And so it begins! Tasked with bringing the Colts back into relevancy, mgaines4 decided to go with the common thread and select...

Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

Pick Grade: A+

"Peyton Manning or no Peyton Manning this is the pick. I think Andrew Luck can make an immediate impact in the NFL; he has the brains and the skill set to get it done. As we have seen from Harbaugh this past season he learned from a great coach. If Peyton ends up staying then I think it is even better for this kid- he gets to learn from the best in the league. As we have seen with Aaron Rodgers maybe it is not so bad to sit a couple of years and then take over as the starter."

It isn't a big assumption to think that the Colts will select Luck with the first pick. I'm sure as the draft approaches, you'll hear whispers of Robert Griffin III being rated higher than Andrew Luck. But this is hogwash. RG3 is a great QB, but Luck is by far the safest pick in the draft. It's really a complete no-brainer for the Colts at this point, and mgaines4 nailed it.

Brick Top, GM of the Redskins (who traded with the Rams earlier today), is currently on the clock and the second overall pick will be posted tomorrow (note to all you GM's, just email me your pick and a description). Be sure to check out TST everyday to see all the picks! You can also go here if you'd like to review any of them, or if you missed one.

What do you think about the pick? Sound off in the comments and rec' the ones you think are the best; I'll put them on the post as our very own expert analysis!

The wide receiver position is something the Rams must address this off-season. The Rams need play-makers for Sam Bradford and this offense to be successful. Besides Brandon Lloyd, who is also a free agent, the wide receivers all struggled to gain separation and dropped passes were prevalent with this group. There is no wide receiver on the Rams that scares any opposing team.

Luckily for the Rams, there is a playmaker whose explosiveness would put a bit of fear in opponent's defensive coordinators: DeSean Jackson.

Before last season, I would have said your were crazy if you thought DeSean would hit the open market in 2012. Things change. Due to his down year last season and his emotional immaturity, the Eagles may not want to use the franchise tag on him.

He had a major case of the "dropsies" in 2011, and ended up in the doghouse with those ruthless Philly fans. He has received so much negative criticism that I think people are starting to overlook what a talent he is, and what he could mean to the Eagles.

DeSean Jackson may be the most explosive player in the NFL. He has averaged 17.8 yards per catch in his NFL career. D.Jackson is the best deep threat in football. He is also one of the best punt returners in football; an area where the Rams can use help desperately.

Jackson does display major maturity issues at times and he can be a headache for a team. It's a good thing for the Rams that new head coach Jeff Fisher is known for his ability to handle this type of player.

The Eagles will be looking to retain their best offensive weapon and they could still very well franchise him. If he does hit the open market, there is no doubt in my mind that the Rams should be players in acquiring the services of DeSean Jackson. He is one of the best explosive play-makers in NFL history and he is only 25 years old. He could be a instrumental part in helping the Rams' anemic offense.

One problem for the Rams is their limited cap room. If he hits the open market, a player of his skill set will command a hefty contract.

The job was supposed to be George Paton's to lose. Lose it he did, opting to stay with the Minnesota Vikings and taking a promotion to do so. As a result, the St. Louis Rams will hire Les Snead, formerly of the Falcons, as their next general manager, according to Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch.

Snead has accepted the job.

Snead is the second consecutive GM the Rams have plucked from the Atlanta front office. Fans hope that this one will work out better than the man he replaces, Billy Devaney. Of course, Snead is something of a junior partner with Jeff Fisher more the titular head to the junta at Rams Park. Why else would Paton take an assistant GM job in Minnesota if he wasn't calling more of the shots in St. Louis as GM?

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According to ESPN, George Patton has decided to stay with the Vikings rather than take the Rams GM position.

He along with Atlanta's Les Snead were the two finalist for the Rams, but according to the Post Dispatch, Patton was the favorite.

There has been questions around the league about how much power the Rams' GM will have? Will it simply be a figurehead role? Those concerns might have prompted Paton to remain with the Vikings taking the new position of assistant GM.

Now the question is, since Snead and Paton were the two finalist, will the Rams simply hire Snead now? Les Snead has worked with the Falcons in rebuilding a team in a quick time period. His experience with them could greatly help the Rams turnaround.

This question may have just been answered, as I finished writing this post. Jim Thomas said on Twitter that the Rams are in contract talks to make Les Snead the GM.

It looks like we may finally have our general manager, Les Snead. I'm pretty excited because he was on my list of candidates I made in December!

The Rams new GM?

I would like to start off by saying that I am loving how invested the TST community is in the draft. There have been some fantastic fanposts on the draft recently. Keep it up everyone! This draft took a while to come up with, and I did quite a bit of research. I watched as much video as I could get my hands on, so I hope you enjoy it.

This draft is operating under the assumption that we can either re-sign Lloyd or add another receiver such as Stevie Johnson, while also signing Cortland Finnegan. The only trade I have in this draft is the Redskins trading up to our second round pick so that they can select Ryan Tannehill. The compensation in the trade is their second, third and fifth round picks for our second and next years sixth. Also, please note that we are currently projected to have a supplemental pick at the end of the seventh round. Now on to the draft:

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via i.cdn.turner.com

Reggie Wayne is probably one of the most recognizable names in free agency, but hasn’t been mentioned much here at Turf Show Times. Besides being a pass catcher for the seeming guided missiles of Peyton Manning for the past decade plus, Reggie Wayne has been the measure of consistency for the Indianapolis Colts.

The 33 year old New Orleans Louisiana native is 6’ 0" and 198 lbs of pigskin snagging flesh and bone. Reggie Wayne is not the biggest receiver you will ever see, but he runs good routes and has those ever desired soft hands. (Insert joke of choice here.) So what has he done besides be the envy of every undersized receiver in the league?

During his 11 years in the league he has:

173 games played (If you are playing at home that is only 3 games missed due to injury) 862 receptions, 11, 708 yards, a 13.6 yard per catch average, 67.7 yards per game caught, 73 touchdowns, 156 catches of 20 or more yards, 30 catches of 40 or more yards, 618 catches that resulted in a 1st down, and only 8 fumbles. Like I said before, he is the measure of consistency. Even in a year where the Colts had two of the worst quarterbacks under center, Reggie Wayne had 76 catches for 960 yards.

As much as the Colts organization would love to have him back next year, he most likely will end up somewhere else before draft day. Why St. Louis? There is much chatter of Blackmon being the Rams number one pick, and if that is the case, why not bring in one of the most experienced and technically sound wide receivers in the NFL to mentor and counsel him? Even if the Rams go another direction in the draft, Sam Bradford needs a go to receiver opposite the hopefully re-signed Brandon Lloyd.

At the age of 33, Wayne will not command as much in the way of salary as Vincent Jackson. Granted Jackson has more upside by being 3 years younger, but this team’s rebuilding is not all about youth movement, as free agents like Tulloch, Finnegan, and others are names being bounced around at Rams headquarters.

Since the end of the 2011 season has wrapped up, attention now turns towards the combine, the draft, and free agency. Though a team cannot be built through free agency, it can be strengthen and holes can be quickly filled with proven players.

Today I wanted to focus on the best free agents on the defensive side of the ball. Though this class isn't as star studded as the offensive free agents, there are still some good young players who can help many teams tremendously.

The Rams have many needs on defense. Defensive tackle and outside linebacker are spots that must be addressed. Also, cornerback is a position that has uncertainty surrounding it. The top three corners, Bartell, Fletcher and Murphy are all coming off season ending injuries. The Rams could be interested in bringing in a more certain option.

After the jump, my defensive free agent big board.

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