How it went....

Round 1 pick #2: Chris Long

The last post I had Gholston but his stock cooled off in the upcoming weeks to the draft and I swapped over to Long. I'm SO glad J.Long went #1 because the Rams have no need for him at this point. They have starters at both tackles and they had no reason to pick up another guy and pat him an outrageous amount of money to possibly sit on the bench. It was either Long or Dorsey.... The Rams made the better pick and took Long. I just don't see Dorsey being a great pro, his injury scares me and I don't think he's as great as everyone made him out to be. Long however could be an amazing pick up. He is the best all-around package in the draft defensively and he should help the Rams immediately. He should prove to help against the run and take the attention away from Little somewhat and the Rams D-line should put alot more pressure on QB. Suddenly the Rams D-line went from mediocre to top of the line in one off-season.

Round 2 pick #2: Donnie Avery

Alot of people were confused with this pick, including me. I really didn't see Avery being the first WR picked. He has the speed but he's pretty small and I don't know about his hands. He should put some pressure on Caldwell for the #3 wideout spot. Probably serve mainly as a slot reciever.

Round 3 pick #2: John Greco

I like this pick, he's a big strong O-lineman who should be a very solid backup and should develop into a solid starter. Great value in the third round. Flew under the radar because he's from a smaller school. Could prove to be one of the steals of the draft.

Round 4 pick #2: Justin King

This pick was a ok. I like the player and I think he could be a very solid corner in a couple years but I think the need at SS was much greater than at CB.

Round 4 pick #29: Keenan Burton

Another iffy pick. The need at WR is a big one but I'm not sure they needed to draft 2. This kid will play behind Stanley and Hagans, probably even Hall. Questionable pick. He's a big fast wide out and should push the 3 previous players for playing time. The Rams know how to develop recievers, he could be a solid number 2 guy someday.

Round 5 pick #22: Roy Schuening

Very good pickup on the O-line again.Played sick most of the year but still had a very solid carreer. Didn't stand up to the elite guys but should be a solid backup.

Round 7 pick #21: Chris Chamberlain

Too small for a LB he will probably be moved to SS. Probably a special teams player, if he makes the team.

Round 7 pick #45: Dave Vobora

Mr. irrelevent himself. Most had him going in the middle rounds he could prove to be a very solid player. Great athleticism, if the coaching staff puts some work into him he should make it on special teams and could possibly get some playing time if Culberson doesn't play how the coaches project.

Overall I'd say the Rams had a good draft, not great, but solid. B+ overall. Long could be a pro-bowler for years to come, Avery should be a good number 3 possibly number 2 WR in the future. They added depth along the O-line. The only spots they didn't address was LB and SS. I really thought they would draft a linebacker that could make an impact this year but no luck. SS they should have, so they had a guy to develop, but not as important as LB was.

Is St. Louis for Real?

I know it's still early but the way things are shaping up, St. Louis could finally be back to a top tier team. Let's go over there team by each position...

QB: A healthy Bulger means they have a great QB. When this guy is on the field the Rams have the best passing offense in the league, look at last years stats up until he got injured. He played in only 8 games and had a QB rating of 94, 2297 yards, and 14 TDs. He should finaly have a line that can keep him on the field and he still has one of the best WR lineups out there. Plus they have a solid backup finaly in Ferrotte. My prediction...If Bulger is healthy all season, he's a pro-bowl caliber QB.

HB: Steven Jackson is a rising star in the NFL. He's got everything if you really look at him, he's got amazing power, but he also has the speed to get away from defenses in the open field. Many are saying this will be his breakout season. He's got a new Coach to work with who says he will finally get more touches in games, plus he's finally got a solid line. Marshall may not be back this year, I hope he comes back because he is a great teacher and leader for this offense. But everyone has to move on sometime. My predictions...If Jackson really does have his breakout season and piles up 1500+ yards, the Rams are in the playoffs without question.

