their cleats.

What you have with the Rams and SJ is a 1-15 team, that has nothing close to the Jets defense. You can say a QB would make the diff, but it is also the defense. The diff between their QB and the Rams is smaller than the differences between the defenses. We are losing cause we have a dirth of talent. Suh is bonafide talent.

I'd rather the pieces be in place before you throw a young QB in the mix, ala Rothsberger.

Suh is more a sure thing to improve the defense than Claussen is a "franchise" QB. And even if the QBs just average, you still need to fix up the OL, overall team depth and the defense.

This argument isn't even close. Claussen or Bradford would need to blow the roof off of the combine and other workouts and garner marriage proposals from team personnel officials during interviews to come close.

Your point about Sanchez just doesn't hold water.

[PeoriaRam]

Re: If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

And the Jets used their first pick on Sanchez, since you decided to bring it up. I agree with your point of a power running game, but without a good QB you have what happened to us last year, a back with 1400+ yards and a record of 1-15. Without a threat of being burned through the air, SJ is going to be swamped every play, and Su does nothing to change that, and THAT is why we are losing. We are not losing because of our defense.

The Jets finished a game out of the playoffs last season*, and likely would have made the playoffs had they had the stones to bench an injured Brett Favre, who was doing more harm than good at that point in the season. With Sanchez they had the same record as last year, only they are in the playoffs now because the rest of the AFC fell off. And yes, they advance in spite of him, rather than because of him.

Suh improves are defense immensely, because a good DT improves the D Line, the Linebackers, and the Secondary (the latter two by taking pressure off of them)

*Even though the record shows that they were 2 games behind the last Wild Card spot, had they beaten Miami in Week 17, they would have grabbed the last Wild Card

[swatter555]

Re: If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

If Su is drafted, I hope he lives up to the hype. I hope he is the best lineman in 50 years, but that is speculation at this point. He could bust, like so many other highly touted prospects. You all speak of Su as a known NFL quantity and speak of potential QBs as too risky, all picks are risky.



As for Balt and Tampa QBs, they made plays when they needed to. They were not great QBs for sure, but they came through when their number was called. We have nobody currently on our roster at QB that even comes close to that.

And people, you need to drop the dominant defense comparisions, they are premature in the extreme. Our defense is good enough to keep in us games, but even if we draft Su AND he is a stud, we still have a long way to go to be compared to those defenses. I think the hype about Su in this forum has reached an extreme point, people are losing all perspective.

[Goldenfleece]

Re: If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

If Su is drafted, I hope he lives up to the hype. I hope he is the best lineman in 50 years, but that is speculation at this point. He could bust, like so many other highly touted prospects. You all speak of Su as a known NFL quantity and speak of potential QBs as too risky, all picks are risky.



As for Balt and Tampa QBs, they made plays when they needed to. They were not great QBs for sure, but they came through when their number was called. We have nobody currently on our roster at QB that even comes close to that.

And people, you need to drop the dominant defense comparisions, they are premature in the extreme. Our defense is good enough to keep in us games, but even if we draft Su AND he is a stud, we still have a long way to go to be compared to those defenses. I think the hype about Su in this forum has reached an extreme point, people are losing all perspective.

I'd go the other way with it and say that the board simply doesn't hold either of the top two quarterbacks in such high esteem. Suh's hype is about what I would expect for a defensive player who had a legit case for the Heisman. He ran away with the Outland Trophy, as well as the AP Natonal Player of the Year, Bednarik, Nagurski, and Lombardi Awards. By comparison, Bradford missed most of the season with a shoulder injury. Clausen went 13-18 over his career with the Irish. The discussion of whether either or both of the quarterbacks is a risky pick would be going on even if Suh wasn't a factor.

[Dominating D]

Re: If the Rams stay at pick #1, there are really only 4 candidates.

And the Jets used their first pick on Sanchez, since you decided to bring it up. I agree with your point of a power running game, but without a good QB you have what happened to us last year, a back with 1400+ yards and a record of 1-15. Without a threat of being burned through the air, SJ is going to be swamped every play, and Su does nothing to change that, and THAT is why we are losing. We are not losing because of our defense.

Do you actually think if Suh was available to the Jets last year theat Ryan would have selected Sanchez over Suh.

My bet would be he would go with Suh.

ALSO, the Jets have won games despite of Sanchez rather than with him. He is a developing QB and I have been impressed but the success of the team is not because of Sanchez at least not this year.

Go Rams