Saint Louis Rams 2014 Draft Needs

Apr 26, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher (left) poses for a photo with 2013 first round draft picks Tavon Austin and Alec Ogletree and general manager Les Snead (right). Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The 2014 draft sits the Saint Louis Rams at an interesting crossroad. They are the worst team in the best division and have many questions with little answers. They are not a bad team, just an average team in a tough place. Imagine if they had the easy schedule of an AFC West or an AFC South. But this is the real world and the only way this team can get better due to cap issues, is draft perfectly.

The Rams have some of the worst drafts in recent NFL history. Of players drafted between 2007-2011 they have only 7 out of 42 players still on the roster. All of them were from round’s 1-3.

Last years draft was much more promising with six of the seven players drafted contributing in some fashion. The only drafted player to not help was Barrett Jones, who was hurt most of the year.

But what must be addressed in this year’s draft? There is a need at backup/starting quarterback. Additional help in the secondary at both corner-back and safety. Tackle and guard help would be a plus. And the biggest need it seems, a top tier wide-receiver.

I liked what Sam Bradford was doing last year, his stats last year were on pace for 28-touchdowns and only 8-interceptions with over 3000-yards to boot. Now Kellen Clemens was not bad in his role last year, but had Bradford of been healthy, it would of made a world of difference. Whoever the guy that is drafted needs to be able to come in and be ready to go if Bradford can’t go. You need a proven winner and a guy who is accurate. I would hope the Rams would draft a guy like Zach Mettenberger because he has the size and because he has played against some of the toughest defenses in college. My backup pick would be David Fales because of his accuracy and how late in the draft he is slotted.

While the Saint Louis Rams front seven were one of the best, the back four…not so much. Look for the Rams to add at least one player at both safety and corner. My votes for each position is Pierre Desir at corner because of his size and athleticism, plus he is from Saint Louis, so that will give fans someone to root for locally. My safety pick would be Calvin Prior because he is a great tackler and isn’t afraid to get in the box. Or the obvious, Hasean (Ha-Ha) Clinton-Dix because he was an absolute stud for the Alabama Crimson Tide, either of these three guys give you a player that is taller than 6’1 and all three are over 200-pounds. Which is what I want in a defensive-back.

We need to give credit where it is due to Paul T. Boudreau for his ability to plug players in anywhere and get good production on the offensive line. However since Barrett Jones hasn’t panned out so far, Roger Saffold is a free agent, and Jake Long is hurt. I would go after Greg Robinson because he is a great left-tackle who is an unreal run blocker, even though he does lack some experience at pass blocking since Auburn is a run heavy team. My backup pick is Cyril Richardson because he can play guard and tackle, and is a whopping 350 pounds! He played left tackle for Robert Griffin III, and played guard for a season before the switch to tackle.

Finally we have the need for a wide-receiver. The Saint Louis Rams have a lot of 2-3 receivers, but a true top talent they lack hurts them. Most people want Sammy Watkins because of his speed and above average frame. I would not complain at all about getting Watkins, but I am a huge fan of Mike Evans because of his 6’5 frame and 225 size. In addition Evans can fight off defenders and isn’t afraid to be physical. That is a huge plus in the defensive heavy NFC West.

So that is my pre-draft outlook. We will dive into what players I want to draft or take note of throughout the off-season.

Send feedback about the article or players you want to draft to myself at – @scottcriscione

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