St. Louis Rams 2012 NFL Draft: Final Needs Rankings Before Draft

The 2012 NFL Draft will kick off for the St. Louis Rams in just 10 days, so it is time to rank the Rams' positional needs one last time before presenting my last two mock drafts (with the first of those coming tomorrow).

Thus far, St. Louis has acquired the following free agents (with last team before Rams in parentheses):

• LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar (New Orleans Saints)
• CB Cortland Finnegan (Tennessee Titans)
• DE William Hayes (Tennessee Titans)
• DT Kendall Langford (Miami Dolphins)
• DT Trevor Laws (Philadelphia Eagles)
• TE Matt Mulligan (NY Jets)
• G/T Quinn Ojinnaka (Indianapolis Colts)
• WR Steve Smith (Philadelphia Eagles)
• G/C Robert Turner (NY Jets)
• C Scott Wells (Green Bay Packers)

Of that list, the Rams have added at least three starters: cornerback Cortland Finnegan, defensive tackle Kendall Langford and center Scott Wells.  

St. Louis has added two others who have a terrific shot at starting, too: wide receiver Steve Smith and linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar.  

Of the remaining free free agent acquisitions, most are depth guys.  However, defensive tackle Trevor Laws could potentially fight for a starting job depending on what occurs in the draft or during the remainder of free agency, particularly after the June cuts. 

At the moment, St. Louis has eight picks in the draft.  

That said, I have ranked the top eight positional needs for the Rams as they prepare to begin the annual event which kicks off on April 26.  

Most of the rankings are extremely close in terms of their assigned numeric slotting.  Some of the slots could easily be flipped flop in regard to need as the differences are razor thin in certain instances. 

Please keep in mind that the needs rankings do not necessarily indicate a preferred draft order.  The difference between being ranked third and seventh on this list is rather minuscule.  

The main point here is to identify the eight biggest areas of need entering this month's NFL draft.  

With that said, let us jump right to it.  

8. Punter

There is nothing too sexy about drafting a punter—or about being a punter, for that matter—but they are essential and play a pivotal role in the field position game and in consistently giving the defense the most field to work with possible. 

Former Rams punter Donnie Jones signed with the Houston Texans last month, leaving St. Louis with only Tom Malone, a 28-year-old who is yet to punt in an NFL regular season game. 

The Rams are likely to grab a late-round punter in the draft.  Some potential options include Drew Butler of Georgia, Shawn Powell of Florida State, Brian Stahovich of San Diego State and Kyle Martens of Rice, all of whom you can read about here.

7. Running Back

With Jackson approaching his 29th birthday and given the fact that his backups are non-existent, I want to assign a higher ranking to this position. 

However, St. Louis possesses so many areas of need at the moment that the difference between No. 3 and No. 7 on this list is microscopic. 

Considering the fact that only one running back plays at a time and that the one the Rams have is a three-time Pro Bowl performer who takes immaculate care of his body, I had to move the running back position much further down the list than desired. 

That said, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher loves to run the rock, if you will, and is very likely to grab a running back no later than round four of the impending draft.

It is certainly possible (considering the fact that the Rams are likely to strongly consider going best player available at No. 6) that the first St. Louis selection is Alabama running back Trent Richardson, although I am doubting more and more if he will remain on the board that long.  

Other intriguing running back prospects include Lamar Miller of Miami, Doug Martin of Boise State, David Wilson of Virginia Tech, Chris Polk of Washington, Isaiah Pead of Cincinnati, LaMichael James of Oregon, Bernard Pierce of Temple, Cyrus Gray of Texas A&M and Ronnie Hillman of San Diego State. 

I like several of the aforementioned prospects, and I look for St. Louis to bring one of them on board in less than two weeks. 

To read more about the above-mentioned prospects, click here. 

6. Outside Linebacker

Here is another position that one could legitimately argue for needing a higher needs ranking.  However, the outside linebacker position in the 4-3 defense has been greatly devalued of late. 

The Rams did add Jo-Lunn Dunbar during free agency, and he will likely start at one of the two vacant outside linebacker spots this fall. 

Dunbar can play all three linebacker spots and appeared in an impressive 68 percent of Saints defensive plays last season.

That leaves a gaping hole at the opposite OLB spot, one that will almost certainly be addressed via the 2012 NFL Draft.  

