St. Louis Rams

Head Coach: Scott Linehan (11-21)

Football Operations: Jay Zygmunt

2007 Record: 3-13 (4th NFC West)
 
Major Off-Season Moves:

• Released - (WR) Isaac Bruce, (LB) Brandon Chillar, (QB) Gus Frerotte, (DE) James Hall, (K) Jeff Wilkins

• Signed - (OG) Jacob Bell, (TE) Anthony Becht, (K) Josh Brown, (QB) Trent Green, (CB) David Macklin

 
Team Needs: Defensive End, Wide Receiver, Safety, Tackle, Linebacker, Defensive Tackle

Current Draft Picks (Round 1-5):

• Round 1 (#2)
• Round 2 (#33)
• Round 3 (#65)
• Round 4 (#101)
• Round 5 (#137)

 
Draft Analysis:

The biggest problems for the Rams last season came with their defensive front seven in my opinion. They literally could not stop anyone from running or throwing the ball down field, and while their secondary wasn’t terrible, they could not generate any consistent pass rush, which allowed opposing QBs to have all day to throw the ball. So with that in mind, I think the Rams will address their anemic pass rush immediately with their first selection in the draft (#2 overall) and take either DE Chris Long or DE Vernon Gholston.

Both of those players are equally capable of wreaking havoc on opposing offenses, especially in the passing game, which as I mentioned earlier, was the single biggest weakness on the Rams 3-13 team from a season ago. But given Bill Parcell’s love of the prototypical 3-4 rush LB, I see the Rams being left with the option of taking Chris Long with their first pick and not being able to take a guy they really like a lot in Vernon Gholston.

Nevertheless, Long is by no means a lackluster pick at #2 overall. His overall talent level might be unmatched by any other prospect available, and considering his family history in the NFL (Dad is Howie Long - Raiders fame) we can definitely expect him to do big things with his career in the NFL. The Rams should be extremely happy that they have the opportunity to take a player of his caliber, and once they pair him with Leonard Little and Adam Carriker, their defensive line should be much improved next year.

The NFC West has become a high-flying, gunslinger type of division, with offenses taking center stage, so the Rams will have to address their defense early and often, if they want to have a chance at competing in their division this season. The Rams long-time division rival, the San Francisco 49ers have made a lot of moves in free-agency to shore up a underachieving squad from a season ago, while the Rams haven’t made too many moves other than replacing long-time standout kicker Jeff Wilkins with a young Pro-Bowler in Josh Brown. Brown, who has kicked in miserable weather conditions in Seattle up to this point in his career, should enjoy the benefits of kicking inside the Rams climate controlled dome, and could post career numbers, but he only a kicker, so the Rams cannot count on him to carry the team.

All in all, you can expect the Rams to place a heavy emphasis on improving their defense through the draft and then add in a piece here and there to re-tool a fairly good offense as well. If they can limit the mistakes defensively, and generate consistent pressure on opposing QBs, the Rams could sneak up out of the competitive NFC West division, and surprise a lot of people. At the very least, I expect them to be a much more difficult opponent this time around.

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