The St. Louis Rams are in what is the most competitive division of all of football and in that division, the Seattle Seahawks took home the Lombardi Trophy. They ended the season with a 7-9 record and were last in the division, which seems crazy because just a couple of years ago that record would have gotten someone into the playoffs in this division. The Rams did make a splash in free agency to try and boost up their team, so they will have to utilize the draft to bulk up their team to have a shot at competing to make the playoffs. Talking about playoffs, the Rams have not been to the playoffs since 2004, which will make it a decade since the team was in a race for the Lombardi. The defensive front men are in good shape but they may be looking for some help in the secondary. If the Rams don’t go early in the draft for a quarterback, then they need to protect their current or prospective quarterback. The Rams have 12 picks in the draft and four of them are before the 75th pick in the draft. They could use those four to see if they can get players that potentially could get plugged in as starters for the offense.
Needs: QB, WR, OL, CB, S
Quarterback: The Rams have not gotten what they have wanted from Sam Bradford and could use some young competition or even someone to take over the position. They do have their veteran in Shaun Hill but the Rams will look in the mid-rounds to see if they can scout out talent who can compete with Shaun Hill. If Bradford doesn’t do well, then they have someone they can look towards to take over. They may shock everyone and take someone with one of their earlier picks but it isn’t likely.
Wide Receiver: The acquisition of Kenny Britt makes this position not as much of a necessity but the Rams have two high picks in the first round and could use one of those to get a pass catcher who will help bring up the pass offense of the Rams.
Offensive Lineman: The Rams offense will need to step up to come up from their below average offensive play. Also, Sam Bradford has a big injury history and he will need a good pass blocker to help him finish up this year. They also could use a hefty run blocker to try and springboard their run offense into a key ingredient to their offensive scheme.
Cornerback: Cortland Finnegan was one of the few losses they had during this offseason and with Janoris Jenkins having one side locked, they will look at someone to be on the opposite side. The division is full of great offenses so they will need to plug in someone to help the team ASAP. The defense will look for a fast man who can come down and tackle as well since the team does have more urgent matters, the depth of this class will be their best friend.
Safety: Last year, the defense had a pretty good safety in T.J. McDonald, who’s rookie year was pretty good and now they will have to find his partner. The successful teams in the league do seem to have an outstanding safety, while McDonald was good, they will be looking for someone to be their “ball hawk” and help the team contain the big plays and in that get more wins. If they choose a safety in the first round, they will have the pick of the litter but most likely will do it in the second where they can still get someone who can hopefully have the same impact that they are looking for.
