St. Louis Rams: Scenarios For the #2 Pick in 2014 NFL Draft
By Erik Lambert
Jan 1, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (7) waves to the crowd as quarterback Connor Shaw (14) applauds after the South Carolina Gamecocks beat the Wisconsin Badgers 34-24 in the Capital One Bowl at Florida Citrus Bowl. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
Several scenarios are cropping up for what the St. Louis Rams can do with their #2 pick in the 2014 NFL draft. Here are a few of them.
Take Jake Matthews
Put it this way. The Rams currently reside in a division that featured three of the six best defenses in the league. If they ever plan to run such a gauntlet to make the playoffs, they need to control the line of scrimmage on offense. That requires big, athletic bodies up front. Sam Bradford is the guy at quarterback moving forward and the Rams must make every commitment possible to protecting him. They do have Jake Long at left tackle but he’s coming off a torn ACL. His future is clouded at the moment, so what better way to kill two birds with one stone than by taking Jake Matthews out of Texas A&M. The big tackle is a second generation prototype: strong, athletic and durable with the proven versatility to play either the left or right tackle positions equally well as he did for the Aggies. St. Louis could bring him in and put him on the right side for the time being, and then if Long begins to fade they would have the option of moving Matthews to the left side.
Take Jadeveon Clowney
The real “what if” scenario that has people talking is whether the Rams would consider drafting South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. On paper the move doesn’t make much sense. They already have a pair of studs at the end positions in Chris Long and Robert Quinn. However, in an era dominated by the pass rush the idea of putting a talent like Clowney in that rotation under a proven coach like Jeff Fisher has to be enticing to GM Les Snead. Clowney is even more of athletic monster than Quinn who is in the running for Defensive Player of the Year. His blend of length, speed and power allows him to control blockers whenever he wants and either clobber a runner or sack the quarterback. Russell Wilson and Colin Kaepernick certainly wouldn’t like seeing that rotation twice a year.
Trade down for picks and select Greg Robinson
By far the most popular idea among St. Louis Rams fans is to repeat what the team did in 2012 which is to trade out of the #2 pick in order to collect valuable draft currency for later. While it isn’t likely they will yield three first and a second round choice like they did with Washington, chances are the Rams could still get some nice compensation with the quarterbacks and other talents available. Depending on how far they move down they could collect perhaps an extra first or perhaps a pair of second round choices. That should still leave them in favorable position to get a player of need. A good example is if they moved down to the #6 spot, allowing Atlanta to take Clowney in return for second rounders in 2014 and 2015. Then the Rams still fill a key need in the 2014 NFL draft by taking left tackle Greg Robinson out of Auburn. Every bit as talented as Matthews, his issues lay with lacking experience. However, given his 2013 season that doesn’t seem like a big problem. Thus the Rams get their extra picks and still find that impact player.