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NFL Draft Primer: St. Louis Rams
See who the St. Louis Rams may target in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Team needs: Offensive line, Wide receiver, Secondary, Running back and Quarterback.
Rams’ selections:
Round 1 – 10th overall
Round 2 – 41st overall
Round 3 – 72nd overall
Round 4 – 119th overall
Round 6 – 215th overall
Round 7 – 227th overall
Good fits early:
Brandon Scherff: Want to talk about a makeover?
Well, the St. Louis Rams certainly need one up front. The Rams currently have only two starting offensive lineman on their depth chart, in Greg Robinson and Rodger Saffold. St. Louis is hopeful Joe Barksdale returns and they’ve expressed interest in center Stefan Wisniewski.
Whether or not they’re able to land some offensive line help in free agency, you could surely expect for the Rams to look towards the draft. While going offensive line early in the first round isn’t the sexy pick, it may be the right one.
Brandon Scherff from Iowa University could be the Rams guy. The guy is a weight room warrior, as he’s listed at 6-foot-5, 319 pounds. Scherff is a powerful run blocker with exceptional strength in his upper and lower body. He could play tackle, but his strengths would be better utilized at guard. Although he’s not a stiff by any means. During his high school days, Scherff played basketball, baseball, tennis and even competed in track, winning state in shot-put during his sophomore year.
Kevin White: The receiving core in St. Louis has been disappointing to say the least. Their top receiver in 2014, tight end Jared Cook caught just 52 passes. Tavon Austin hasn’t been able to live up to the hype thus far, but that shouldn’t stop the Rams from drafting another West Virginia product and I’m talking about Kevin White.
Unlike Austin, White has ideal size at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds to go along with top end speed. White’s 40-time clocked in at 4.35. With his frame, White is able to compete for balls at its highest point and when he does catch it, he’s a load to bring down. Last season, he caught 109 passes for 1,447 yards. While he may not be as polished as Amari Cooper, most believe he has more upside.
Marcus Mariota: I know, I know, St. Louis just recently traded for Nick Foles and they still have a decent young quarterback in Austin Davis. However, a little healthy competition never hurts. Lets not act like Foles is this proven guy that should be handed the starting job from day one.
While its unlikely Mariota even falls to St. Louis at 10, there’s still that possibility. Could you imagine Mariota with his running ability playing on that turf in the Edwards Jones Dome?
Mariota would bring instant excitement to a fan base that’s thirsty for a winner.
If you think the Mariota scenario is crazy, what if I told you St. Louis may trade down to take Todd Gurley?
Tre Mason had an impressive rookie campaign, as he rushed for 765 yards on 179 carries, but he’s not an every down back. Adding a guy like Gurley would take immense pressure off Mason and could potentially create the most dynamic young running back duo in the league.
Potential late-round targets:
Steven Nelson: Depth in the secondary isn’t an issue for the Rams, but quality is. St. Louis ranked in the bottom half of pass defense in 2014, and they were one of only a handful of teams to have less than twenty interceptions.
Someone for St. Louis to look at could be Steven Nelson from Oregon State. He’s a fierce competitor that doesn’t back down from anyone and he possesses good ball skills. During his two seasons at Oregon State, Nelson brought down eight interceptions.
Amario Herrera: James Laurinaitis signed a 5-year, $41.5 million contract with the Rams back in 2013, but there’s been little rumblings of St. Louis possibly looking for his successor. They probably won’t find that guy late in the draft, but Amario Herrera could be someone that sneaks up on people.
Herrera was a second-team All-SEC selection in 2014. He was very productive in that physical conference and he also has the speed to run sideline to sideline. Herrera is also capable of guarding running backs and tight ends in the open field.
Shane Carden: Outside of Winston, Mariota and Hundley, this is considered a pretty weak draft for quarterbacks, but hey, who knows?
With the Rams seventh round pick, they may just use it on Shane Carden. The quarterback from East Carolina was a three-year starter. He has solid size for the position at 6-foot-2, 218 pounds, with good accuracy and he has an ability to extend plays. The thing people really love about Carden is his work ethic and grit on the field.
The St. Louis Rams are definitely an organization on the rise with Jeff Fisher in charge. Unfortunately, they’re in the same division as the Seahawks and Cardinals.
With that being said, if the Rams are able to figure out who their quarterback of the future is, this team will be in good shape moving forward in the near future.
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