1. Jason Smith, LT, Baylor – Making a statement about the attitude they’re looking for, the Rams picked up a light-footed and athletic tight end turned tackle with top notch intangibles and loads of upside. The thinking here seems to be that although his technique still needs work and he will have to adjust to playing out of a different stance, Smith can be coached out of his flaws and possesses many other qualities that can’t be taught. Between Smith and Monroe, Jason might be the more fun to watch with his reputation for driving defensive players out of the picture, but time will tell whether he turns out to be the better blocker. In essence, the Rams opted for a growth stock over a blue chip.
2. James Laurinaitis, MLB, Ohio State – Rumor has it the Rams were actually trying to trade up to land their linebacker of the future. They stayed put, but still landed a tough, smart field general for their defense. Although his work-out numbers are not eye-popping, this is an exemplary case of a guy who just plays good football. Over the course of his career, he was voted best linebacker in college football one year and best defensive player another.
3. Bradley Fletcher, CB, Iowa – The first surprise of the day for the Rams, and arguably the biggest surprise from the team in several years, Fletcher is a physical cornerback with good size to speed ratio. Scott Wright listed him as the 14th ranked corner in the draft. Others were less kind. For example, the Sporting News’ draft preview had him ranked 31st among corners, which placed him outside their top 200 prospects overall. This was particularly unusual because the Rams took a player who had previously pled guilty to drunk driving, despite recent comments that any brushes with the law could get a player taken off their list. Now I’m not saying he’s a bad player or a bad kid for that matter, but given the talent available at other positions of need, one can’t help but wonder whether the Rams staff thought he was that good or that our depth was that bad. That said, if the team thought he was the best talent on the board and didn't think he'd last another round, they did the right thing to take him where they did.
4. Dorrell Scott, DT, Clemson - Now this was probably a much more predictable move. Depth on the defensive line seemed to be an area of concern, and Scott will help fill the void as a guy who can line up on the nose and still provide some pass rush. He didn’t quite live up to the expectations that made him a preseason Outland Trophy candidate prior to his senior year, but there were reasons why people had those expectations in the first place. His potential makes for good value here.
5. Brooks Foster, WR, North Carolina – Many Rams fans thought the team would draft a reliable possession receiver to play opposite the speedy Donnie Avery. Not...
-04-27-2009, 06:11 PM
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