St. Louis Rams Three-Round 2015 Mock Draft: Pre-Playoffs Edition

Nov 22, 2014; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles center Cameron Erving (75) warms up before the start of the game against the Boston College Eagles at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports

If your sights hadn’t been set on the 2015 NFL Draft after the St. Louis Rams were eliminated from the playoffs following their loss to the Arizona Cardinals, they have certainly shifted there now, with the team wrapping up their regular season last weekend. While there are still a bevy of activities that will need to take place between now and the opening bell of the Draft, we now have the Top 20 order set and know, for the most part, which players will, or will not, be returning to school. That sets us up perfectly for our first post-regular season, three-round mock draft…

Round 1: Brandon Scherff, OT/G, Iowa

Regardless of what the St. Louis Rams do with Jake Long and Joe Barksdale, they obviously need to re-tool their offensive line, which is currently plagued by a myriad of injury-prone, underperforming, stop-gap veterans. At a minimum, the Rams will need to replace Scott Wells in the center of their offensive line, and will certainly need to find someone other than Davin Joseph to protect whoever is throwing the football in 2015. Enter Brandon Scherff, arguably the top offensive line prospect in the class. The Iowa road grader is a monster in the running game, but  also possesses solid technique and the light feet necessary to excel in passing protection. More importantly, he offers the versatility the Jeff Fisher demands on the offensive line, and shouldn’t have much difficulty moving to the interior, if needed. Scherff could serve as the Rams “future” at right tackle or immediately fill a need at one of the guard spots.

Round 2: Cameron Erving, C/OT, Florida State

After going lineman-lineman with the opening picks in the 2014 NFL Draft, many would likely be unhappy with the decision to repeat that this year. However, after getting burned (repeatedly) by veteran, free agent center acquisitions in the past, the Rams need to find a young, viable replacement for Scott Wells in the center of their offensive line. Barrett Jones might be pegged for the job, but, as the old adage goes: an NFL players’ best attribute is availability. Jones is rarely, if ever, available. Enter Cameron Erving, the defensive end-turned-offensive tackle-turned-center that is dominating on the offensive line of the defending national champion Florida State Seminoles this year. For the center position, Erving has unmatched size, athleticism, and versatility. He possesses the natural strength, footwork, and toughness to dominate as both a run and pass blocker in the NFL. More impressively, he was one of the top left tackles in college football last season before transiting to the inside, demonstrating his ability to take coaching, absorb that information, and translate it to his actual performance on the football field.

The combination of Greg Robinson, Brandon Scherff, and Cameron Erving would be one of the youngest, strongest, and most aggressive fronts in the National Football League, and could be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Rams offensive woes.

Round 3: Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor

Jeff Fisher was insistent in his end of the year presser that the St. Louis Rams would be bringing in someone to compete with Sam Bradford during the offseason, which, given the free agency outlook, heavily points to the NFL Draft. Having given up their fourth- and sixth-round picks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to acquire Mark Barron, the Rams will have to address this position sooner, rather than later, if they don’t want to end up with another Garrett Gilbert. Enter Bryce Petty, arguably the top senior quarterback prospect in the Draft class, who has led one of the most potent, efficient offenses in college football for the last couple of seasons. In his two years as a starter, Petty has managed 58 touchdown passes to only nine interceptions, with 19 rushing touchdowns to top it all off. He is fearless in throws down the field and has demonstrated good accuracy and arm strength regardless of where he is throwing the football. Petty wasn’t been asked to be a “progression” quarterback in college, lacks much experience playing under-center, and has struggled at times to throw under duress. However, his intangibles, arm talent, athleticism, prototypical size, and coachability should be enough to put a genuine scare into Sam Bradford this offseason.