The St. Louis Rams 2013 Draft Preview: Zach Ertz And Damontre Moore

First of all, what a promising young team the St.Louis Rams have become. Jeff Fisher and Les Snead have really picked up the scraps and turned this once laugh worthy team, into a formidable young unit. As they say, there is no ‘offseason’ in the NFL world, as the events that happen on the offseason can be more exciting than an actual game of football. No offseason event is more exciting than the NFL draft and the lead up to it. I’ll admit it, last NFL draft I called in sick at work so that I could sit down, relax and let the draft process unfold. If it wasn’t for the draft in late April, most NFL fans would go crazy as they would agree that the offseason is way too long. The draft keeps die hard fans sane. Oh, and apparently this season’s playoffs are about to begin?

Two players will be analyzed weekly (one from defense and one from offense) based on their current form in college football. This isn’t a mock draft. This is simply an analysis of high valued players that will enter the 2013 NFL draft, so that you guys are more knowledgeable of each high draft prospect come the draft time.

OFFENSE
Zach Ertz (6 foot 5, 250pounds)
Tight End (Stanford)
Lance Kendricks has solidified his position after making a late charge in December, by putting up great numbers. Kendricks has really been living up to his draft expectations. He’s a great blocker and is improving on his receiving abilities, but the NFL now knows it doesn’t hurt to have two useful tight ends. No longer is the wide receiver position a drastic need for the completion of the Rams offense, as Chris Givens, Danny Amendola and even Brandon Gibson have all shown good signs of improvement throughout the 2012 season. They still do need that every down receiver, but right now, tight end is a much bigger requirement.

Zach Ertz. This guy is a personal favorite. Why? Well apart from being an absolute monster in stature, Ertz can run blcok, he’s a fantastic receiver, and he has been taught in a pro style offense. Ertz finished the season with 66 catches for 837 yards, nearly double the yardage of Stanford’s second-leading receiver. Of Ertz’s 66 receptions, 39 of them have been for a first down. Ertz is 6 foot 5 and 250 pounds and has good speed for a receiver of his size. His ability to block allows him to be an every single down tight end, either in the run or pass. If the play call is run and the defense have lined up ready for the run, Sam Bradford could easily just switch the play to pass and Ertz will be ready. This guy is the sort player that keeps defensive coordinators up late at night. Ertz would be Bradford’s favourite target in the red-zone.

DEFENSE
Damontre Moore (6 foot 4, 250 pounds)
Defensive End (Texas A&M)
Before Ram fans stress out, Rams certainly do not need to invest a first round pick in a defensive linemen again and especially not a defensive end. Moore is a high prospect coming out of college, who will likely be a top five draft pick. Some may suggest he is the best defender in the 2013 draft, period. This guy doesn’t have the physical intangibles that will blow your mind away, he’s simply a fantastic footballer who gets the job down. He’s pretty much at the same level as defensive end Chris Long when he was coming out of college.  Moore had only three games all year where he didn’t register a sack and only two games where he didn’t register a tackle for loss. In both of those games Moore was pulled out early in the 2nd half, due to blowouts. Moore has everything you want in a DE prospect; size, speed, power, and technical ability.

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Follow the links to previous Ramblin Fan Draft Previews:
Week 1      Week 4     Week 7    Week 10   Week 13
Week 2      Week 5     Week 8    Week 11
Week 3      Week 6     Week 9    Week 12