The Rams continued to stockpile picks by moving down to #14, adding the Cowboys' second round pick at #45 overall. Of course with the 14th pick, the Rams added a beefy, run-stuffing DT in LSU's Michael Brockers.
Given all the mock draft madness, how did things actually match up with some of the mocks around SBN and in the lamescreem screedia (h/t Stephen Colbert)?
After the jump, seven mock drafts and the dissonance that was the pre-draft hype.
| 3k | TST/Mocking the Draft | Fletcher Cox | DT | Mississippi St. |
| Dan Kadar | Mocking the Draft | Justin Blackmon | WR | Oklahoma St. |
| Matthew Fairburn | Mocking the Draft | Fletcher Cox | DT | Mississippi St. |
| N/A | National Football Post | Justin Blackmon | WR | Oklahoma St. |
| Walter Cherepinsky | Walter Football | Justin Blackmon | WR | Oklahoma St. |
| Mike Mayock | NFL.com | Morris Claiborne | CB | LSU |
| Mel Kiper (insider) | ESPN | Morris Claiborne | CB | LSU |
| Todd McShay (insider) | ESPN | Justin Blackmon | WR | Oklahoma St. |
What's the opposite of consensus? The table above.
The reality is, the Rams are a team going through some growing pains. There are a lot of holes on the roster, and the youth movement is alive and well on both sides of the depth chart.
Should Fairburn and I get credit for mocking a DT given that's the position the Rams selected? Not really. Given reports that the Rams liked Blackmon most, should the four mocks who had that pick earn the accolades? Well, he didn't make it that far. And what about Mayock and Kiper who accurately predicted the #6 overall pick would be Morris Claiborne, though they lacked the clairvoyance to see it would be the Cowboys who picked him up? I find your lack of faith disturbing.
'Tis what 'tis. Mocks are a pretty silly exercise that are only as valuable as the conversations and thought processes they generate. It's certainly more enjoyable as a Rams fan when there's so much uncertainty as to who we were going to select than say Redskins fans who knew they had RGIII in tow and nothing else to do last night.
Nevertheless, given all the trades in the top 10 last night, maybe the mocks next year will be a bit more loose and try mimic the insanity that is the NFL Draft under the new CBA.