Amari Cooper Is This Year’s Aaron Donald

In the 2014 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams did something that not a lot of teams do, especially when drafting in the top 15. They drafted the best player available rather than draft purely on need. In return they got defensive rookie of the year Aaron Donald.

Even though the Rams’ biggest strength was, even then, along the front four of their defense, the Giants won two Super Bowls in five years because they understood you can never have enough pass-rushers.

When we talk about finding that diamond in the rough, we are usually talking about finding that player in the fifth, sixth, or seventh round that turns out to be a contributor for your football team. Well, in this case the Rams found a diamond in the rough in Donald at 13 who turned out to be a difference maker.

While he was undersized,  he was a great talent that very well could have gone in the top-10, but dropped to St. Louis at 13. Luckily they took him and they have reaped the rewards as he has proven that he is a franchise caliber player.

This year, the Rams could be faced with a similar situation. It is very possible that Alabama wide receiver, Amari Cooper, drops to them at ten, and if he does, they must draft him.

Cooper is one of the best prospects in this year’s draft class. He doesn’t have the size of West Virginia’s Kevin White, but he’s the most polished receiver and he has the speed to go with it.From a route-running standpoint, there’s no receiver better than Cooper. He is the Calvin Johnson, Sammy Watkins, etc. of this year’s draft class, and he could be there at ten. That would be a steal.

The two teams it will really come down to are the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets. However, Kevin White seems to Oakland’s type of receiver and the Jets will most likely draft defense. If those two teams pass on Cooper, he could be right there for the Rams to take.

Jeff Fisher and Les Snead love the guys that they have in the receiving corps right now. Brian Quick and Kenny Britt showed what they can do last season and they are both very young. That doesn’t even go into who the Rams have behind them in Stedman Bailey and Tavon Austin.

To say the least, the Rams dont have a need at wide receiver. However, when you have the chance to draft, potentially, a special player, you take it. That’s what the Rams did last year, and if they are faced with the same dilemma, they must do it again.

There is no question that there is a big hole on the offensive line. As it stands right now, Nick Foles will be running for his life on every passing play. However, it is very possible that Brandon Scherff is gone before the Rams draft, and after that, there is Andrus Peat, but he really isn’t a fit for what the Rams do.

Aside from those two guys, there isn’t an offensive lineman worth drafting until after 20 when you could get a guy like La’el Collins or Cameron Erving. A trade back is also a possibility, however, would it really be worth it if it meant missing out on a guy like Cooper?

For whatever reason, Cooper’s draft stock has taken a hit while Kevin White’s has gone up. This leaves the Rams with quite a conundrum if he is there at ten, but really it isn’t a problem at all. What it really does is allow the Rams the opportunity to draft the difference maker on offense that they still desperately need.

Next: St Louis Rams Have Lowest Free Agent Signings In 2015

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