Rams Day 3 Recap

This post should have been up yesterday, but to be honest I felt like I needed to take some time and get a new perspective on what the Rams did on Day 3 of the draft. For anyone who wasn’t on Twitter yesterday, I was pretty vocally unhappy with some of the picks we made. Part of the reason was that I had been watching nothing but the draft for pretty much three straight days, and part of it was because I was up at 8 am and  I am in no way a morning person. After taking a day to reflect and get some sleep, I think I am better prepared to take an unbaised look at what the team in rounds 4-7.

Round 4 (99) – Mardy Gilyard-WR (Cincy)

The more I look at this pick, the more I like it. If there was one thing I wanted in this draft, it was a big WR, and although Gilyard isn’t that guy, he is a proven playmaker. He is an accomplished return man and there is little doubt that he will work hard and appreciate everything he gets at this level. He doesn’t have the best measurables, but the guy is know to be a poor practice player and great when the game starts. The Rams loved him from the beginning, and getting him in the fourth is a good pick.

Round 5 (132) – Michael Hoomanawanui-TE (Illinois)

This was the pick that really started to get my negatvity flowing. I know the team wanted a blocking TE, but I felt like with the needs we have, especially at skill positions, this was unnecessary. Blocking TE’s aren’t all that difficult to find, and it seemed like this pick could have been used to get a player at more of a need position. I have nothing against the guy, but this wasn’t a great pick considering who was left on the board, in my opinion.

Round 5 (169) – Hall Davis-DE (UL Lafayette)

Davis is another pick I didn’t much care for. The guy has plenty of potential, but he was very underwhelming playing against very average competition. He is a project, and I don’t know if a team who has totaled 6 wins over the last 3 seasons can afford a bunch of guys who aren’t ready to contribute yet. With that being said, later round guys rarely start early in their careers anyway, so as long as he can contribute on special teams, I’m willing to give this one a pass.

Round 6 (170) – Fendi Onobun-TE/PF (Houston)

This one blew my mind. I understand that this guy is a freak athlete who the organization thinks might be able to deveop into the next Antonio Gates, and if we would have been competitive last season, this would probably be my favorite pick in the draft. The fact of the matter is, this guy played 4 years of basketball at Arizona, then played 11 games as a tight end for Houston last season, catching a grand total of 2 passes for 33 yards in his college career. He is a long-term project, and I just don’t feel like we are in a position to take luxury gambles like Onobun. Once again, as a late-round guy who isn’t expected to make an immediate impact, I will give the pick the benefit of the doubt for now.

Round 6 (189) – Eugene Sims-DE (West Texas A&M)

Sims is a small-school guy who has some potential as well. He is a big boy at 6-5, an he has some tools that could develop into solid NFL production.  No major issues with this pick, although he wasn’t my top guy on the board at this point by any stretch of the imagination.

Round 7 (211) Marquis Johnson-CB (Alabama)

Johnson is a physical corner who is probably nothing more than a special teams guy at best. He was stuck behind two excellent players at Alabama last season in Kareem Jackson and Javi Arenas, but the kid is a solid player and fits well into what Coach Spags is trying to do on defense.

Round 7 (226) George Selvie-DE (South Florida)

In my humble opinion, this was the steal of the draft for the Rams. This guy didn’t have a great year in 2009, but he was a two-time All-American during his college career and also won defensive player of the year as a sophomore in the Big East. He isn’t an every-down guy, but getting a pass-rushing specialist who has been dominant in his career is a great pick this late in the process. I wouldn’t be shocked if he sees time in pass-rushing situations immediately next season.

Round 7 (254) Josh Hull-LB (Penn State)

Another solid but unspectacular guy who I think is a nice pick this late in the draft. He is an excellent tackler, and he worked extremely hard as a walk-on to put himself in a position to play at this level. If he does make the team, he could be a very nice special teamer who could develop into a serviceable backup at the position.

After taking a good look at our draft today, I feel much better about what we did. The picks weren’t all great by any means, but overall I think fans should be happy with the draft as a whole.