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The moment we've all been waiting for. Rem Freeman's got the Rams on the clock. Leggo:
#10, St. Louis Rams - Brandon Scherff (OL, Iowa)
Going into this draft, the Rams have two large needs; A true #1 wide receiver, and some major help along their offensive line. Now while there have been some calls from people to only pick O-line for the first three rounds, I think if Amari Cooper was still available, I would have would have been forced to pick him and then go after A.J. Cann or Laken Tomlinson in the second round. But thanks to Oakland, we get to address the large problem the Rams have of protecting their QB and opening up running lanes. To help with that, I give you Brandon Scherff.
For me, this was a simple question of who could help out the Rams not only now, but further down the line as well. That's what makes Scherff such a good option to me. I understand that he played Tackle at Iowa, and while I do think he could definitely make the transition to that position in the NFL, I also believe he's talented enough for us to plug him at Guard and get immediate production from him. Many have made comparisons to Zack Martin from last year's draft, and I think that's a perfect comparison. Finally, given his ability to open up running lanes, and I think he's a perfect fit for Fisher's "run first" offense. Add in his athleticism and work ethic, and I think we have found our first player to finally our QB and backfield the protection they need for success.
There's just no argument against taking an offensive lineman at 10. As it stands, the only starting locks are LT Greg Robinson and...Rodger Saffold. That leaves three starting gigs open with some certainty that Saffold will lose time requiring a playable backup.
So while some, like I, might point to opportunity costs and Aaron Donald and all kinds of other valid reasons to not pigeonhole yourself into going offensive line, the reality is that if you hit on an offensive lineman (at any position) here, it's a great pick for the Rams. The only question is if Scherff pans out as an NFL lineman.