With the 2011 NFL draft starting this Thursday, a new crop of Rams will be taken. As always, this is a major crap shoot. Since I took a year off from writing for Planet Rams, a lot has happened to our beloved Rams. After a year, Sam Bradford proved to be worth his #1 pick overall. I was skeptical and wary of this pick when the Rams took him. A history of shoulder problems, and coming from Oklahoma, I didn't have a lot of faith. I'm glad to say that I was wrong.
Now that we are getting back on track to being a winning franchise, what do the Rams need next? The first thing the Rams need is a stud at WR. We need to get Bradford some help. Julio Jones from Alabama is a good fit here. The biggest problem is that he had an amazing combine performance and helped his draft ranking. If the Rams could trade up a few spots to grab him, I would be ecstatic. The Rams also need to look at drafting a running back sometime in the first 4 rounds. Steven Jackson is not getting younger, even though he can still bring the pain to defenders.
For the defense (which if you've read this column before, I focus on the defense), there are two glaring spots I think we need help in. If the Rams take a defensive lineman in the first round (Julio would have to be gone) you would be able to hear me scream all the way from Georgia. The Rams need a free safety. Losing Atogwe to the Redskins backfired on the Rams. The other need for the Rams defense is another beast of a linebacker. James Laurinaitis needs some help, he can't do it all by himself. The Rams can fill the other 3 picks with what they think are their needs. As long as we get a WR,RB,LB and safety, this should make for a great weekend and the start of a great new year.
"See you on the hit side" #21
