Oct 13, 2011; San Francisco, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans receiver Robert Woods (2) is defended by California Golden Bears safety D.J. Cambell (7) in the third quarter at AT

I know the first thing most of you are going to think when you read that headline is “it’s way too early to talk about the 2013 draft” and “why are you wasting time on this?”, and while I agree with those statements in part, I think it’s worth it to get some names on the radar considering the Rams will have two potentially high first-round picks. Football analyst Tony Softli came out with his Top 50 for 2013 early in the week, and overall I think it’s a pretty nice group. Taking rankings for gospel a year in advance and before a college game has even been played would be foolish, but here are some of the big names to watch this season.

4. Robert Woods WR USC – We will have to see how Brian Quick and Chris Givens play out, but if the Rams are still in the market for a game-changer at WR then Woods is your guy. He is a touchdown machine, and he’s really got it all. This guy will make an instant impact in the NFL.

17. Marcus Lattimore RB South Carolina – I’m surprised Softli has him this low, but he is coming off a serious injury so that probably affected his ranking. Before the injury, Lattimore was the best RB prospect to hit college since Adrian Peterson. I don’t know if Isaiah Pead is the answer as the heir to Steven Jackson, but if Lattimore gets back to 100 percent then he could be a steal in he middle of the first.

18. Barrett Jones OG Alabama – Jones is Softli’s top ranked offensive lineman, which says a lot about the potential crop of tackles but also about how good Jones is. I’m not convinced we have a long-term option at guard on our current roster, so Jones will certainly be on the radar.

29. Xavier Rhodes CB FSU – I know we are pretty deep at CB after free agency and the draft, but Rhodes is an impressive prospect. He’s got great size at 6-1, and he looks to be poised for a big season.

48. Zach Mettenberger QB LSU – The Rams probably won’t be looking at a QB early, but Mettenberger has piqued my interest. He has had a rocky past, but he’s got loads of talent and he’s going to be surrounded by NFL-caliber players this season with the Tigers. If he gets it together, he could have a monster season that could end in a national title.

I think it’s important for everyone to realize that camp won’t start immediately when the lockout is lifted, because I have been asked that question a few times in the last couple of days. When the lockout is over, the teams will need some time to sign rookies and their own free agents, and then we will need a period for free agency before anyone heads to camp. The league wants the teams to be able to have full 90-player training camp rosters before teams report. So with that in mind, it makes sense that the HOF game is in serious jeopardy.

As far as my thoughts on the decision, I think I would have liked the team to try out a different location, but I can understand why they are staying close to home. This lockout is really throwing everything out of whack, and it would be too difficult to try to get a move organized in the little time we will have once the lockout is lifted. I do think there is merit to the idea that teams can bond and become closer when they move out of town to a different site, but this isn’t the year to try it. It’s going to be difficult enough for this team to get ready for the Hall of Fame game (if it gets played) in the short amount of time they will be given, so let’s just keep things status quo for this season and do whatever we can to get the guys ready to compete on Sundays.