WR: Holt, Bruce, Curtis, McDonald, Looker. WOW! How many teams can say they have 3 4 5 guys that could all be 2 and 3 guys? Holt is a shoe in for 1300 yards, a reciever who I think gets overlooked because he isn't a #### like Owens and Johnson and Smith.  Anyway, Bruce will be healthy and is probably the best route runner on the team, future hall-of-famer, the rams will be back to having one of the best recieving tandums in the league. Curtis just makes plays. It seems like when ever he gets the ball something amazing happens. He has blazing speed and will be a great number 2 guy when Bruce retires. My Prediction...The Rams will tear up teams through the air this year if Bulger stays healthy, Bruce has close to 1000 yards, Holt has 1300 or more, Curtis has around 700.

TE: This could be a question mark for the Rams. Klopfenstein should be a great recieving TE and should be a big upgrade over Manuemaleuna, but he's a rookie so nothing is set in stone. My predictions for TE...The Rams will have a good start for this young TE and in the next few years he could be a top tier TE in the NFL.

OT: Pace is arguably the best LT in the NFL. Always shows up in the Pro-Bowl, not much you can say other than he is a force defensive lines have to deal with. Barron looked like he will be a great RT last year, he could be the makings of another Pace.

OG: At one side you have Timmerman, one of the best Guards in the league, never injured, always plays hard. At the other side though, it looks right now like Terrell will start, he should be good enough to get the job done but don't be surprised to see a few players swich out at this position.

C: McColumn is one of those guys that is a great linemen that no one really talks about. Hasn't missed a week in something like 150 games, second only to Timmermans 170 I think. He's a great veteran lineman and he more than gets the job done.

My predictions for the O line...The Rams line, if healthy, will help Jackson to a 1500+ yard season and will keep Bulger on his feet. Pace and Timmerman go to the pro-bowl.

Now to Defense...

DE: Little is one of the most feared DE in the NFL. Teams have to make gameplans around him. He missed a couple games last year when his brother died and didn't play like himself until the last few games, he'll be back in the pro-bowl. Hargrove looked like he was finaly starting to settle in towards the end of the season and I thnk he'll be a more than capable starter.

DT: The addition of Pro-Bowler Glover was HUGE for the Rams this year, they haven't had a dominating DT in years and he will be a great mentor for Kennedy who will play the other tackle. Another great thing about Glover, they will finaly have a great leader for there defense.

My Predictions for the D line...The Rams will have one of the most solid D lines in the league, will be ranked in the top 10 in rushing defense.

LB: The addition of Witherspoon was amazing. I was jumping for joy when I saw they picked him up. The best defensive player in free agency and the Rams get him. Witherspoon will play in the middle, and with Tinoisamoa next to him they should have a great group at linebacker. Now, the other side is a big question mark, the good thing is that whoever gets the starting job will be a good starter, they have probably 4 guys that are battleing for it. My guess is probably Coakley, and thats fine. He didn't get to show anything last year because he didn't play in the right style of defense for him and he was injured most of the season. My predictions...The Rams LB further improve the run defense and the Rams finally have a group of linebackers that won't have to be replaced next season.

CB: Now, this whole Backfield depends on basically one person. Butler. If Butler returns from last seasons knee injury and looks like the same Butler, the Rams have a pretty good backfield, if not, well lets just hope he is. They picked up Brown from the Saints who will probably be the number 3 CB. They still have Fisher who, when healthy, can be a great CB. And they have rookie Tye Hill. I don't expect much from him this year, but in a couple years he should be a great CB. Finally they have Bartell. Last years big surprise for the Rams was this rookie. He showed some signs that he will be a great CB. Look for him and Brown to battle for the number 3 spot, and don't be surprised if he nabs the number 2 spot from Fisher.

FS: Atgowe and Carter are fighting for this spot. Both are young and won't wow anyone, but should be enough to get the job done.

SS: Chavous was another great pickup this off season. Great leader and should be a big imrovement in pass defense over Archuleta who left for Washington. Chavous might not be the big hitter like Archuleta but he's a smart proven safety and is an upgrade. He will also serve as another defensive leader for the Rams.

My predictions for the defensive backfield...The Rams, while they did improve there pass defense, won't shut down the opposing team, but they won't be a push over backfield like these last couple of years. Look for a solid, middle of the pack pass defense this year.

Overall, I'd say that if everything goes like it could and should, the Rams are back in the playoffs and have a few pro-bowlers. Note that these predictions are the best posable outcomes in my mind and not all of them will probably go as I have said. But look out for this years St. Louis Rams, they will battle the Seahawks for the best in the West.