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Rams noncommittal on draft
BY BILL COATS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Wednesday, Jan. 06 2010
As a senior at Nebraska, Adam Carriker was busy anchoring the Cornhuskers'
defense, completing a degree in business administration and planning his
wedding.
Still, Carriker, the Rams' first-round draft pick in 2007, wasn't so
preoccupied that he didn't take notice of Ndamukong Suh, then a redshirt
freshman and a fellow defensive lineman.
"I knew he'd be good. I had no idea he'd be this good," said Carriker, who
missed the entire 2009 season after suffering a shoulder injury in the
preseason. "He had a lot of potential. He obviously lived up to it."
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Suh, a unanimous All-America selection, Heisman Trophy
finalist and Associated Press national player of the year, is expected to land
at or near the top of most NFL teams' draft boards.
The Rams hold the No. 1 overall selection after finishing a league-worst 1-15.
General manager Billy Devaney said any speculation about the Rams snapping up
Suh with that pick is premature.
"Right now, there is no ranking" of possible draftees, Devaney said. "You try
to get guys lined up according to position first, and then you'll start ranking
them regardless of position. That process will start right now."
The Rams' front office has plenty of work to do before it delves deeply into
draft prospects, Devaney pointed out.
"The first thing we have to do is evaluate our team," he said. "We'll get with
the coaches at the end of the week, the pro personnel people, go over every
player on our roster, and kind of give us a road map on where we need to go in
the offseason."
Free agency begins March 5, and the Rams figure to be eager shoppers. What
players will be available is uncertain, though. If a new labor agreement isn't
struck, the requirement for a player to become an unrestricted free agent would
go to six years from four, and far fewer would be on the market.
"You have to plan for both, and we've done that," Devaney said.
SURGERY FOR ALLEN
Guard Roger Allen will have surgery in about a month to repair a torn ligament
in his left knee. Allen was injured in the second quarter of Sunday's 28-6
season-ending loss to San Francisco. An undrafted rookie from NCAA Division II
Missouri Western State, Allen was making his first regular-season start.
LAURINAITIS SNUBBED
Linebacker James Laurinaitis, whose 146 tackles made him just the second player
in Rams history to lead the team as a rookie, was shut out in the voting for
the NFL's defensive rookie of the year.
Houston linebacker Brian Cushing won the award, receiving 39 votes from a panel
of 50 writers and broadcasters. Former Clayton High standout Jairus Byrd, a
safety with Buffalo, finished second with six votes. He was followed by Green
Bay linebacker Clay Matthews (three) and Washington linebacker Brian Orakpo
(two).
BY BILL COATS
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
Wednesday, Jan. 06 2010
As a senior at Nebraska, Adam Carriker was busy anchoring the Cornhuskers'
defense, completing a degree in business administration and planning his
wedding.
Still, Carriker, the Rams' first-round draft pick in 2007, wasn't so
preoccupied that he didn't take notice of Ndamukong Suh, then a redshirt
freshman and a fellow defensive lineman.
"I knew he'd be good. I had no idea he'd be this good," said Carriker, who
missed the entire 2009 season after suffering a shoulder injury in the
preseason. "He had a lot of potential. He obviously lived up to it."
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Suh, a unanimous All-America selection, Heisman Trophy
finalist and Associated Press national player of the year, is expected to land
at or near the top of most NFL teams' draft boards.
The Rams hold the No. 1 overall selection after finishing a league-worst 1-15.
General manager Billy Devaney said any speculation about the Rams snapping up
Suh with that pick is premature.
"Right now, there is no ranking" of possible draftees, Devaney said. "You try
to get guys lined up according to position first, and then you'll start ranking
them regardless of position. That process will start right now."
The Rams' front office has plenty of work to do before it delves deeply into
draft prospects, Devaney pointed out.
"The first thing we have to do is evaluate our team," he said. "We'll get with
the coaches at the end of the week, the pro personnel people, go over every
player on our roster, and kind of give us a road map on where we need to go in
the offseason."
Free agency begins March 5, and the Rams figure to be eager shoppers. What
players will be available is uncertain, though. If a new labor agreement isn't
struck, the requirement for a player to become an unrestricted free agent would
go to six years from four, and far fewer would be on the market.
"You have to plan for both, and we've done that," Devaney said.
SURGERY FOR ALLEN
Guard Roger Allen will have surgery in about a month to repair a torn ligament
in his left knee. Allen was injured in the second quarter of Sunday's 28-6
season-ending loss to San Francisco. An undrafted rookie from NCAA Division II
Missouri Western State, Allen was making his first regular-season start.
LAURINAITIS SNUBBED
Linebacker James Laurinaitis, whose 146 tackles made him just the second player
in Rams history to lead the team as a rookie, was shut out in the voting for
the NFL's defensive rookie of the year.
Houston linebacker Brian Cushing won the award, receiving 39 votes from a panel
of 50 writers and broadcasters. Former Clayton High standout Jairus Byrd, a
safety with Buffalo, finished second with six votes. He was followed by Green
Bay linebacker Clay Matthews (three) and Washington linebacker Brian Orakpo
(two).
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