Les Snead has talked about adding athletic talents who possess short area explosion. 

Some draft prospects who fill the bill in that regard and look to be solid prospects include Zach Brown of North Carolina, Lavonte David of Nebraska, Sean Spence of Miami, Mychal Kendricks of California (ILB/OLB), Bobby Wagner of Utah State and Ronnell Lewis of Oklahoma. 

To read more on any of these guys and other OLB prospects, please look here. 

5. Offensive Tackle

Offensive tackle is, like just about every position listed, one that could be argued to deserve a higher needs ranking. 

However, St. Louis does possess some good talent at the position in Rodger Saffold and Jason Smith, and the Rams did add a veteran backup who should be solid, Quinn Ojinnaka, who has started at both positions in the past. 

As most remember, Saffold was very solid as a second-round rookie in 2010.  Last season, he struggled out of the gate with a nagging back issue before finally landing on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle. 

He is back to full strength, however, and should play much more like he did in 2010 than the banged-up version we saw in 2011. 

In fact, I look for him to have his best season yet in 2012 under the tutelage of new offensive line coach Paul Boudreau. 

Right tackle Jason Smith has landed on the injured reserve due to serious head injuries in two of his first three seasons.  

When healthy, he has flashed the talent that helped entice the Rams to select him with the second overall pick in 2009.  However, his pass protection has been inconsistent and he must improve in that regard. 

St. Louis seems intent on bringing him back and putting him into the program, although that may end up being under a restructured contract before all is said and done. 

All that said, Smith is certainly a question mark due to both his health and production concerns and some feel that Saffold would be ideally served by a move to right tackle. 

If the Rams decide to go that route, look for them to grab a left tackle no later than Round 3 or 4 of the draft.  

Some potential options at left (or right) tackle include Matt Kalil of USC, Cordy Glenn of Georgia (G/T), Jonathan Martin of Stanford, Mike Adams of Ohio State, Bobbie Massie of Mississippi, Kelechi Osemele of Iowa State, Brandon Mosely of Auburn and Zebrie Sanders of Florida State. 

To read more on the above-mentioned prospects, please look here. 

4. Cornerback

Again, some will complain that six is too low on this list, but the rankings are air tight and the Rams do possess some very good talent at this position. 

Starting with free agent Cortland Finnegan, St. Louis has a young veteran in place to lead this unit onward and upward. 

Jerome Murphy looks very good, according to his collegiate secondary coach Rich Rachel, who told me the following a few months ago (as shared in this detailed piece): 

"

He (Murphy) was just here about two weeks ago and at first I didn't recognize him.  He looked like he had gained 10 pounds of muscle.  He has long arms and is flexible and high-waisted. When he gets ready to bump, you are in for a long day if you are lined up across from him. He is a fierce tackler, even at the NFL level.

I think Coach Fisher will like him. He loves studying tape and he is eager to get going.

"

The tough, physical, hard-hitting Murphy should indeed be a great fit for Fisher and secondary coach Chuck Cecil, who was as tough as they come during his playing days. 

At some point, Bradley Fletcher should return to action after he completes his rehab following a season ending ACL injury.

If he can return fully healthy, Fletcher should have a great shot at earning a starting spot.  When healthy, the athletic corner has displayed some impressive coverage skills. 

When considering the injury concerns of Fletcher and the inexperience of Murphy, St. Louis does not have much proven NFL talent outside of Finnegan. 

That necessitates a higher ranking for this unit than would be necessary if we in fact knew that Fletcher would be back at 100 percent and remain that way for the entire season. 

With so much inexperience and uncertainty at corner, look for St. Louis to grab a corner (and perhaps two) before the 2012 NFL Draft comes to a close.

Some intriguing defensive back prospects include Morris Claiborne of LSU, Dre Kirkpatrick of Alabama, Janoris Jenkins of North Alabama, Stephen Gilmore of South Carolina, Josh Robinson of University of South Florida, Dwight Bentley of Louisiana-Lafeyette, Josh Norman of Coastal Carolina, Asa Jackson of California Poly and Coty Sensabaugh of Clemson. 

To read more on the above prospects, please read here. 

3. Defensive Tackle

After cutting both Justin Bannon and Fred Robbins early in the 2012 free agency period, it was obvious that St. Louis would need new blood at defensive tackle. 

