Apr 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Michael Brockers (LSU) is introduced as the number fourteen overall pick to the St. Louis Rams in the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

If anyone was nervous that the Rams hadn’t signed some of their top picks from the 2012 NFL Draft yet, you can now rest easy. The team agreed to a deal with first-round pick DT Michael Brockers on Thursday. Brockers put his name on the dotted line, and that means that only 3 of the team’s 10 picks are without a deal at this point.

I know Rams Nation isn’t overly excited by Brockers as a whole, but I really like him and I think he’s going to be a great fit with this defense. He is a massive human being, and he still has some development awaiting him at this level even after being named to the All SEC team last year in college at LSU. He might not be the flashy guy everyone was looking for, but I think we are going to look back on this pick as an outstanding move in a few years.

The Rams were so excited about getting Brockers under contract that they tweeted a picture of the big man signing his deal. You can see the announcement on the team’s Twitter feed, or you can follow this link to the picture itself. For those wondering, that is a Dallas Cowboys lanyard hanging out of his pocket. That’s not a great start to his Rams career, but if that’s the biggest concern we have about this kid, I think he’s going to be  just fine.

This signing leaves Brian Quick, Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson as the only picks who remained unsigned by the Rams. I expect all three of these to be done soon, so stay tuned.

Apr 26, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Michael Brockers (LSU) is introduced as the number fourteen overall pick to the St. Louis Rams in the 2012 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

Well, that didn’t go as planned. The Rams made a splash in Thursday’s first round of the NFL Draft by trading down from 6 to 14 and picking up Michael Brockers, a defensive tackle from LSU. The trade netted the team an additional second rounder, 45th overall from the Cowboys. The Rams will now have three of the first 13 picks on Friday.

First, let me say that I think Brockers is going to be a very good player and I think he’s a very nice fit for Jeff Fisher’s defense. He is still learning, but he’s already an excellent run-stopper, and his pass-rush skills should develop. He’s a nice player, and I really like getting another early pick.

With all that said, I’m really disappointed we didn’t end up with Justin Blackmon or Michael Floyd. My guess is that when Jacksonville swooped in and stole Blackmon at five, the team made the trade thinking they could get Floyd or Fletcher Cox at 14. It didn’t happen because the Eagles traded up to get Cox and the Cardinals inexplicably took Floyd instead of Riley Reiff. That pick still doesn’t make sense to me considering Reiff fits their bigger need, but it really screwed us.

The good news is that we have three early picks on Friday and there are plenty of good players left. Some names to watch out for include OLs Jonathan Martin, Peter Konz and Cordy Glenn, WRs Rueben Randle and Stephen Hill (who I love), RB Lamar Miller and CB Janoris Jenkins.

Feb 26, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish wide receiver Michael Floyd participates in a catch and run drill during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

The draft continues to creep closer, and the Rams are still bringing in prospective choices. On Wednesday, the team hosted LSU DT Michael Brockers, Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd and Alabama CB Dre Kirkpatrick. This group is very talented, but it seems unlikely that any of these guys will be considered at six. If the Rams decide to trade down, however, any of these three could be in play.

Brockers and Kirkpatrick are both nice players at positions of need, but let’s focus on Floyd for now. He has gotten rave reviews from his workouts since the season ended, and he was a monster in his final year with the Irish. He has had some alcohol issues, and I think he will drop because of it. I think he’s going to be an outstanding NFL receiver, and I would love to see him in St. Louis.

He scares me at six because of the issues, but if Blackmon is off the board I wouldn’t be against trading down and taking him. There is going to be a great player there at six no matter what, but taking a good offer, accumulating picks and grabbing Floyd might be a better option. I don’t know how the Rams feel about Floyd, but I think this is a very realistic option. It’s very realistic, and it might just be the best option.