St. Louis will have massive roster turnover from the 2011 to the 2012 season, which is a good thing for a team finishing with just two wins last season.
Jeff Fisher was brought on board to bring some credibility back to the Rams and with Sam Bradford healthy, along with a sizable influx of free agent talent, St. Louis is poised for a bounceback season.
Will they make the playoffs? I doubt it, but when you go from an 8-8 team to a 2-14 team, thanks in large part to injuries, it's not hard to make a return to .500 a realistic goal.
The Rams offense was one of the worst in the league last year with Sam Bradford and Stephen Jackson hurt much of the year.
Bare cupboards at the skill positions were the biggest problem for St. Louis and with the injuries, there wasn't time for the below average players to develop any rhythm or continuity.
Some veteran talent was brought on board and the Rams have three picks in the top 40 thanks to the trade with the Redskins.
A full offseason with better talent surrounding him should help the development of Sam Bradford who still has a chance to be an elite quarterback in the league.
His development hinges on this draft, particularly with the glut of picks the Rams have at their disposal. They've played the free agent market well: let the lackluster players leave and seek good value at other positions.
Now, we'll see if they can do the same in the draft.
Offense
The Greatest Show on Turf is a distant memory when you look at the players on this offense. Brandon Lloyd, the team's best receiver last year signed with the Patriots in the offseason.
Former Eagle Steve Smith was signed coming off injury, but if he is healthy he'd be a solid possession receiver. That being said, getting some explosive talent on offense remains the biggest focus of the team for this season and beyond.
There are plenty of talented receivers, a few quality tight ends and some good running backs to choose from in this draft. St. Louis would be wise to grab one of each and maybe a few of the pass-catchers to facilitate the development of Bradford.
Along the front, the Rams should be an improved team, signing Scott Wells from Green Bay and Quinn Ojinnaka from Indianapolis. Wells is one of the best centers in the game and Ojinnaka does have some starting experience.
St. Louis has a franchise quarterback and running back, but essentially nothing else on offense. They could spend their first three picks on offense and still need help.
Key Free Agents:Danny Amendola WR, Billy Bajema TE, Jacob Bell G (signed w/ Bengals), Jason Brown C, Mark Clayton WR, Kellen Clemens QB (re-signed w/ Rams), A.J. Feeley QB, Adam Goldberg OT, Mark LeVoir OT, Brandon Lloyd WR (signed w/ Patriots), Jerious Norwood RB, Stephen Spach, Cadillac Williams RB, Tony Wragge C
Defense
This front four was a big reason why the Rams finished 7th in the league in passing. That stat though, is a little misleading because the Rams were behind so many games late, teams ran the ball to protect leads.
When it came to keeping teams from scoring, the Rams were 26th in the league in points allowed. St. Louis has quality pass rushers with Chris Long and Robert Quinn. Long-time defensive end James Hall was cut to give Quinn more playing time and the ultra-talented, former Tar Heel is poised for a break-out season.
Trevor Laws, Kendall Langord and Williams Hayes were all signed to bolster this defensive front and improve on a defense that was second to last in stopping the run. A continued push through the draft to get better along the front seven should be expected.
Corner and linebacker are the two major areas of concern for the Rams. Cortland Finnegan, a Pro Bowl corner in Tennessee, was signed to improve a horrendous secondary. Jo-Lonn Dunbar was signed from the Saints to bring some veteran leadership, but he's hardly an elite talent.
With a deep corner class, the Rams should be able to find some young talent to fill the holes in the secondary. It's worth it to spend an early pick on a linebacker because the depth of this class falls off considerably after the first few players.
The holes on this team are as obvious as they are numerous and St. Louis can't go wrong with whichever positions they chose to address.
Key Free Agents: Mikail Baker DB (signed w/ Chiefs), Justin Bannan DT (signed w/ Broncos), Ron Bartell CB (signed w/ Raiders), James Butler DB, Chris Chamberlain OLB (signed w/ Saints), Craig Dahl SS, Gary Gibson DT, Al Harris CB, Roderick Hood CB, Bryan Kehl OLB (signed w/ Redskins), Justin King CB, Ben Leber OLB, Brady Poppinga OLB,
Draft Targets
Needs: WR,DB,OL,OLB,DT
Round 1 (Pick 6 F/ Redskins): Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma State (Pos. Rank: 1, Overall Rank: 6)
Round 1 (Pick 6 F/ Redskins): Justin Blackmon WR Oklahoma State (Pos. Rank: 1, Overall Rank: 6)
Silly season has thrown out a lot of ideas to what might happen with this pick. Some believe the Rams could even trade back up to get Trent Richardson to replace Stephen Jackson. St. Louis is reported to be very high on Richardson and Mississippi State tackle Fletcher Cox and there are teams apparently willing to trade up with Tampa Bay to snatch Cox before the Rams. Blackmon, though, makes the most sense here under just about any circumstance. He's the best receiver in this draft and is just a step below elite. Especially on turf, he's explosive enough to be a #1 receiver and I think he is physical enough to overcome some of his athletic deficiencies. The talk about Blackmon being overrated, to me, is silliness.
