Mar 13, 2013; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Chance Warmack runs a drill during Alabama pro day at the Mal M. Moore Athletic Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kelly Lambert-USA TODAY Sports

In a blink of an eye, the NFL draft is now only 13 days away. All the NFL websites have their focus on the 2013 draft class and their predictions on where each player will end up. This draft class is really intriguing as there are no stand outs at each position, as there are always at least one other player who could be that number one guy at a certain position. Left tackle Luke Joeckel seems to be the favourite to be the number one pick of the draft, but many experts have Eric Fisher as the best left tackle in the 2013 class. This draft will be very interesting from the very first pick. Thankfully the St. Louis Rams don’t have to hold their breathe on hoping a quality offensive tackle will drop to the 16th position, thanks to the addition of pro bowl tackle Jake Long and with Roger Saffold seemingly willing to play out his rookie contract at the right tackle position. Rams wouldn’t have the guard position ranked number one for the biggest need, but depending on how the unpredictable draft unfolds, the Rams may find themselves stuck in a situation  where they may have to bite their lips and settle for the unsexy  selection in drafting a guard. To give you a better understanding on how low the 2013 draft class is for playmakers, both guards Jonathan Cooper and Chance Warmack are expected to be gone by the 20th pick. So if both players are available and if the Rams are interested, which standout guard do they go for?

Chance Warmack – Alabama
Guard –  6 foot 2, 320 pounds
Theres no coincidence that in 2012 Alabama has been the no.1 rushing team in the SEC. With Warmack ploughing the ways for former crimson tide running backs Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson, it’s evident that Warmack deserves to be mentioned as one of the best guards coming out of college for the last 20 years. His thick powerful frame allows him to create holes for whoever is running the ball. Doesn’t ‘wow’ you with athleticism or dazzle anyone with a blazing 40 yard dash, but he brings attitude on every down, always keeps his hands and feet pumping when drive-blocking, and looking to pancake his man whenever possible. Pushes interior defensive tackle off the ball on base blocks. Has handled with ease a number of projected first round defensive tackles. You know what Chance Warmack will bring to the table every week, a very consistent dominating interior linemen. Is projected to be a future pro bowler.

Jonathan Cooper – North Carolina
Guard – 6 foot 2. 310 pounds
What does Cooper bring to the table? Athleticism, speed, sheer power and versatility. Cooper is the most athletic guard that has come out of college for some time. At the combine Cooper ran a low of a 5 second flat 40 and also showed off his strength by benching 35 reps. Cooper has an amazing ability in pass protection, possesses foot quickness, bend, and arm extension to mirror defensive linemen. Excellent mobility behind the line, shows that he can pull to the left and right on a regular basis. Scouts believe that Coopers best attribute for the NFL is his versatility, and god knows that the Rams have had their fair share of injured linemen in that past. Coopers’ preferred postion is at guard, but he has shown in the past that he can also be just as effective at centre. With Coopers ability to pull out on runs and having outstanding pass protection skills, it would be a big surprise to see such a talent like Cooper to slip out of the first round.

Every offseason it seems that the offensive line position is in constant need of fixing. With the signing of Jake Long and Roger Saffold switching from left tackle to right tackle, all of a sudden the Rams offensive line looks pretty good on paper. Although there is a sudden upgrade at the line, the offensive line is only as strong as its weakest link, and thats the left guard position. Thankfully the 2013 NFL draft class posses the Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III for guards, in Chance Warmack (Andrew Luck) and Jonathan Cooper (RGIII). Warmack is the more traditional guard, while Cooper is the more athletic and exciting prospect. While Warmack is more pure at the guard position, Cooper brings versatility on the line. Chance Warmack is the better all round guard prospect, but It will depend on what certain teams will prefer in determining whether who will be chosen higher on draft day.

September 22, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans safety T.J. McDonald (7) defends against the California Golden Bears during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

Although the Rams have dropped to 3-5, this season has been a success thus far. It’s evident that the Rams have improved, but it’s also evident that the Rams are still a couple of years away from being a true Superbowl contender. The Rams did have some positives coming out of week eight, even though they were embarrassed by a polished New England Patriots. The Rams’ promising defense were exposed to a power Patriot offense. It has been the Rams’ defense that have kept them in touch with most games and now they need an offense that can stand up against an offensive shoot out. This week’s positive outcomes came from the Washington Redskin’s loss to the Steelers, allowing the Rams having their 2013 first round draft pick. The other positives this week, came from the losses of the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks.

The Rams have the luxury of picking up two first round draft picks in 2013 and 2014 thanks to Robert Griffin III. This is why the Ramblin Fan Draft Preview, will analyze one player from both offense and defense.

Position needs: OL, OLB, WR, SS/FS, TE

OFFENSE
Luke Joeckel (6 foot 6, 310 pounds)
Offensive Linemen (Texas A&M)
It’s obvious that the Rams will fix the offensive line in the offseason. You know you have trouble when you can’t name the players playing the position. Although the Ram’s offensive line haven’t been playing poorly in recent weeks, it will only be a matter of time before they are exposed, resulting in the destruction of Sam Bradford. During the Rams Vs. Patriots game, it was a scary sight to see Bradford being slammed onto his shoulder and facing a possible short lived career with another shoulder injury. These are the types of detrimental losses the Rams could be up against, unless they fix their issues at the line.

