St. Louis Rams 1st Round Options: 2013 NFL Draft

Nov 23, 2012; Ames, Iowa, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers running back Tavon Austin (1) rushes down field against the Iowa State Cyclones during the first half at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Tavon Austin – Austin is the most explosive player in this entire draft. He has athleticism that not many in the NFL can match. Austin can change direction on a dime and make defenders look silly. He is a very versatile player, able to play at WR and line up in the backfield as a RB. Austin is also one of the most dangerous return men in the entire draft. He goes from zero to top speed in a flash and if he gets by you, you aren’t catching him from behind. He has a gear that he can hit that very few others can. However, he is quite small and that makes him have durability concerns. Can get himself in trouble by going east and west too much instead of gaining the yards that are available. Tries hard to block, but is very limited by his size.

Sept 1, 2012; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns free safety Kenny Vaccaro (4) intercepts a pass intended for Wyoming Cowboys wide receiver Chris McNeil (80) during the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

Kenny Vaccaro – Vaccaro is the top safety on most boards. Vaccaro is aggressive in the run game, but he can tend to get over aggressive and cause himself to miss open field tackles. This happens in the Oklahoma State game against Joseph Randle a couple times. He can drop into the slot and cover the slot WR. Vaccaro also quickly locates the ball when in the air and has good vision and instincts. He showed a good ability to jump routes last year at Texas. He didn’t produce many turnovers at Texas however, which can be a concern to a team who wants him to drop back into a center field role.

Jan 26, 2013; Mobile, AL, USA; Senior Bowl north squad defensive back Jonathan Cyprien of Florida International (37) prior to kickoff of a game against the Senior Bowl south squad at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Jonathan Cyprien – Cyprien is the only safety that you will see ranked over Vaccaro by some scouts. He has risen up the draft boards extremely quick since the season ended. Cyprien has the prototypical size for an NFL safety. Cyprien has a very aggressive playing style which can lead to a lot of big plays. Always goes full speed and gives his full effort. Has great ball skill and has shown the ability to extend and grab the ball out of the air. Played his best games against the best competition he played. Played a lot of two deep coverage at FIU, so some question his ability to be a true center fielder. At times will try to tackle up high on the ball carrier, causing him to miss some tackles.
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