St Louis Rams 2015 draft: Wide receiver or offensive line?

Now the initial feeding frenzy over free agents is over, with most of the big names penned to new deals with new teams it is time to take a tentative look ahead to next month’s draft. While clearly there may be more deals to be done, many mock drafts have been altered as NFL teams have attempted to plug major gaps with players out of contract with their rivals. In the case of the St Louis Rams, the introduction of Akeem Ayers adds some valuable depth to the linebacker corps, while Nick Fairley cements the Rams status as probably the best defensive line in football.

So what of the offense? Many mock drafts have the Rams going with what is still perceived as the two biggest areas of weakness – the offensive line and the wide receiver group. So what are the arguments for and against spending the number 10 draft pick on a player in either of these positions?

Firstly, we must ask whether or not there is actually a need at the position. With the offensive line, this is a no-brainer. St Louis took Greg Robinson with the number two overall pick last year, and while he may well be the left tackle for the future there are still question marks over his transition into the NFL with a -24.1 grading on the year on Pro Football Focus. Scott Wells is gone, and while the Rams may still have hope of signing Stefen Wisniewski given that the former Oakland Raider has come away from visits to Tampa Bay and Seattle without a contract, at present there is no reliable option at center on the roster. Right tackle Joe Barksdale would be great to bring back, but at present he is still free to sign elsewhere and there plenty of teams with cap space to spare and a shortage at the position who may yet lure him away. Clearly there is a need to boost a line that allowed 47 sacks in 2014.

So what about the wide receiver position? This one is slightly more contentious. Last week the Rams had a big boost by signing Kenny Britt to a two-year $9.1m deal. If Brian Quick can fully recover from his shoulder injury and regain the form he showed in the early weeks of last year, the Rams may well have another potential 1000-yard receiver. Then there is the 2013 number 8 overall draft selection, Tavon Austin, who struggled to fulfil his potential with inconsistency at quarterback and the total inability of former offensive co-ordinator Brian Schottenheimer to make to most of Austin’s talent. Fellow West Virginia product Stedman Bailey also has potential, while certainly not as a number one receiver, but certainly as a valuable rotational player as his 2014 team-leading +4.2 PFF grading suggests.

Can we argue that the Rams do not need to draft a wide receiver? Possibly. The same case was made this time last year on the defensive front, but hey, selecting Aaron Donald didn’t work out too badly, did it? It is one of the most quoted stats in relation to the Rams that we have not had a 1000-yard receiver for over a decade. Does this in itself prove that the position is still a real area of need on the roster? Again, there is a case to be made. My personal view is that, despite the temptation to take an Amari Cooper or Kevin White if available, that offensive line is just too much of a problem to try and address with a mid-round selection – particularly if the speculation over Wisniewski comes to nothing. The depth this year at the guard and tackle positions appears far less, so it is vital St Louis address their biggest need as early as possible. Chicago’s Alshon Jeffery, Green Bay’s Randall Cobb and the Rams own Brian Quick are all examples in the last few seasons of the sort of wide receiver talent that can be found in round two, and if someone like Dorial Green-Beckham’s off field issues causes him to fall in the draft as Bleacher Report’s Ian Wharton suggests it might) I would have no issue with taking him then. However, as for round one, I believe the Rams should go with the top offensive lineman available when they are on the clock – Brandon Scherff would do just fine.

At a very simplistic level and assuming the team has no intention of going with any other position, it really comes down to a choice between whether Jeff Fisher and Les Snead want to go for the best player available or fill the biggest position of need. By selecting Robinson (clearly a big need) and Donald (a top prospect at a position where there was already strength) in the first round last year, the front office showed that there is no predicting what will happen. With draft-day trades by no means out of the question either, the situation is even more uncertain. Whether the Rams will take an offensive lineman or wide receiver with their first round selection is still anyone’s guess.