St. Louis Rams Day 1 Recap

stlvinnie — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 06:12:52 +0000

Day one of the 2009 NFL Draft saw the St. Louis Rams play it safe, and have a nice day. What became abundantly apparent in 2008 was that Billy Devaney and the St. Louis Rams are all about character. The selection of Chris Long and Donnie Avery made that crystal clear.

Heading into Saturday the Rams had several players they liked at #2, and there was a possibility that they could trade down. No trades were made and the Rams selected Jason Smith, OT Baylor. Jason Smith is a 6’5″, 310 pound monster tackle that the Rams can plug right into the lineup. With the offseason pick up of Jason Brown, the offensive line should be ready to role in 2009. Steven Jackson should have a big smile on his face today. As Day1 went on some surprises were taken and it started to look like one of the top rated linebackers may come our way. When both the Detroit Lions and New England Patriots passed on the top rated inside linebackers Rey Maualuga and James Laurinaitis it was the Rams turn. The Rams selected James Laurinaitis from Ohio State. This fills a huge hole the Rams have had since losing London Fletcher. The selection of Laurinaitis allows the Rams to move Will Witherspoon back to the outside.

I was very pleased with the Rams two selections on Day 1 of the 2009 NFL Draft. Jason Smith was rated as the top offensive tackle on most boards, and James Laurinaitis was rated as the top inside linebacker on a lot of boards. These were the two biggest needs for the Rams, and they filled both on day one. I look for the Rams to pick up secondary help, a backup running back and possibly a WR on Day 2.

St. Louis Rams Select Jason Smith

stlvinnie — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 05:00:35 +0000

Aaron Weinberg from NextSeasonSports has once again asked us to participate in a 2009 Mock Draft. Below is our current selection and article that will appear on their site:
The St. Louis Rams have the number two pick in the 2009 NFL draft, which can be quite costly. The Rams under Steve Spagnuolo are moving quickly in the direction they wish to go. In 2008 character was a strong issue for Billy Devaney. I believe character as well as Spagnuolo wanting bigger, stronger NFC East type players will be a large factor in this year’s draft. Previously I thought Michael Crabtree would be a great pick for the Rams, and with Torry Holt asking for his exit from the Rams that pick would still make sense. However since putting up remarkable numbers in 2008; 93 catches for 1135 yards and 18 touchdowns Crabtree is now having size, speed, and injury issues. These issues make him a big risk at #2, a risk the Rams probably will not be willing to take. Most teams do not rebuild a franchise by drafting a QB. This week a league source stated, the Rams are “trying like hell” to trade Orlando Pace. With that being said we now believe the Rams will change course and select Jason Smith, OT from Baylor. Smith is 6-5, 305 and has tremendous footwork having previously been a TE. The tackle position right now is a crap shoot; Smith has had a knee injury and previously played TE so he is not as experienced as some. Andre Smith has character issues and appears too slow to play left tackle. Eugene Monroe has also had knee problems. That leaves Michael Oher the main character of the best-selling book by Michael Lewis titled The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. The list of issues for Oher may be many but on field it appears he may be a better Guard prospect. So this week we will select Jason Smith for the St. Louis Rams.

Coming up fast Aaron Curry???

Ramblin' Fan » Jason Smith Baylor

St. Louis Rams Day 1 Recap

St. Louis Rams Select Jason Smith