As far as Bradford goes, I think we all expected him to win the award, and I would have been massively upset if he wouldn’t have. He probably should have won the Pepsi Rookie of the Year vote as well, but that honor went to Lions’ DT Ndamukong Suh, who also won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. I had the Suh vs. Bradford argument on Friday night with a buddy of mine at the local watering hole, and although I recognize that Suh had an outstanding year (10 sacks, leading all DT), I still believe Bradford was the best rookie of the 2010 season. Suh plays a less-demanding position at DT, and his team made just a two-game increase over their 2009 record. Bradford, on the other hand, played the most important position on the field, and the position that is notoriously difficult to transition to from college to pro, and he took a team that had won six game over the previous three seasons and led them to 7 wins. With all due respect to Suh, Bradford was the cream of the crop when it came to rookies this season.

As far as Faulk goes, there was no doubt it my mind that he deserves to be a first-ballot HOFer. You can look at the numbers and see that, but more importantly, anyone who saw him play could not deny that he was a special talent. The man was impossible to stop when he was in his prime, and he was equally effective as a receiver as he was running the ball out of the backfield. For anyone who is still skeptical, watch this video of some of the greatest highlights from Marshall’s career. Pay special attention at the 1:26 mark, as that run against the Browns is one of the greatest I have ever seen.  I remember watching this run when it happened and, at that moment, realizing for the first time how special of a player he was.

6:34 The draft has begun and the Rams are officially on the clock…

6:37 The pick is in… The Rams select Sam Bradford! Not a surprise, but I’m just happy that it is finally official.

6:45 The Lions select Ndamukong Suh #2. Another no-brainer here with this pick.

6:51 The Bucs select Gerald McCoy#3. There haven’t been any surprises so far, but I expect that to change soon.

6:58 The Skins select Trent Williams #4. Another Big 12 guy with plenty of upside, but I would have liked Okung here.

7:04 Eric Berry on the phone, says he’s going to the Chiefs. A bit of a surprise this high, but he looks like the real deal.

7:13 Russell Okung to the Seahawks. They have to be ecstatic that he was available at 6. Potential franchise tackle.

7:20 Michael Smith says he thinks Browns will go with Joe Haden. This would be the biggest surprise so far if it happens.

7:23 Haden to Cleveland. They could have gotten him a bit later I think, but maybe nobody wanted to trade up.

7:28 Raiders didn’t waste much time. Rolando McClain goes to Oakland. Thought they might go tackle here, and this may be a bit high here as well. McClain is legit, though.

7:30 Bills go quick as well. CJ Spiller is the pick. I’m surprised again, with Lynch and Jackson already in town.

7:37 Jags go for Tyson Alualu at 10. Another reach, but the guys they liked are gone (Spiller, McClain)

7:38 First trade of the night. Broncos trade #11 pick to 49ers. Teams swap firsts and Den gets a 4th (113 overall) in return

7:43 Niners take Anthony Davis. They have liked him all along and didn’t want anyone else to get him.

7:45 Dolphins trade 12 to Chargers. Expect plenty more moves throughout the first round.

7:49 Chargers trade up to get Ryan Mathews. They needed a compliment to Sproles, so nice pick here.

7:50 Broncos move again, this time trade pick to Eagles. Pick has to be Earl Thomas here. Philly loves him (more…)

It might be 80 degrees outside right now, but for me this is Christmas. The NFL Draft might actually be better than Christmas because it lasts for three days instead of just one. For any of you Rams fans out there who are as excited as me, I highly recommend you keep a close eye on Ramblin’ Fan over the next three days, as I am going to be covering this thing intensely. Also, anyone interested needs to follow me on Twitter @Ramblinfan, as I will be going pick-by-pick tonight for sure and probably something pretty close to it tomorrow and Saturday. It is my goal to provide the best possible coverage over the next few days, because this may be the most imporant draft in St. Louis Rams history. I hope to hear from you guys over the next couple of days, whether on here or on Twitter, because I’m interested in what you have to say. As proof, here is an excellent post from a reader giving his preview of the Rams first round pick. While I might not agree with everything he had to say, I think it is important to get his viewpoint out there.

Rams Realist says:

After last season, I can’t see anyway a team with either AJ Feeley, Keith Null or any of the QBs in the draft being able to take this team to more than 3 wins. Thats if Steven Jackson doesn’t break down with a shoulder injury from carrying the team. All jokes aside, the Rams need to fill way too many holes to even consider this team beating any division rival with a turnstile offensive line, limited defensive line with aging Leonard Little still leading the team with 6.5 sacks, a wide receiving corps filled with players who wouldn’t make it higher than 4th receiver on practically any other NFL teams depth chart (Avery being the exception), and a secondary that without Atogwe would drop from 25th in the league down to the bottom 3. (more…)