St. Louis Rams 2013 NFL draft results: Tavon Austin headlines handpicked crop of rookies

That's it for the St. Louis Rams. Les Snead and Co. finished drafted in the fifth round on Sunday after dealing both sixth-round picks to move up. The seven players selected over three days of drafting are the fruits born of months of watching tape, reading scouting reports, parsing medical histories, visiting with prospects, watching them work and more.

"As I was walking down here I was going, ‘Hey' I need to decompress a little bit,' because this week really started a month ago when we came in here for the intense meetings," Snead said on Sunday afternoon. "Then you do a lot of private workouts and then you spend the early part of this week trying to figure out (No.) 16 or (No.) 22 and the second-round pick - that takes energy. Next thing you know we just traded the rest of the picks to end it."

Needless to say, the second-year GM believes in the results.

"From start to finish, very pleased, I think each player fits a role, each player was coveted," Snead said. "They're going to come in and add, I'd say, playmakers, and depth in a lot of different ways to this team, both on the defensive and offensive side of the ball."

Round 1

No. 8 - Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia

Of all the picks this year, none had the kind of pre-draft build up that Austin did. The Rams loved what they saw from Austin, and he's the kind of playmaker this offense hasn't seen in almost a decade, with the exception of Steven Jackson.

Austin is the first wide receiver drafted in the first round by the Rams since 1999 when the team picked Torry Holt. He is only the fifth receiver drafted in the first round in the history of the franchise.

No. 30 - Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia

He isn't the hardest hitter in the draft at his position, but he might just be the most exciting. As soon as the commissioner announced his name, Ogletree became the most athletic linebacker on the roster. He rounds out a tough front seven.

Round 3

No. 71 - T.J. McDonald, S, USC

Some felt like McDonald was not the best safety available at the time. However, this front office and coaching staff has earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to defensive backs. He's a big guy at 6'2 219 pounds. He also happens to be a pretty hard hitter. We'll get to know more about his role through spring workouts and camp, but it looks like he'll be a starter from Week 1 this year.

No. 92 - Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia

Tavon's teammate from a Dana Holgosen's dynamic Air Raid offense. He's only 5'11, but everyone says he catches like a guy who stands 6'3 based on his ability to go up and get balls with his hands. He also happens to run routes well. If he can get up to speed quickly, he could turn into the possession receiver this offense needs.

Round 4

No. 113 - Barrett Jones, C, Alabama

Outside of Austin, this might be my favorite pick of the entire draft. Jones is part of that other-worldly Alabama offensive line, and one of Nick Saban's favorite players. He's nasty in the trenches. Tenacious doesn't describe do his play justice. He was an All-American and All-SEC center last year, which was his first season at the position. Oh, he has played all five positions on the line. With the Rams, he looks set for the middle, and could be competing for a starting guard spot this year. With Harvey Dahl and center Scott Wells both dealing with injuries, he could wind up at any one of three spots in the middle.

Round 5

No. 149 - Brandon McGee, CB, Miami

Classic Fisher corner here ... less than 6'0 tall and physical as hell on the field. He's compared to Jason McCourty, who Fisher drafted in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft during his days with the Titans. He'll be the fourth corner on the depth chart, but could see some playing time as a slot guy.

No. 160 - Zac Stacy, RB, Vanderbilt

Fisher's "big back" measures 5'9 216 pounds and packs quite a wallop. He did 27 reps on the bench press, while running a respectable 4.53 40. He was a top performer among running backs on the bench and three-cone drill at the Combine. He finishes his runs well and hits his hole, which should be perfect for a time-sharing guy to work between the tackles.

"Zac is a very explosive runner," Snead said. "He averaged, I think, over six yards per carry in that conference, which is something to be said. He's an outstanding young man. He's smart. He's good out of the backfield. He's a pass protector. He's a complete back. He's a strong inside power runner that kind of gives us a change of pace. You can't have too many of these guys."

Seven players. It's not a major haul as far as the number of picks are concerned. What's interesting about it is that all seven players take immediately project to make the roster in 2013. That's a huge difference from past drafts, especially those conducted by front offices we'd prefer not to talk about.

Fisher put this draft class into the bigger picture, starting with trading the second pick last year right up through free agency this year.

"Les and his staff did a great job, just getting started and then we got the coaches involved," Fisher said. "From top to bottom, it couldn't have gone better for us. We certainly took advantage of what we started last year with, with the Washington trade. Obviously, we're looking forward to continuing again that next year. We feel like, not only through free agency, but also through the last three days that we've improved this football team with players that have played positions that create problems and help us to get better."