St. Louis Rams Top 10 Draft Successes: #4 - Leonard Little

by Ryan Van Bibber on Apr 26, 2011 8:33 PM CDT in Rams best draft picks

The St. Louis Rams, the entire franchise, has a long and storied history of defensive line greats. Since the move to St. Louis, no Rams defensive lineman has been as productive as DE Leonard Little, a third round pick in the in the 1998 NFL draft.

Little didn't take to the field right away. His career got off to a rocky start when he killed a woman in a drunk driving incident. It tainted Little's career forever, but the man was genuinely remorseful about his mistake and tried to make amends for it, knowing that it could never be undone.

Through 12 seasons, Little accumulated 87.5 sacks. He's the franchise leader (though sacks weren't recorded during the days of Merlin Olsen et al). In 2006, at the age of 32, he had 13 sacks. He retired after 2009, though the Rams kept a spot warm for him last year should he have changed his mind.

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When you say "genuinely remorseful about his mistake and tried to make amends for it"

Do you actually mean “got arrested for a second DWI six years later”? He may have been acquitted, but he admitted to drinking and driving, was going 25 over the limit, and failed three field sobriety tests. Let’s be honest…the only reason he didn’t do a decade or more in prison was that he had enough money to get out of it.

Great defensive lineman and I won’t argue with him being #4, but he certainly didn’t learn his lesson after killing someone with his first DWI

by Rick Siegel on Apr 26, 2011 8:46 PM CDT reply actions

Thus the creation of the 4 pilliars method

"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no PLAYOFFS."
Winston Churchill

by SMASH44 on Apr 26, 2011 8:49 PM CDT up reply actions

I agree with you

But you can still make the same mistake if you’re remorseful about it, and didn’t he settle with the family for a big chunk of change (amends)? I think he also spoke to kids about not drinking and driving.

So while yes, he didn’t learn his lesson, yes, he still was remorseful and made amends.

Number 8 is great

by Eric Nagel on Apr 26, 2011 9:42 PM CDT up reply actions

I would bet that if you were 21...

drove drunk and killed someone, you wouldn’t have gone to jail either. Money didn’t get him off… Fame didn’t get him off… it’s the way the judicial system views someone who had never had any prior arrests and was doing the wrong thing at the wrong moment and someone’s life ended due to a bad situation.

Not to mention, let’s hear from all of you who haven’t driven home drunk. We all know it’s wrong. yet, we’ve all done it in our early 20’s.

by Rams Homer on Apr 27, 2011 10:13 AM CDT up reply actions

Two things

One, I have honestly never done so

Two, I was specifically referring to the SECOND time he did it AFTER he killed someone that would have resulted in jail time for a normal person

by Rick Siegel on Apr 27, 2011 11:10 AM CDT up reply actions

I dont know much about Little in his pre Rams career

Other than he went to Tennesse and was our 3rd round pick. Wasnt he an OLB at Tennesse or breifly for us? I coulda swore he was

"Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no PLAYOFFS."
Winston Churchill

by SMASH44 on Apr 26, 2011 8:49 PM CDT reply actions

Yea

A special teamer and OLB for his first season or two while rotating in occasionally for grant and KC

by Rick Siegel on Apr 26, 2011 8:53 PM CDT up reply actions

A key member of the Rams championship team and a great player for a long time. He just hung around 1-2 years too long.

During his last couple years with us, Little got lucky on a few plays. But 90% of the time he blown right off the line of scrimmage opening holes for the opponents big enough to drive an 18-wheeler through.

by RamChop on Apr 26, 2011 9:47 PM CDT reply actions

"a great player for a long time"

that’s all I need…

"For Better or for Worse; 'Till Death Do Us Part"

GO RAMS !!!

by Le Ram on Apr 27, 2011 1:15 AM CDT up reply actions

Admin delete this by Van Please.

Do you really want a convicted felon that murdered someone on a top ten list?

by Da Rookie on Apr 27, 2011 1:16 AM CDT reply actions

Uhm

Did you really steal my avatar picture?

I bet Sarah Palin can learn a playbook faster than Mardy Gilyard.

Leonard Hankerson to the Rams in the 2nd round!!!

by Rams07 on Apr 27, 2011 1:52 AM CDT up reply actions

Cant be dog

I had to re size and crop it . Your the thief. LOL God Bless . Give them hell with my avatar.. LOL

by Da Rookie on Apr 27, 2011 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions

Unless you've had it longer

in which case I need to find a new one >.<

I bet Sarah Palin can learn a playbook faster than Mardy Gilyard.

Leonard Hankerson to the Rams in the 2nd round!!!

by Rams07 on Apr 27, 2011 1:56 AM CDT up reply actions

It's top ten best picks, not best people

He was a great DE for sometime, and deserves to be on this list.

by Rick Siegel on Apr 27, 2011 2:01 AM CDT up reply actions

Really ; you do not think they are meshed together?

OJ #1 baby. Little does not make anything in Rams history Except being better than Phillips.

by Da Rookie on Apr 27, 2011 10:39 AM CDT up reply actions

Give me a break.

We are grading player quality, not character quality.

"And a boring game for boring people. Did you ever watch golf on television? It's like watching flies FUCK. Think of the intellect it must take to draw pleasure from this activity: hitting a ball with a crooked stick and then WALKING AFTER IT" -George Carlin

TWITTER

by stlcardsfan4 on Apr 27, 2011 8:09 AM CDT up reply actions

Get over yourself man

If you cant forgive a person for a mistake they made then you better never ask a person to forgive you for ANY reason ever.

by stuman89 on Apr 27, 2011 8:59 AM CDT up reply actions

I am just saying

If you killed someone; you should not be on a Rams top ten list. It is not my place to forgive.

by Da Rookie on Apr 27, 2011 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions

did you ever get behind the wheel drunk?

if so, then you should condemn yourself as well.

by Rams Homer on Apr 27, 2011 11:01 AM CDT up reply actions

Does that qualify me as a Rams fan if I did?

I also never had MILLIONS to call a Taxi or a Limo.

by Da Rookie on Apr 27, 2011 11:18 AM CDT up reply actions

a taxi doesn't cost millions...

every joe-shmo out there should call a taxi to get home after a good happy hour. Unfortunetly, almost all drunk joe’s out there do not. Perhaps the right fix is for every car manufactured from this day on should have a breathalizer test built in… If you can’t pass the test, then your not driving home. Personally, I’d be good with this.

by Rams Homer on Apr 27, 2011 12:36 PM CDT up reply actions