St. Louis Rams Draft Watch

It was close, probably too close for comfort, but the Cowboys pulled out a victory against the Redskins almost guaranteeing the Rams a top five draft pick. The Rams on the other hand pulled out a victory against the Buccaneers dropping their other pick one spot, so nothing too dramatic. Here is what the draft order looks like after week 16.

1. Houston Texans – 2-13 (.552)

2. St. Louis Rams (via Washington Redskins) – 3-12 (.521) 

3. Jacksonville Jaguars- 4-11 (.502)

4. Cleveland Browns – 4-11 (.517)

5. Oakland Raiders- 4-11 (.517)

6. Atlanta Falcons- 4-11 (.553)

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- 4-11 (.582)

8. Minnesota Vikings- 4-10-1 (.521)

9. Tennessee Titans – 6-9 (.502)

10. Buffalo Bills- 6-9 (.519)

11. New York Giants- 6-9 (.529)

12. Detroit Lions- 7-8 (.458)

13. Pittsburgh Steelers- 7-8 (.471)

14. New York Jets- 7-8 (.490)

15. St. Louis Rams – 7-8 (.553) 

16. Green Bay Packers- 7-7-1 (.462)

17 or 18. Baltimore Ravens – 8-7 (.487) *will flip coin to decide

17 or 18. Dallas Cowboys – 8-7 (.487)  *will flip coin to decide

19. San Diego Chargers- 8-7 (.500)

20. Arizona Cardinals- 10-5 (.532)

Teams 21-32 are currently on pace to make the playoffs. Elimination will determine the proper order, so this is only ordered by record.

21. Chicago Bears – 8-7 (.470)

22. Miami Dolphins- 8-7 (.515)

23. Philadelphia Eagles- 9-6 (.466)

24. Cincinnati Bengals – 10-5 (.479)

25. Cleveland Browns (via Indianapolis Colts) – 10-5 (.485)

26. New Orleans Saints- 10-5 (.527)

27. Kansas City Chiefs- 11-4 (.442)

28. New England Patriots- 11-4 (.473)

39. Carolina Panthers – 11-4 (.498)

30. San Francisco 49ers- 11-4 (.502)

31. Denver Broncos- 12-3 (.467)

32. Seattle Seahawks- 12-3 (.489)

As of right now the Rams would be selecting number two and number 15 overall in the 2014 NFL draft, and at those two places the Rams will have an abundance of options to consider.

With offensive tackle and big name free agent signing Jake Long going down with a season ending ACL and MCL injury and the Rams other offensive tackle Roger Saffold’s future with the team uncertain; the Rams may end up going offensive tackle here.

The Rams are hopeful Long will get back and begin playing at the pro bowl level that he plays at, but with knee injuries you can never be sure. Jeff Fisher has never taken an offensive lineman in the first round of a draft, but he will have to consider taking Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews here before thinking about trading down or drafting one of the pass rushers.

At 15 things are a bit more clear, but their are still a lot of options. The Rams need to address the secondary at some point in the draft which makes Alabama safety Ha-Ha Clinton Dix a likely option. Cornerback Justin Gilbert could also be an option here or  Marquise Lee or Sammy Watkins if either of them were to drop.

The Rams have a lot of options heading into the 2014 draft which is great and it just shows how bright the future of this team is and where it is headed. The Rams are set up for a breakout year in 2014 and it will all depend on how this draft pans out.