Mock draft season is in full swing...as you may have heard. With the Combine in the book and Pro Days underway, lots more mock drafts are going deeper, beyond the first round, so I thought it would be worth taking a look at one of the mock drafts and the draft picks it predicts for the St. Louis Rams. Today, we're going with the always sturdy Walter Football mock draft.
Round 1
QB Sam Bradford - No surprise here, and the debate about the number one pick is between four players at two different positions.
Round 2
WR Arrelious Benn, Illinois - No question the Rams could use a receiver and Benn is a guy well known to draftniks and football fans in the St. Louis area. USC's Damian Williams might be a better fit; this mock draft has him going at #44 to the Patriots.
Other options according to this mock: DE Carlos Dunlap, CB Devin McCourty, WR Brandon LaFell, CB Kareem Jackson
Round 3
TE Aaron Hernandez, Florida - I love the idea of drafting a solid TE this year, but Hernandez comes with question marks. Can he run routes well enough at this level? Is he tall enough at 6' 2"? He has the college numbers without a doubt.
Other options per this mock: WR Demaryius Thomas, S Chad Jones, QB Colt McCoy.
Round 4
OLB Dekoda Watson, Florida State - Good OLBs for 4-3 systems can be found later than the first two rounds of the draft thanks in part to the predominance of 3-4 systems. I don't know anything about him, but his scouting reportmakes him sound as though he could be the player the Rams need on the weakside, given his athleticism and ability to play the run.
Other options per this mock: OT Kyle Calloway, QB Dan LeFevour, DE Austin Lane, S Myron Rolle, RB Anthony Dixon.
That mock only goes four rounds, so we'll stop there.
Likes: Definitely gets at the Rams needs on offense. I like the Watson pick in the fourth round. Spagnuolo and Flajole have a good track record getting the most out of their LBs, e.g. David Vobora.
Dislikes: I guess I want to see a DE, if the right one is available, somewhere in the early rounds. I don't know what to think about WR Benn; he has some critics out there after a weak show at the Combine. Some question his devotion too. If it came down to a WR in that spot, I'd prefer USC's Williams.