St. Louis Rams select Mizzou CB E.J. Gaines with pick No. 188

The St. Louis Rams added another player to the secondary with the 12th pick in the sixth round, Mizzou cornerback E.J. Gaines.

At 5'10, 190 pounds, Gaines isn't the biggest corner in the draft. He spent a lot of time covering slot receivers in the team's nickel package. That role would sense for him on the Rams as well, where the slot job is currently a gray area, most recently occupied by Cortland Finnegan (who has since left) and Rodney McLeod, who also spent time at safety.

Here's what Rock M Nation, SB Nation's Mizzou site, had to say about Gaines:

A three-year starter from the Kansas City area, Gaines was a superb, steady member of the Missouri secondary. He's a strong, unafraid tackler with a nice set of hands; despite missing two games with injury, he finished his senior season with four tackles for loss, five interceptions, and three pass break-ups. He returned a fumble for a touchdown in the SEC Championship game against Auburn, and in the best performance of his career, he held Texas A&M receiver Mike Evans, the seventh selection in the 2014 draft, to four catches and eight yards.

Gaines will get to see Evans again when the Rams and Buccaneers play this season. He'll have to make the final cut to get there, and that might not be as easy as it sounds. He does, on first glance, look like an upgrade over anyone on the back end of the depth chart.

Gaines is the third defensive back the Rams have taken, joining S/CB hybrid Lamarcus Joyner and S Mo Alexander. If these players work out, the back of the Rams' defense could be as scary as the front of it.

He was the 18th ranked cornerback on Mocking the Draft's most recent big board.