St. Louis Rams: Friday's Rams News and Notes at Noon

Welcome to Friday's St. Louis Rams "News and Notes at Noon" the one-stop spot for all major Rams updates and other items of interest to Rams Nation. 

Ranking 2012 NFL Draft Prospects Following the Conclusion of Pro Days

In a strong piece from stlouisrams.com, senior writer Nick Wagoner unveils his rankings of the top 32 prospects available for selection in the 2012 NFL Draft. 

Wagoner has collected information from scouts, draft analysts, coaches and players to help formulate his rankings.  Robert Griffin III took the No. 1 spot with Justin Blackmon grabbing the sixth position.  

Other notable ranks include defensive tackle Michael Brockers at 11, wide receiver Kendall Wright at 25, outside linebacker Lavonte David at 27 and running back Lamar Miller at No. 32. 

Free Agent Defensive Tackle Trevor Laws Visits Rams

Free agent defensive tackle Trevor Laws worked out at Rams Park on Thursday, according to an article from Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The 26 year old Laws has played for the Philadelphia Eagles since 2008, when he entered the league as a second round pick out of Notre Dame. 

Laws check in at 6'1' and 304 pounds.  St. Louis needs additional DT's following the release of both Fred Robbins and Justin Bannan several weeks ago.  

At the very least, Laws would provide strong depth for the Rams and their interior defensive line.  

Cortland Finnegan Reportedly Wanted to Play for Gregg Williams

According to a report from Howard Balzer for 101sports.com, new Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan admitted that one of the appeals in coming to St. Louis was not just to play for his former head coach with the Tennessee Titans, Jeff Fisher, but also to play for the now-suspended Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams: 

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Every player you talk to says what a great coach he is. I was so excited to have a chance to play for him. He has a great defense and players love playing in that defense.

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It will be interesting to see how the defense is ultimately ran following the suspension of Williams. Finnegan, from the above-linked report, speculates that Williams' son, 27 year old linebacker coach Blake Williams, could play a bigger role in installing and directing the D than some might expect. 

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St. Louis Columnist Claims Gregg Williams Is Taking Some Unfair Criticism

Brian Burwell of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch insists in his column that Gregg Williams is receiving some unnecessary hits regarding Bountygate and in regard to the newly released audio that reveals some interesting WIlliams' comments before the playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers last season. 

Burwell feels that Williams may be being used as a scapegoat by some other parties and asserts that Williams is far from being the initiator of the type of infamous activity brought to light via the bounty program revelations. 

Burwell, in the aforementioned above-linked piece, shares his thoughts on the Williams situation include his feelings on NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, the Saints' organization and much more on the issues at hand.

Former Rams and Saints FB Mike Karney Sounds off on STL Rams Central Radio 

In case you missed it, former New Orleans Saints and St. Louis fullback Mike Karney, who was a second team All Pro in 2006 and a NFC Pro Bowl alternate in both 2006 and 2007, joined STL Rams Central Radio on Wednesday night.

Karney shared his thoughts on the 2012 NFL Draft, the No. 6 pick, Steven Jackson, Jeff Fisher, Justin Blackmon, Sam Bradford and more.  

To listen to Karney's thoughts as he interacted with Rams Nation, please click here. 

Finally, check in tomorrow for the "Saturday St. Louis Sound off" column covering various Rams related topics.

Have a great day and a great weekend, STL Rams Nation. 

Follow @ShaneGmoSTLRams

Shane Gray covers the St. Louis Rams daily as a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You are encouraged to check out the rest of his work here. Gray also owns and operates stlramscentral.com.