Feb 28, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; North Alabama defensive back Janoris Jenkins participates in pass interception drills during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

We discussed pre-draft visits a little yesterday, but the visits officially got started today as the Rams welcomed four players to town. Today’s group featured a nice variety of positions, and all of the players are intriguing prospects. The players involved were Oklahoma St. WR Justin Blackmon, Ohio St. OL Mike Adams, Mississippi St. DT Fletcher Cox and North Alabama CB Janoris Jenkins.

I think we’ve already spent plenty of time talking about Blackmon, so let’s move on to the others. Adams is a guy who has had some issues and a guy who I really wasn’t impressed with at the combine. However, he is talented and numerous scouts believe his size and athleticism are quality NFL attributes. I have seen a couple of mock drafts that have Adams going to the Rams in the second round, and I think he would be a decent value there.

Speaking of mock drafts, I have seen a couple that have Cox going to St. Louis at sixth. I don’t think that’s realistic, but he is a real option if we move back. Cox would be a great fit.

Jenkins is one of the most interesting prospects in the draft. He is supremely talented, but his list of off-field issues is a mile long. He has numerous drug arrests, a failed drug test, an arrest from a bar fight, and he’s got four children from three different women. Still, he seems to be climbing up draft boards. I think he will go the the late first round if he stays clean before the draft, but if he would fall to the second he might be too good to pass up.

I’m back again after another weekend out of town, this time for a bachelor party down in Mississippi. I have been keeping an eye on the ongoing trade talks between the Rams and Cowboys, and it looks like this deal is very close to being done. It is being reported that Bobby Carpenter is heading to St. Louis tonight, and after both players take physicals tomorrow, the deal should be finalized. Alex Barron has signed his tender, so the physicals are the only things standing in the way now. Expect to hear a final word on this thing sometime tomorrow.

I touched on this the other day, but I think this trade has the potential to work out well for both sides. The ‘Boys need some help at tackle after the departure of Flozell Adams, and we all know that Barron still has a ton of potential. He will likely get the chance to fight for a starting spot, but he should see plenty of time even if he doesn’t crack the lineup right away. As far as Carpenter goes, he will add some much-needed depth to our linebacking corps. I know that he has been a major disappointment thus far in his career, but he is better suited to play in our scheme than he was in Dallas. It feels like a change of scenery could do both of these players some good.

For those of you who don’t know, here is a little bit about Bobby Carpenter. He is a 26-year-old from Ohio St, and he is 6-2, 250 pounds. He is coming off his best season as a pro in which he played in all 16 games and recorded 46 tackles and two sacks. He is known to be strong in pass-coverage, and he has the ability to be a productive OLB in  4-3 system. He has played a good amount of special teams in his career, and he can be a valuable asset in that capacity as well. Overall, I feel like Carpenter has the ability to be an upgrade for the team’s defense in the future.