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The St. Louis Rams seem destined to get the second overall pick in this year's draft. It's unlikely that they will be able to muster up another win, but the Vikings, on the other hand, have three games in which they should be competitive; the Lions this week and the Redskins and the Bears for the last two weeks. It seems very likely they will get a win or two. This leaves the Rams picking in the top two picks for the fourth time in five years. Two legitimate prospects are rising up the draft boards as fits for the Rams: Matt Kalil, OT, USC and Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma St. After the jump, I will breakdown each and give my choice for who the Rams should take.
Justin Blackmon
He would of been a first rounder last year, possibly picked by the Rams at 14, but he decided to stay at school. Last year, AJ Green and Julio Jones clearly established themselves as the cream of the crop, so he decided to hold out from the draft. It looks like that just might have paid off well, because he is going to be a top 10 pick baring any huge surprise.
He has been super productive in college to say the least. This year he has 113 catches, 1336 yards, and 13 TDs. The year before that he had 20 TDs. His production cannot be questioned, but, is he just a product of a spread system at OSU or is he actually a great prospect. It's tough to judge and there are good arguments on both sides. One thing I think may hold him back a bit is that the OSU system doesn't have WRs run complex routes. I do think he has great physical tools that can convert well to the NFL; good hands, nice speed, good frame, etc. Torry Holt also seems to endorse Blackmon.
Matt Kalil
Matt Kalil is seen as one of the best LT prospects since Jake Long, and some say he's even better than that. He seems to have all the makings of a franchise LT, something the Rams could desperately use. Jason Smith is a bust and he might not even be able to play again given that he has suffered he second very severe concussion. Rodger Saffold had a huge regress this season, but still has a good enough skill set to start. He could easily move over to RT to make room for Kalil.
Some, including our own Douglas M, don't like him as much as others. They think he is overrated because he hasn't played at his top level every game this year. Mocking the Draft and I seem to disagree with these people. I think he is a legit LT prospect and MTD thinks....
If anyone has watched Southern California this season, it's clear that left tackle Matt Kalil has taken that next step to becoming an elite talent. While he may not be Jake Long or Joe Thomas, he's getting pretty close to being that good. Stanford's Jonathan Martin isn't far behind, and he's looked even better this year. The same can be said of Iowa's Riley Reiff a mauler of a tackle. This class is on the come up and could only get better.
Overall, I would rather the Rams trade down and get more pick. In this senario, I won't go that route. Given the choice between these two, I would have to go with Kalil. How good will a WR do for Sam Bradford, if he doesn't have enough time to let him get down field? Kalil is the type of guy who can step in and protect Sam's blindside for 10 years. I think he will be a pro-bowl player in the league.