Blackmon showed on Monday exactly why there should be no doubt about who the Rams are picking in the draft. Blackmon finished with just under 200 yards receiving, and he added three scores as well. He showed great hands, breakaway speed, big-play ability and toughness with the ball in his hands. I know I’m biased because I was already in love with him, but you can’t argue that he isn’t exactly what the Rams need. After seeing what guys like AJ Green and Julio Jones did as rookies this season, I’m convinced Blackmon can make a difference right away here in St. Louis.

Two overall is pretty high to take a receiver, but this is a special case. The Rams are in desperate need of a playmaker, and Blackmon sure looks like that guy.

Round 1 – Robert Quinn – (A) Other than Julio Jones somehow being there at 14, I don’t think the first round could have gone better for the Rams. Quinn has all the tools to be a monster pass-rusher at the NFL level, and he and Chris Long should form one of the better DE tandems in the NFL for years to come. Quinn was at the top of my wish list two years ago, and I love the fact that he is on this team.

Round 2 – Lance Kendricks – (C+) I understand why they made this pick, and I think Kendricks could be a very nice weapon for Bradford and Co. immediately, but I just think this was a reach. If the pick were Kyle Rudolph, who was taken a few picks earlier, I would be completely fine with it, but I just don’t know if Kendricks is worth a second round pick, especially considering the players who were available at positions of bigger need.

Round 3 – Austin Pettis – (B-) I was tempted to give this a lower grade because I think it was a pretty big reach as well, but I actually think Pettis is a nice fit on this team. He is a big receiver who will be a red zone threat, and more importantly, the kid knows how to play the position and he is a winner. This was a safe pick, and I have no problem with that considering where this team is in the rebuilding process.

Round 4 – Greg Salas – (B) Salas is kind of an interesting pick to grade as well. He was a production machine in college, and he is another guy who obviously knows how to run a route and play the position. I love his hands, but I just wonder if he is just another guy in this receiving corps. What will he do that allows him to stand out over guys like Brandon Gibson or Laurent Robinson? I think he was good value in the 4th, but we will see if he is able to make an impact.

Part 2 will look at the final four picks of the draft, so stay tuned.

Before I begin, I wanted to let everyone know what is going to be going on here at Ramblin’ Fan on Thursday. First, I will be making a couple of radio apearances throughout the day talking draft, so watch the Twitter page for times and stations. The only one I have confirmed at this point is with The Sports Reporters on JOCK 98.7 fm in Springfield, MO at 10:40 a.m. For those of you in the Springfield area, tune in and give it a listen. If any other appearances get confirmed, I will try to let everyone know.

Also, we at Fansided will be doing a live chat Thursday night during the first round. You can come on and ask up questions, and we will respond with the answers. If you want immediate draft analysis, get on and participate.

Ok, here we go with the mock. This assumes no trades, although I still believe the team could very well move down in the first round.