Who's ready for a mock draft? I thought so. With the St. Louis Rams sitting at 1-10, it's a great time to take a look at some of the mock drafts out there and start getting some fodder for discussion.
Browsing around Walter Football this morning looking at prospect rankings, I checked out their mock draft, which was last updated today. Their mock has the Rams addressing three key needs through the first three rounds. Given the success of the first three round picks in 2009, it's an encouraging sight to see. (Of course Bradley Fletcher, er, I mean Fletcher Bradley has had an injury derail his season). Alright, here are the Rams first three picks from Walter Football:
Round 1, #3: Jake Locker, QB, Washington
Marc Bulger suffers a season-ending injury the week after Peter Petrelli loses his healing abilities... coincidence? Probably.
It'll be shocking if Bulger is back in 2010, and Kyle Boller certainly isn't the answer. The Rams need a franchise quarterback. The question is which guy they'll select.
If Jimmy Clausen is off the board, Jake Locker will be the guy; he has moved ahead of Sam Bradford in the wake of Bradford's multiple shoulder injuries.
Round 2, #34: Everson Griffen, DE, USC
Aside from Chris Long, all of the Rams defensive ends will be free agents in March. St. Louis needs to get more than 18 sacks on opposing quarterbacks anyhow.
Round 3, #65: Roddrick Muckelroy, OLB, Texas
The Rams traded Will Witherspoon to the Eagles, so their current starting weakside linebacker is Paris Lenon. It doesn't get much worse than that.
Full disclosure, I don't know much about Muckelroy at all. Aside from that tiny little detail, I like this draft. The one thing you could make a case for is throwing a WR in the mix, maybe Brandon LaFell from LSU, who they have going in the second round. Of course, in a year deep with DL talent, getting Griffen in the second round is hardly a bad deal. This approach would necessitate some important moves in free agency, most notably signing a DT and a WR.
What do you think about these picks? Is this a reasonable route to pursue for the Rams? If it shook out like this in April, would you be disappointed?