Joeckel is the best tackle in the 2013 draft class. He is freakishly quick on his feet and has amazing endurance. The scary thing is that he’s 6 foot 6 and 310. It doesn’t make sense to be as athletic as him, as well as being as monstrous. Last year Joeckel blocked for Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill and was a big part of Texas A&M success on offense, allowing Texas A&M to gain 420 total yards average for 2011 season. For Joeckel, 2012 has been even better. Last week Joeckel was up against a strong LSU, who have elite pass rushers that will more than likely be drafted in to the top 15 next year. Plenty of draft scouts would’ve been watching this match up. Who won the battle? Luke Joeckel domimated. Joeckel went up against top draft prospect Sam Montgomery and kept him quiet the whole night. Watch for Luke Joeckel to be on Rams’ most wanted list. If Joeckel came to Rams, Roger Saffold will move to his preferred right tackle position and Sam Bradford won’t have to worry about being killed on his blind side.

DEFENSE
T.J McDonald (6 foot 3, 205 pounds)
Safety (USC)
After the dismal performances from both safeties against the Patriots, it was almost compulsory to put a safety in this draft preview. The Rams haven’t drafted a safety who proved to be a pro bowler in three decades! Expect to see the Rams transform Trumaine Johnson into a safety, because whenever he’s on the field, he seems to be making plays. Rams have been very weak at safety for 10 years, so drafting a safety could be the last piece of the puzzle to the already much improved Rams defense.

McDonald stands at an intimidating 6 foot 3. His range and size makes him an interesting prospect for the safety positions. He isn’t the best safety in the draft, but expect teams to look at him from around the late first round to the early second round. He has the ability to play free safety and covers a lot of ground in the deep part of the field. He does a great job in picking up receivers on deep routes, he doesn’t seem to get lost when a long ball is thrown and he is a beast in the running game. McDonald hurt his draft stock when he decided to go back to college this year. Now Mcdonald finds himself up against a very strong safety class. So far McDonald has had a very consistent year, picking up 63 tackles, one interception and two pass deflections. McDonald has received good preparation for the NFL at USC. Expect Jeff Fisher to be interested in drafting an NFL ready body, as the Rams have enough projects on the team.

Follow the links to previous Ramblin Fan Draft Previews:
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3 
Week 4

Follow @davebarber92 on Twitter for constant Rams updates.

Nov 22, 2009; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams wide receiver Donnie Avery (17) catches a pass against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at the Edward Jones Dome. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 21-13. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

In a lesser remembered storyline from that draft, the Rams decided to bypass DeSean Jackon in the 2^nd round and, instead, draft Donnie Avery, the burner from the University of Houston. In retrospect, the Rams’ made a poor choice, with Jackson, character issues aside, blossoming into one of the perennial young wide receivers in the NFL.

Avery put up some decent numbers in his rookie campaign, with 674 yards on 53 receptions, with over 22.6 percent of those catches going for 20+ yards. Fast forward to the 2010 Preseason Week 3 matchup against the New England Patriots where we all watched the end of Donnie Avery’s career in St. Louis, as he was carted off the field with a torn ACL. Since then, our wide receiver corps has been plagued by injury, inconsistent production, and rapid turnover that has diminished any hopes of Bradford building a strong, on-field connection with any single player.

In 2012, Head Coach Jeff Fisher and GM Les Snead made it a priority to break this cycle by drafting Brian Quick with the first pick of the 2^nd round and taking Chris Givens in the 4^th. Givens was marked by draft analysts as a burner, a player from a smaller university whose speed could translate into problems for the opposing defense. Ring a bell? The same was said about Avery coming into the draft. Sports Illustrated had this to say about each player’s “positives” in their respective draft profiles:

“Game-breaking receiver who can take it the distance. Plays with outstanding balance, body control, and quickness… leaves defenders in the dust if given the slightest bit of open space. Has a second gear, easily runs to the long throw… Displays solid eye/hand coordination, finds the soft spot in the defense, and for the most part catches the ball with his hands.” -on Donnie Avery

“Big-play receiver with a nose for the endzone. Displays tremendous overall quickness, has deceptive speed and is consistently doubled by opponents. Works his way back into the clearing to make himself an available target, uses his hands to separate from defenders… Displays good eye/hand coordination… Runs well laterally, making the reception in stride. Shows a burst and can turn it on in a single step. Plays with terrific balance and body control.” – on Chris Givens

Alongside their seemingly identical pre-draft analyses, Avery and Givens also have eerily similar size, speed, and collegiate production. Check out a comparison of Givens’ Wake Forest stats vs. Donnie Avery’s stats from his last three years at the University of Houston, as well as NFL Combine results:

Go Rams!