Possible Rams draft pick on the mend

Oregon State DT Stephen Paea is one prospect that has been mentioned as a possibility for the St. Louis Rams in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Paea's draft stock has been in limbo since tearing his MCL at the Senior Bowl last month. Those wondering whether or not Paea's knee will get better in enough time to workout for teams prior to the draft have an answer today. 

Tony Pauline reports that Paea is healing at a "rapid pace." He had surgery just three weeks ago, and is still on crutches. The 6'1" 295 lbs defensive tackle hopes to do the bench press at the Combine this month. That will be followed by an individual workout for teams closer to the draft when his knee allows. 

You can talk draft stock all you want. If Paea's workout goes well, his stock will likely recover pretty quickly ahead of the draft. 

Earlier this week, Mel Kiper had the Rams taking Illinois DT Corey Liuget in his second mock draft. In this post from yesterday, we weighed whether or not Liuget or Paea would be a better fit for the Rams, with a little help from Rams Herd. 

Hey, I bet we can talk all about Paea, Liuget and much more on Turf Show Radio this Saturday at 6 p.m. Eastern. Doug Farrar of Football Outsiders and Yahoo! Sports joins us.