Breaking Down The Rams First Round Picks

The Rams passed the first round of the draft with flying colors on Thursday night when the Rams once again proved that they aren’t afraid to move around during the draft. Many people were surprised when the Rams traded up eight spots to go get Tavon Austin. Many people and the Rams were even more surprised when Alec Ogletree was still on the board when the Rams picked at 30.

The Rams didn’t wait long to begin making noise Thursday night. The Rams moved from 16 to 8 to get a good playmaker in Tavon Austin. Austin’s draft stock had been rising really fast, and it was quite obvious that the Rams needed a receiver and Austin was their guy. Had the Rams not moved up to get Austin, the Jets probably would have jumped on him at nine, therefore if the Rams wanted Austin they had to go up. Austin is a player that can get in the end zone on any given play from anywhere on the field. Austin may be small, but so far in his career he has proved that he is durable. Austin will be able to step in right away and contribute, playing most likely in the slot and contributing in the return game. The Rams gave up a lot to move up to get Austin, but if he become the player that experts say he will, it will definitely be worth it. A side note on this, the last receiver the Rams took in the first round was back in 1999 when they drafted Torry Holt.

The Rams had to sit and wait for a while, but when they were back on the clock, it didn’t take them long to shake things up once again. The Rams traded away their number 22 pick to the Atlanta Falcons, moving them down from 22 to 30. It wouldn’t matter though, after a small scare when Minnesota traded back into the first round at 29, the Rams still got their guy in Alec Ogletree. The big concern around Ogletree is his character issues, but if it’ one thing we’ve learned about the Rams it is that they aren’t afraid to take guys that have talent with character issues. Had it not been for the character issues, there is no doubt that Ogletree would have been a top 10 or top 15 pick. Ogletree is has the speed and the ability to cover like a safety but tackle like a linebacker. He will be running down Kaepernick and Wilson for years to come.The Rams really scored big getting Ogletree at 30.

The Rams don’t pick again until the third round, but don’t be surprised if the Rams move back into the second round, or at least try to. The Rams got some good players last night that will be able to come in and start day one which is exactly what you would like to see in the first round. If this trend continues the Rams are looking to once again have a very successful draft. The Rams just got a lot faster on both sides of the ball last night. Austin and Ogletree may just be what the Rams need to make the jump to finally

make the playoffs for the first time since 2004.