The St.Louis Rams 2013 NFL Draft Preview: Robert Woods And DeMarcus Milliner

Let the playoff talk begin. The St.Louis Rams have won the last three games, clawing themselves back into the playoff hunt. Unfortunately for the Rams, many of the teams ahead of them also had a win. If the Rams just focus on winning the next three games, they should find themselves playing in the playoffs. The contest will be strong as the next three teams that Rams will play are all NFC teams who hope to make it to the playoffs. By the looks of it, the Rams will be drafting around the mid/late first round, which includes the extra pick from the Washington Redskins. This allows the Rams to draft the players who may have the top 10 talent, but fall into the mid to late first round category, simply because their position may not be worth a top 10 pick. Usually these positions include guard, tight end, right tackle, outside linebacker and safety. All of which are needs for a complete St.Louis Rams team.

Two players will be analyzed weekly (one from defense and one from offense) based on their current form in college football.

Position needs: OT, OLB, S, WR, TE

OFFENSE
Robert Woods (6 foot 1, 190 pounds)
Wide Receiver (USC)
This has been an obvious target going into the offseason for some time now. The Rams struck gold when drafting Chris Givens in the fourth round this year. With Chris Givens on the outside and Danny Amendola being sneaky in the slot, the Rams find themselves still in dying need of an every down receiver that Sam Bradford can build chemistry with. The Rams wide receiving core has improved over the last two years, but they need to find and maintain two or three wide receivers to help build on Bradfords career. Since Bradford joined the Rams in 2010, he has thrown to over 30 wide receivers. This obviously makes it hard to build any sort of connection with a wide receiver.

The 2013 draft class will be pretty strong for wide receivers. There are a lot of receivers that will be taken in the first two rounds, due to obvious talent that will enter the draft but also the significant need for a wide receiver. Woods is a great possessional wideout who can make a move down field to run for the score. Woods had an amazing year in 2011, with 111 catches for 1292 yards and 15 touchdowns. Woods looked to be a top five prospect coming into the 2012 season, until his numbers dropped to 73 catches for 813 yards and 11 touchdowns. His numbers dropped mainly due to his team mate Marquis Lee getting more attention on the field. Although Woods’ numbers did drop, his 2011 career should not be forgotten because he has shown what he can do when he is the number one wideout. Rams will be interested, but don’t expect them to use a mid to late first round draft pick on him.
Draft range – late first/second round

DEFENSE
DeMarcus Milliner (6 foot 1, 185 pounds)
Cornerback (Alabama)
With the addition of Cortland Finnegan and Janoris Jenkins in the offseason, the Rams secondary turned from the weakest position to one of the strongest positions. Many Ram fans will still agree that there is plenty of room for improvement at the cornerback position. Although Jenkins is a fantastic playmaker who has scored more touchdowns than almost any of the Rams offensive players, he still finds himself getting his feet tangled which makes him vulnerable to the deep pass. Too many times this year has Jenkins been beaten on a one on one play, which would end up as a touchdown. With the addition of a lockdown corner back, this will allow Jenkins to move to the nickel and excel on his playmaking abilities.

Milliner is a fantastic prospect who would blossom in the St.Louis Rams defense. Milliner is a very physical corner, who doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty by throwing in a few jams at the line of scrimmage. Although Milliner has the physical tools to be a instant starting cornerback in the NFL, he does lack that little bit of polish that could make him a great cornerback. There are times he can get his feet a little bit tangled, leaving him to be exposed to the pass. Despite these little downfalls, Milliner is a great play making corner and probably the best cornerback this draft has to offer. The Rams may not be able to draft him, as he will more than likely be off the board already, although the Rams probably wont be drafting a corner in the first round.
Draft range – Early/mid first round 

Follow the links to previous Ramblin Fan Draft Previews:
Week 1      Week 4     Week 7    Week 10
Week 2      Week 5     Week 8
Week 3      Week 6     Week 9

Follow @davebarber92 for more updates