Round 2 (Pick 33): Janoris Jenkins CB North Alabama (Pos. Rank: 4, Overall Rank: 35)
As there tends to be at the start of the second round, the Rams will have a first round talent to pick from here. Jenkins was long considered a first round pick, but off the field concerns have scared some teams away. Needs in the secondary might just be too pressing for the Rams to pass here and with another second round pick just six selections later, St. Louis can afford to take a calculated risk here. Jenkins, as a strict coverman, is without peers in this draft. His quickness and instincts are terrific, but he's not a great tackler and his work ethic is a question mark. This is a boom or bust pick, but one that the Rams can afford to make.
Round 2 (Pick 39 F/ Redskins): Zach Brown OLB North Carolina (Pos. Rank: 2, Overall Rank: 38)
After going after a high risk/high reward player at 33, a pick like Brown doesn't make as much sense, but the value is right and Brown's athletic skills are unquestioned. Brown just might be the best athlete at any position in the draft. His unmatched speed is actually a hindrance occasionally, because he'll overrun plays, but if he can throttle down a little and play more under control, he can be a difference-maker. Running back Lamar Miller or offensive tackle Mike Adams could also make sense here, but Brown has the most upside of that group and plays a position of extreme need.
Round 3 (Pick 65): Orson Charles TE Georgia (Pos. Rank: 3, Overall Rank: 66)
I love this pick for the Rams because Charles is the kind of player who could be a monster in this offense. On turf, his speed and strength would be amplified and with a quality running game, Charles could be extremely dangerous in the middle of the field. From an athletic standpoint, much like Brown, Charles is peerless in this draft. He definitely passes the eye test, but his strength doesn't make up for his relative lack of size. That means blocking won't be his forte, but as a receiver, Charles could be devastating. It wouldn't take much for him to become Bradford's favorite target in short order, particularly since Bradford loved to use the tight ends at Oklahoma (the last time he had quality tight ends).
Overall
Four picks in the top 70 should net you at least two starters and this group could have four and this class would undoubtedly have the most upside of any in the NFL. The athletes in this draft would be terrific on the field turf at the Edwards Jones Dome and with the veteran talent brought in this offseason, would create a great balance of you and experienced players. Jeff Fisher wasn't brought to St. Louis to not make an impact. He was part of the decision makers when the Titans took Vince Young and more recently Chris Johnson, when it was obvious their biggest needs were at wide receiver. Young had one of the best rookie years for a quarterback in recent memory and CJ2K turned into one of the most explosive players in the history of the league (last season was the exception not the rule). Fisher is here to make an impact and he'll get impact players in this draft.
Four picks in the top 70 should net you at least two starters and this group could have four and this class would undoubtedly have the most upside of any in the NFL. The athletes in this draft would be terrific on the field turf at the Edwards Jones Dome and with the veteran talent brought in this offseason, would create a great balance of you and experienced players. Jeff Fisher wasn't brought to St. Louis to not make an impact. He was part of the decision makers when the Titans took Vince Young and more recently Chris Johnson, when it was obvious their biggest needs were at wide receiver. Young had one of the best rookie years for a quarterback in recent memory and CJ2K turned into one of the most explosive players in the history of the league (last season was the exception not the rule). Fisher is here to make an impact and he'll get impact players in this draft.
Final Thought
Again, I think the Rams are a bounceback team in 2012. If they gave an award for comeback team of the year, I think St. Louis would have to be considered a favorite. I'm not sure they can win enough games to make the playoffs ahead of the teams in the East and North, but they're going to be much improved. With a draft like this, the Rams could quickly become one of the most athletic and explosive teams in the league. For this team, though, 2012 isn't the end goal. They can't and won't compete this upcoming season for a title, but in the next three or four years, I think there's reason to believe they can. Bradford and Long form the same kind of offensive/defensive cornerstone duo like Stafford/Suh, Rodgers/Matthews, Romo/Ware and the other elite combo's in the NFC. A solid draft would put the Rams on the right track to take the proverbial next step.
Again, I think the Rams are a bounceback team in 2012. If they gave an award for comeback team of the year, I think St. Louis would have to be considered a favorite. I'm not sure they can win enough games to make the playoffs ahead of the teams in the East and North, but they're going to be much improved. With a draft like this, the Rams could quickly become one of the most athletic and explosive teams in the league. For this team, though, 2012 isn't the end goal. They can't and won't compete this upcoming season for a title, but in the next three or four years, I think there's reason to believe they can. Bradford and Long form the same kind of offensive/defensive cornerstone duo like Stafford/Suh, Rodgers/Matthews, Romo/Ware and the other elite combo's in the NFC. A solid draft would put the Rams on the right track to take the proverbial next step.
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