FanPost

Finnegan is out of HERE!

Right!

Now the Rams have finally cut ties with the overpriced Corner from Jeff Fisher's olden days. He was way overpriced from the beginning, but I thought after the first year he may have been worth it after all. No such luck last year, as he went down in flames before hitting IR.

The Rams still have two starting cornerbacks. Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, both of whom are talented and young. However, the only other corner that was on the roster at the end of last season was Brandon McGee. McGee is not terrible, but he has a lot to learn, and in a league where three corners are pretty much a must have, I am a bit nervous with him being the number three and next in line to start should anything happen to the other two.

That being said, what gets done next? What do we do to stock up on for our defense to hit the next level? Well we have two paths, the draft and free agency, and I will go through some options for each.

Draft

Justin Gilbert, Oklahoma State. Here is a 6ft 200lb corner with large amounts of speed who can step in and start for us. I like his 4.3 speed and return ability. No wide receiver in the NFC west, let alone the NFL, can outrun him. He is a solid choice for the first round.

Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State. Honestly, not much separates Dennard from Gilbert. They are size and ability, with Gilbert having the edge. Dennard is considered the best man-man corner in the draft, so depending on how Greg Williams will be coaching next year he may be the better choice. Also considered a first round draft pick.

Keith McGill, UTAH. Look at the size o' this guy! He is 6'3 and weighs over 210lbs. After watching his tape it is obvious he is not a finished prospect, but dang the guy can play and with Fisher coaching him he could be a new name to the list of imposing NFC west corners. Looks to be drafted late 2nd-early 4th round in the draft.

Jason Verrett. TCU A very fast small corner. He ran a 4.38 at the combine. But he only measured in at 5'9 and 189 lbs. He would fit the slot corner and he plays very aggressively against the run. But as a former safety that got moved to inside linebacker because of, "scrappiness", I can tell you that sometimes it's not enough to overcome differences in size. Sometimes they are just too big.

Now onto free agency.

Alterraun Verner, Tennessee 25. This guy can play, and he is very young. He was the drafted the last year Fisher was in charge in Tennessee. The only problem I have with this guy is that he is taking the same route as Finnegan. But I take solace in the fact he is much younger and has not gotten his butt kicked by Andre Johnson. He would be pricey, but this one might be worth it for more than a year.

Sam Shields, Green Bay. 26 Think what you will about this one but I believe that he could be a very solid nickel and sometimes starting corner for a decent price. Ok maybe slightly on the expensive side, but he is a playmaker.

Brandon Browner Seattle, 29. He may be older than the other two players on this list. But he still has some talent, and he is 6'4. You do not get many talented 6'4 corners in the NFL. You get even less from your rivals in the division. He just came off a PED suspension too so he could be signed to a decent deal for the Rams.

I feel that the secondary is the last part of the puzzle for a dominant defense. I would like to see some corners drafted. We need at least 2 more corners before the season starts. What do you guys think? I didn't cover every option, but hey, it's 60+ days until the NFL draft. We will have time to analyze everyone. Take care.