Rams go wide receiver in first mock draft

With all the issues the St. Louis Rams have on offense, one of them is a severe lack of talent at the wide receiver position group. Sure, Tavon Austin has shown flashes of brilliance and even Kenny Britt has continued on his path back to relevance, but no one on the current roster strikes fear into opposing defenses. The Rams lack a true number one option in the position group, and with the 2016 NFL Draft no squarely in their cross hairs.

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Todd McShay of ESPN has released his first take on the upcoming draft and has St. Louis selecting Laquon Treadwell out of Mississippi with the 10th overall selection. Now, it’s worth noting that the mock draft was written up prior to the Rams Thursday night victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so they will fall a couple of slots in the draft order. However, with two weeks remaining in the season against the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis should land somewhere between 10 and 15 in the draft order.

Treadwell is being touted as the top wide receiver available in the upcoming draft, and many believe he has the physical tools to be a number one option in the NFL. In 2014, Treadwell saw his season come to early end after a leg injury forced him out. However, he has bounced back nicely this season and worked his way to the top of a wide receiver class that is lacking in top-tier talent.

Nov 7, 2015; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Laquon Treadwell (1) prepares for a play during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Arkansas won 53-52. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

Treadwell still needs to declare for the draft, so his availability is still up in the air. It’s also possible that the Rams choose to go in another direction, and they may have no other choice as Treadwell should be highly sought after rookie. The questions at quarterback still exist for St. Louis, so the value of which a player like Treadwell could provide.

The top two quarterback prospects are Paxton Lynch of Memphis and Jared Goff of California. St. Louis isn’t projected to select either of these players. Both Lynch and Goff are projected as top ten sections and are likely to be taken by Cleveland and San Francisco. The Rams always have the ability to move up in the draft, but with a limited number of sections in the 2016 draft, they are unlikely to go anywhere except backwards in the hopes of accumulating more picks.

A team that has never been good enough to provide hope for the playoffs, nor bad enough to select high enough in the draft for an immediate impact player, the 2016 draft will be very important for head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead. Both are reportedly returning for the 2016 season, but given the uncertainty of reallocation and their poor track record, it could be the last for the two in St. Louis.