Draft of 2009 Part #1

The Rams have always been ignored, and even though they do get some great players, it seems they never have great drafts.

What about this year? The Rams first draft pick was a no brainer. The Rams drafted Jason Smith, offensive tackle from Baylor with the second overall pick. With the departure of Orlando Pace, this was definitely the number one "need" pick for the Rams. At 6'5" and 310 lbs. he has the size, strength and quickness for the NFL.

After taking the obvious, I was curious to see the direction the Rams would take. I was hoping for a stud at middle linebacker. The Rams haven't had a decent one since Jack "Hacksaw" Reynolds. I'm sure I'd hear the argument on London Fletcher being great, he did a decent job, but he wasn't that big for a middle linebacker. The Rams picked James Laurinatis middle linebacker from THE Ohio State University with their second round pick. As I have said before, I am an Ohio State homer. I LOVED this pick. I saw almost every game he played at Ohio State. He is a beast. He was the Big Ten's defensive player of the year for two straight years. He won many awards, too many to name here. His motor runs on full throttle all the time. He was projected to go in the first round if he came out his Junior year, but decided to stay in school. As a buckeye fan, I was happy he did. As a Rams fan I am ecstatic he did and got to slip to the second round.

I have a feeling that Rams fans will be talking about Jason Smith and James Laurinatis for years to come. For the Rams draft of 2009 part #1, I gave them an A+. Next I'll look at the rest of the draft and see how the "whole" draft turned out for the Rams.

"See you on the hit side" #21