2014 NFL Draft: Mike Mayock's advice for the St. Louis Rams

NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock held one of his marathon conference calls on Tuesday, talking prospects and previewing the Combine. It lasted almost three hours, mostly focusing on available players. He did talk a little bit about what teams could or should do, including the St. Louis Rams.

So what would Mike Mayock do if he had the second pick in the draft?

I think they probably have to go offensive line unless they take Sammy Watkins, so Jake Matthews could be logical there ...

Those picks make the most sense from a needs perspective, which he alludes to in his statement. That's the only time he mentioned the Rams specifically, by the way. (It can be tough to get a question in on his calls because the line gets long rather quickly; however, give Mayock credit for at least answering every question he gets).

I like the idea of picking Watkins, but I'm still not convinced that the Rams will use consecutive top 10 picks on a receiver. Fortunately, this is a good year for receivers, so they can find another one if they do trade down or maybe even in the second round.

Watkins may be different, well, he is different in Mayock's eyes ...

Watkins is a special player, and I usually don't get too excited about wide receivers in the Top10, but this kid is different.

He's physically explosive. He's got great hands. He's got good size. He's got very good speed and what I really, really liked about this kid is he's got toughness. He'll physically beat press coverage. He highpoints the ball. He's got a little attitude about him. He blocks people. You can see him getting pissed off during games and going after corners and safeties and linebackers.

So he's got an attitude like he wants to be the best player there is, and when you combine that with his physical ability, I think it's awesome.

Explosive? Good hands? AN ATTITUDE? On second thought, this guy might not be a great fit for the more recent mold of Rams receivers ... just kidding.

And how did Mayock evaluate the top three offensive tackle prospects?

I think Greg Robinson from Auburn might have the highest upside of any of the offensive linemen in this draft but he's not quite as polished as Matthews or Taylor Lewan. Taylor Lewan gets a little top heavy at times but he's got a nasty finish. I think he's very similar to [Eric] Fisher and [Luke] Joeckel from last year when who were the first couple picks.

So I think all of those guys are worthy of Top 10 picks and I think Robinson is the one with the highest upside but also the one you'll be the most concerned about because he's a little bit more raw.

If the Rams did take a tackle, they can weigh the upside question. Jake Long could be ready by Week 1, so a guy like Robinson could start his pro career on the right side. There's also some depth the tackle position in this draft, so they can wait, if they want, especially since the new guy wouldn't have to take over on the blind side right away.