St. Louis Rams 2012 NFL Mock Draft: Evaluating DraftTek's Latest 7-Round Mock

With the 2012 NFL Draft now just barely over a month away, the scrutiny and interest in St. Louis Rams mock drafts is increasing by the day in Rams Nation.

Of course, one of the nation's most respected and in-demand draft analysts is none other than Bleacher Report's own Matt Miller.  His latest mock, "Peyton Manning to Denver Broncos Edition," was released yesterday and is a must-see. 

One of the more unique mock drafts in all of cyberspace comes form Drafttek.com.  DraftTek utilizes a software-generated draft simulator to generate unique mock drafts.  This is done in the following manner, according to their above-linked site:

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At Drafttek, each NFL team has an analyst who assigns positional needs, then a proprietary computer model is employed to generate a seven-round Consensus Mock Draft.

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With that, let us jump right to my analysis and breakdown of the latest seven-round NFL mock draft from the aforementioned site. 

I urge you to take a seat and collect yourself, because a couple of these picks are doozies.

Round 1 (6): Justin Blackmon, WR

DraftTek goes with Justin Blackmon at No. 6, which would be a popular pick among a large contingent of the St. Louis fanbase. 

In Miller's aforementioned mock, he also has the Rams taking Blackmon, although he does not feel that the Oklahama State wide receiver is worthy of a Top 10 pick. 

St. Louis needs upgraded weapons, and head coach Jeff Fisher stated recently on the NFL Network that the Rams would indeed provide them for Sam Bradford.  

After failing to land at top-tier wide receiver in the 2012 free agency period, St. Louis will likely prioritize the receiver position in the upcoming draft.

Yesterday, I analyzed the Rams' No. 6 pick in this column and assessed the various options at hand for St. Louis from that spot.

In that piece, I ranked wide receiver as the Rams' top positional need.  In that regard, a selection of Blackmon would make sense.  

However, St. Louis will ultimately make a decision on whether to draft Blackmon (or another upper-echelon prospect like Matt Kalil, Morris Claiborne or Trent Richardson) or to trade down based upon who is available, who their draft board rates as the best player available at No. 6 and what Fisher and general manager Les Snead believe will generate optimal value for St. Louis going forward. 

If the Rams have Blackmon rated as the BPA and they feel bringing him on board will bring more value than who and what they could get via a trade down, expect the Rams to lasso the former Cowboy from Stillwater. 

Gray's Grade: A-

Shane's Suggestion: Matt Kalil (LT)

Round 2 (33): Devon Still, DT

Devon Still would bring great value at No. 33 and defensive tackle is clearly an area of need after the Rams recently released DTs Fred Robbins and Justin Bannan, both of whom spent time in the starting lineup last season.  

The Penn State product has all the tools and athleticism necessary to be a disruptive defensive tackle and should be versatile enough to play DT in a 4-3 base or defensive end in a 3-4.  

However, I do not feel that Still would be the ideal fit in St. Louis to pair with new free-agent acquisition Kendall Langford, who is a smaller three-technique defensive tackle.

Many, like Walter Football, see Still as more of a three-technique defensive tackle himself.  Ideally, a team would typically pair a three-tech (like Langford) with a guy more equipped as a one or two-technique (like prospects Dontari Poe, Alameda Ta'amu or Brandon Thompson), for example. 

If not for the addition of Langford, I would be higher on this pick.  With Langford in the fold, though, I believe adding a DT like one of the aforementioned alternatives would make more sense than selecting Still.  

Gray's Grade: B

Shane's Suggestion: Cordy Glenn (G/T) or Stephen Hill (WR)

Round 2 (39): David Wilson, RB

DraftTek suggests adding David Wilson, the running back from Virginia Tech, at No. 39. 

Wilson has ascended on draft boards since the 2012 NFL Combine, moving up to become the second-rated running back on some sites like Walter Football and cbssports.com. 

Although there are greater areas of need for the Rams than running back (tackle, wide receiver, guard and outside linebacker), smart teams typically take the best player available. 

At No. 39, it is indeed possible that Wilson would be the BPA there. 

If so, I would have no problem with the selection, although I would prefer a player from one of the aforementioned positions of greater perceived need. 

That said, Steven Jackson will be 29 this season and missed four games in 2011 due to injury.  He is nearing the age of 30, that not-so magical age when halfbacks tend to lose a step and their production typically declines. 

Considering all of the above, it would be difficult to argue with taking the 5'10", 206-pounder, who could serve as the heir apparent to Jackson for the next season or two in St. Louis.

In the meantime, Wilson could enable the Rams to incorporate a great one-two punch from halfback, as well as injury insurance in the theoretical event of Jackson going down for an extended stretch.

Wilson is explosive on tape and in athletic assessments, leading all running backs at the combine in the broad and vertical jumps, posting an absurd 41-inch leap while running well, too. 

Wilson also displays terrific hands in the passing game to go along with his power, quickness and cutting ability on the ground.

