Regrading The St. Louis Rams 2014 Draft

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With just over a year since the St. Louis Rams’ 2014 draft class, it is a good time to look back and reflect on just how good general manager Les Snead and his staff did on their picks.

The Rams made 11 picks in 2014, including two first round picks. Five of the 11 made sizable impacts for the St. Louis while eight of the players still remain with the Rams.

In the first round, the Rams selected offensive tackle Greg Robinson from Auburn University with the second pick in the draft. This was a no-brainer for St. Louis. In the regular season, Robinson made 12 starts, but saw action in all 16 games in route to what was a solid rookie campaign. Many expect Robinson to anchor the newly formed offensive line in 2015, and help protect Rams quarterback Nick Foles on the edge. Robinson is someone St. Louis will desperately need in 2015 if they want a shot at the playoffs. The offensive line is without a doubt the biggest question mark heading into training camp and Robinson needs to bring his A-game.

Grade: A

Just 11 picks later, the Rams took the best defensive tackle in the draft out of the University of Pittsburgh, Aaron Donald with the 13th overall pick. In my opinion, this pick is one of the hardest picks in the entire draft. Any pick from 10-15 these days is hit or miss. This was without a doubt a hit. Donald led rookie tackles in sacks with 9.0 and finished just one sack back from the most from a tackle in the entire NFL. Donald isn’t your prototypical 300 plus pound defensive tackle. Donald possesses tremendous speed, allowing him to use his smaller frame to get to the quarterback. This was the best pick the Rams selected in 2014 and arguably one of the best five players selected in the entire draft.

Grade: A+

Next, St. Louis drafted cornerback Lamarcus Joyner out of Florida State in the second round (41st overall) to help shore up the secondary. In his rookie season, Joyner battled a mid-season injury leading to what was just an OK season. Joyner had a much as 10 tackles in a game in week eight against the Kansas City Chiefs, but managed just 10 tackles for the last eight games combined. Joyner is still very young,but will have something to prove heading into his second year in the NFL.

Grade: C+

In the third round, the Rams took Tre Mason, running back out of Auburn with the 75th overall pick. This has turned out to be a very good pick for St. Louis. Mason played in 12 games as a rookie and rushed for 765 yards and four touchdowns. Mason also accounted for a receiving touchdown, giving him five scores on the season. But, a new guy is in town by the name of Todd Gurley. Gurley may not be ready to go by week one, who is recovering from a torn ACL against Auburn back in November which will likely give Mason a lot of reps until Gurley is ready to go. Nonetheless, Mason had a great rookie season and will continue to be a very important offensive piece for the Rams in 2015.

Grade: A

In the sixth round, St. Louis picked up cornerback, E.J. Gaines out of Missouri. A hometown guy, Gaines had a fantastic rookie season, totaling 70 tackles, two interceptions and 14 passes defended. Gaines may be one of the best value picks of the entire draft a year ago, and is already a huge step ahead of fellow teammate Joyner. Gaines started 15 games in 2014 and will be a huge piece to the puzzle for the Rams in 2015. Excellent pick by the Rams.

Grade: A+

The remaining players under contract by the Rams are fourth round pick Maurice Alexander, safety out of Utah State, safety Christian Bryant and offensive lineman Demetrius Rhaney from Tennessee State. Alexander was the only player of this group to see playing time as a rookie, recording four tackles in nine games played.

Overall this was a fantastic draft for the Rams. They filled some very important holes and gave some young guys a chance to compete with the big boys.

Overall Grade: A

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