The St. Louis Rams held three picks in the second round, as well as the second overall pick in the third round. Basically, the Rams owned Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
Right off the bat, the Rams took Brian Quick (WR, Appalachian State). While I was happy they got a receiver, I literally used language that would have made my mother slap me.
I mean, Brian Quick? Seriously? We just reached for a guy we could have taken much, much later?
Hey, in the 'stache we trust, right? I hope Fisher knows what he is doing.
After we took Quick, it took the Indianapolis Colts about 0.0024 seconds to turn their card in for Coby Fleener, the great-looking tight end prospect out of Stanford. I've been standing on the table for Fleener since he slipped out of the first round. I think the Rams needed to pick Fleener with the first pick in the second round, because I knew he wouldn't get past the Colts.
You see, the Colts have this crazy idea that a good tight end would make a great safety valve for their young QB, Andrew Luck. They must be on some other planet to think that a tight end could be an effective weapon for a young QB, because that would never work in today's NFL, right?
We are all going to regret the day the Rams passed on Fleener, and I'm going to say, "I told you so."
With their next pick in the second round (No. 39 overall), the Rams rolled the dice and took Janoris Jenkins. This kid is a big-time talent, but he has some serious off-the-field problems.
So much for the "Four Pillars" and the days of Steve Spagnuolo, right?
I loved this pick. The Rams' secondary was awful last year, and of course, injuries played a big part in that. Now the Rams will line up Cortland Finnegan on one side and Janoris Jenkins on the other side.
Turn up the pass rush, and watch the opposing QB run for his life, because those opposing receivers are going to have a hard time getting open against Finnegan and Jenkins.
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, Jenkins is a stud return man, something the Rams are sorely lacking right now. Mark it down, Jenkins is going to be the biggest steal in this draft.
With their third and final pick in the second round (No. 45 overall), the Rams...traded back. That's right, the Rams have already traded back twice, and they just traded back a third time, this time with the Chicago Bears.
This time they moved back from No. 45 overall to No. 50 overall, picking up the Bears' fifth-round pick. This was another savvy move by Fisher and company, since the Rams didn't have a fifth-round pick heading into the draft. They lost that pick in the Brandon Lloyd trade with Denver.
The Bears, by the way, used that No. 45 overall pick to select Alshon Jefferey. So the draft scenario that I laid out today (Fleener at No. 33, Jenkins at No. 39, and Jefferey at No. 45) actually happened. Time will tell if that trio of players turns out to be better than what the Rams actually ended up with.
Moving on.
With the No. 50 overall pick, the Rams addressed another huge need by selecting Isaiah Pead, the running back out of Cincinnati. Pead was the Big East Offensive Player of the Year, and he has a chance to be a mismatch out of the backfield because of his versatility as a receiver.
Jon Gruden loved this pick, as he raved about Pead on ESPN's draft coverage. While Pead's name might not be ringing quite as loud as other running backs like Lamar Miller (Miami) or LaMichael James (Oregon), Pead could end up being another Day 2 coup for the Rams.
If Pead ends up being the successor to Steven Jackson, this is indeed a great pick for the Rams. I'm just glad the front office is making some picks to help the Rams' offense, which only averaged 12 points per game last season.
With their third-round pick (No. 66 overall), the Rams added Trumaine Johnson (CB, Montana). He is a big corner (6'2), and as a former receiver, he has great ball skills. Johnson is a bit of a reach according to some draft boards, but this kid presents another "high ceiling" type of player for the Rams to work with. He also adds another defensive back to the roster and would offer insurance of Janoris Jenkins has a lapse in judgement.
So recapping, the Rams added a wide receiver (Quick), a pair of corners (Jenkins and Johnson) and a running back (Pead). With their remaining picks, they must try to find an outside linebacker, some help on the interior offensive line, more depth for the defensive line and more receiver help if they can find it.
Chances are, they aren't going to fill all of their needs, but this draft has been an overwhelming success for the Rams. They entered this draft with the No. 2 overall pick. They turned that pick into the No. 14 pick (Brockers), the No. 39 pick (Jenkins), the No. 50 pick (Pead), the No. 150 pick (TBD), and they also picked up Washington's first round pick in 2013 and 2014.
That is a remarkable haul for the Rams' front office. Job well done.
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