The Rams did just that in adding 26-year-old three-technique defensive tackle early in free agency.  Langford was rated as the fourth best free agent DT by walterfootball.com. 

St. Louis also added former 2008 second-round pick Trevor Laws, a nose tackle type, via free agency.  Laws could battle for a starting spot, certainly, but may be best suited in a rotational role playing predominately on running downs. 

With that said, it would be ideal to add a starting one or two technique DT to the defensive line to compliment Langford inside.  

However, the Rams could also add another three-tech guy to the mix and potentially field one of the more explosive front four pass-rushing lines in the entire league.

Fletcher Cox of Mississippi State and Michael Brockers of LSU are two guys who top the list in regard to three technique prospects in the coming draft.  Some other three-tech guys include Jerel Worthy of Michigan State, Kendall Reyes of Connecticut, Devon Still of Penn State and Derek Wolfe of Cincinnati. 

Some one/two tech guys who could be targeted by the Rams include Dontari Poe of Memphis, Brandon Thompson of Clemson, Alameda Ta'amu of Washington, Josh Chapman of Alabama, Hebron Fangupo of BYU, and Nicolas Jean-Baptiste of Baylor. 

To read more on any or all of the above prospects, please go here. 

2. Left Guard

I tinkered with the idea of moving left guard to the top spot in regard to remaining Rams' roster needs. 

St. Louis is completely void of legit long-term options at starting left guard at the moment making left guard one of the top two remaining priorities for the offseason. 

The Rams are set at right guard with Harvey Dahl holding things down nicely there.  

At left guard, however, the cupboard is almost bare besides newly signed backups Quinn Ojinnaka and Robert Turner. 

Ojinnaka could start in a pinch but is better suited as a spot starter and depth lineman.  

That said, look for St. Louis to grab a guard within the first three rounds of the 2012 NFL Draft and certainly no later than Round 4. 

Some promising prospects at OG include David DeCastro of Stanford, Kevin Zeitler of Wisconsin, Amini Silatolu of Midwestern State, Brandon Washington of Miami, Brandon Brooks of Miami (Ohio) and Lucas Nix of Pittsburgh. 

This is a position that absolutely must be adequately addressed before the 2012 season kicks off, and I expect the Rams to do so via next week's NFL Draft. 

For more on any or all of the above prospects, please check this. 

1. Wide Receiver

If we knew that Steve Smith would indeed revert to the form that made him a 2009 Pro Bowl selection, this ranking could perhaps be reduced in regard to importance.  

However, the 26-year-old free agent addition is still a question mark following 2010 microfracture surgery. St. Louis still needs additional weapons upgrades in the passing game if they want to give quarterback Sam Bradford the best chance possible of improving dramatically on his disappointing sophomore season. 

St. Louis will almost certainly return Danny Amendola, the diminutive slot receiver who caught a whopping 85 passes in 2010 before succumbing to the injured reserve early in 2011.  

Amendola has been offered a second-round tender and will eventually sign it. Unless a team like the New England Patriots wants to give up a second-round pick to add another target for quarterback Tom Brady, expect Amendola to return to the Gateway City in the coming campaign.

No other team will be adding both a wideout who hauled in 85 passes in their last full season (Amendola) and one who went to the Pro Bowl in his last fully healthy season (Smith) other than the Rams. 

If both can play to their top form, St. Louis could be in better shape than one might think at wideout.  

They do return impressive second-year man Greg Salas to the mix and could bring back minimum salary receiver Danario Alexander, who is blessed with great ability and big play production but hindered by frail knees. 

All that said, the Rams need more explosion, overall talent and speed at wide receiver.  

Some options for St. Louis, who will add at least one WR via the 2012 NFL Draft, include Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State, Michael Floyd of Notre Dame, Kendall Wright of Baylor, Stephen Hill of Georgia Tech, Reuben Randle of LSU, Alshon Jeffery of South Carolina, Mohamed Sanu of Rutgers, Chris Givens of Wake Forest and Brian Quick of Appalachian State.

The Rams are also said to remain interested in free agent wideout Jerome Simpson of the Cincinnati Bengals. If St. Louis signs Simpson, it would appear unlikely that they would select more than one receiver in next week's draft after adding three (Amendola, Smith and Simpson) during free agency.

For more on the wide receiver prospects mentioned above, please click this. 

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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.