NFL draft results for the first round belong to the history books now. Pre-draft arguments about prospect valuation now morph into arguments about teams' draft grades and wisdom of the picks turned in last night. The St. Louis Rams selected North Carolina DE Robert Quinn, and the pick is getting high praise from (almost) all quarters. With a day-two kinda twist on Random Ramsdom, here's what the talking heads are saying about the Rams' pick.
Here's Rob Rang from NFL Draft Scout, via Mike Sando's blog at ESPN:
To have Chris Long on one side as your base end and then have Robert Quinn's explosiveness on the other side, I mean, he reminds me a little bit of Leonard Little, but bigger. You watch, Robert Quinn is going to be a better player for the Rams at 14 than Aldon Smith will be for the 49ers at seven.
The Rams have the right idea with this selection. Yes, they could have used a defensive tackle as well, but pass-rushers are harder to find. Spagnuolo now has another young prospect for his rotation up front.
Devaney and others' reactions after the jump.
Devaney, who didn't think that Quinn would be available, said this about the pick:
The grade we had on Quinn was significantly higher than the others in the pool. It was a really easy decision.
Pete Prisco at CBS gives the Rams an A:
I love this pick. Steve Spagnuolo loves pass rushers and this is the best of the group.
More praise, and another A, from Walter Football:
With all of these quarterbacks going way early than they should, there are bound to be a couple of lucky teams that land blue-chip studs in the teens and early 20s. The Rams are fortunate enough to be one of them.
Robert Quinn would have been a top-five pick if he played in 2010. The Rams are landing the best player available and filling a huge need across from Chris Long. This is a fantastic pick.
Mocking the Draft says Quinn could have been the first overall pick this year had he played his senior season.
Quinn is a great value pick because if he played this year he could have been the #1 selection. He really completements Long very well and the tandum will create a ton of pressure. The question is can Quinn rebound after an a full season away from footbal. Good pick with a ton of value.