Gray's Grade: A-

Shane's Suggestion: Zach Brown (OLB) 

Round 3 (66): Zebrie Sanders, OT

Offensive tackle Zebrie Sanders would be a solid value and need-filling pick for St. Louis at the top of round three. I personally like left tackle Bobbie Massie better here, though, as I explain here. 

The 6'6', 320 pound left tackle performed well at the combine with 28 reps on the bench press and arms measuring an impressive 35 inches.

However, he struggled working at right tackle at the Senior Bowl practices, according to this from nfldraftscout.com, who currently rate give him a second round grade (with an arrow trending down). 

Sanders was a four-year starter at Florida State.  Sanders played left tackle as a freshman and senior while lining up at right tackle his sophomore and junior years, making him a highly experienced prospect with much versatility on his resume.

Sanders has pretty quick feet, according to this profile which is crucial to success at left or right tackle in the NFL. 

Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has always believed that he can draft offensive linemen in rounds two, three or four and field a terrific offensive line, legitimized by the fact that the Tennessee Titans never drafted a first-round O-lineman in his 16 seasons with the franchise. 

If drafted, Sanders could step in and play right tackle from day one if he beats out incumbent Jason Smith or if Smith is eventually cut, which has been reported as a possibility (although St. Louis has indicated that they might like to bring him back at a reduced rate).

On the other hand, Sanders looks to be capable of playing left tackle which would afford the Rams with the opportunity to move Rodger Saffold (who struggled with injuries and performance last year after an impressive rookie season in 2010) to the right side. 

Gray's Grade: B

Shane's Suggestion: Alameda Ta'amu (DT) or Bobbie Massie (T)

Round 4 (96): Ryan Tannehill

This pick is a head-scratcher, to say the least. People are not talking about Ryan Tannehill as a Top-Five pick in Round 4, but rather a Top-Five pick in the entire 2012 NFL Draft, as is the case here. 

Tannehill is being mocked by many, such as Rob Rang of cbssports.com, as a Top-Five selection.  I do not see him getting past Miami at No. 8 and neither does Pat Kirwan, also of CBS Sports.

I am unsure as to the reasoning behind this slotting by the computer system at DraftTek, but it is obviously a puzzling prediction.  Yes, quarterbacks have been known to fall (like Aaron Rodgers in 2005), but this predicted drop would be cataclysmic and unprecedented.

Although Tannehill would provide stunningly great value here and St. Louis could trade him back to the coma recovering GMs who missed their guy, the chances of him being available in Round 4 are slim to none.

Besides that, the Rams have made it abundantly clear on multiple occasions that Sam Bradford is their guy, and they proved that when they traded the No. 2 pick and the rights to Robert Griffin III to Washington. 

Gray's Grade: C- (only because it is both unrealistic too potentially occur and unnecessary with Bradford in the fold.)  

Shane's Suggestion: Ronnie Hillman (RB)

Round 6 (160): Koty Sensabaugh, CB

Nfldraftscout.com has Sensabaugh and his stock on the rise, as would be expected. 

The former cornerback from Clemson, who had a good senior season, was very impressive at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

Sensabaugh ran an unofficial 4.37 40, was third in the three-cone drill and fourth in the vertical jump at the combine.

Sensabaugh owns great speed and quickness and displays good agility. Furthermore, he has good size, checking in at 6'0" and 189 pounds. 

Sensabaugh played a lot of press coverage in 2011 and performed well doing so.

The ability to play that type of coverage could appeal to the Rams, as they are likely to blitz often in Fisher's aggressive scheme. If Sensabaugh can thwart receivers off the line, it could create some problems for opposing offenses. 

According to cbssports.com, he is smart, durable and productive—three great characteristics that you would want to see in any player. 

It is also encouraging that he is accustomed to battling top-flight receivers after playing in the SEC.  

Gray's Grade: B+

Shane's Suggestion: Tank Carder (OLB)

Round 7 (192): Brian Quick, WR

If the 6'4", 220-pound Brian Quick were available in Round 7 and the Rams did not select him, I am certain that my head would explode.  

The Appalachian State product has the size, speed and talent to be a very productive NFL wideout.  

Nfldraftscout.com gives Quick a second to third-round grade.  Quick is very unlikely to be available in the final round of the draft. 

Quick is relatively new to football with just five years in the game, as reported in this piece from charlotteobserver.com.  It makes sense, then, that his route running is raw.  

However, according to the aforementioned NFL Draft Scout and this report, Quick excelled at both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine.  His stock is on the rise in large part to those exemplary showings. 

As a small-school guy with limited football experience, maybe a miracle will occur and he will drop to the seventh round.  Barring that most unlikely scenario, the Rams will have to look elsewhere in the final round of the draft. 

Gray's Grade: A

Shane's Suggestion: James Hanna (TE)

Shane Gray covers the St. Louis Rams year-round. You are encouraged to check out the rest of his work here and to follow him on Twitter.