Rams Draft: St. Louis Gets Bigger with Adam Carriker

After struggling on defense in 2006, the Rams fixed their problems this weekend by picking four solid defensive studs in the NFL Draft. 

Or did they?  

Here, the Bleacher Report's Michael King evaluates the Rams' 2007 draft picks, and speculates on how St. Louis will finish in the NFC West.  

The St. Louis Rams used this year's draft to improve on both sides of the ball, with a heavy focus on defense.  And when I say heavy focus on defense, I'm talking about half a ton of defensive linemen.

Round One: Adam Carriker, DE/DT, Nebraska

With their first selection (13th overall), the Rams surprised no one by picking DE/DT Adam Carriker out of Nebraska. 

Carriker will play the defensive tackle position and will be a force against the run.  At 6'6' and 295 pounds, the former 'Husker won't be pushed around like last year's undersized defensive linemen.  His size and strength will allow Carriker to control the line of scrimmage and come off blocks to make plays. 

Carriker is known for his hustle, and doesn't give up on plays once the ball has moved past him.  I expect to see him lined up next to DE James Hall on the right side.  This will take the focus off Hall and make him a better pass rusher.

Sorry Jimmy Kennedy, but Carriker takes your spot on the line.

Round Two: Brian Leonard, RB/FB, Rutgers

The Rams selected RB Brian Leonard with their second-round pick.  For those of you unfamiliar with Leonard, I consider him the third-best running back in the draft. 

Leonard was the running back turned fullback for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.  Despite the huge successes he had as a RB, he willingly switched to fullback to accomodate the speedier Ray Rice.  Leonard has dropped the extra weight he carried as a fullback, adding a little more speed in the process. 

Leonard's best attribute may be his pass-catching ability—the video I watched of him as a receiver out of the backfield was Marshall Faulk-esque.  Given Leonard's versatility and experience as a fullback, I would love to see him in the backfield with Stephen Jackson on occasion.

Round Three: Jonathan Wade, CB, Tennessee

 

In the third round, the Rams drafted Jonathan Wade out of Tennessee.  This CB runs a sub-4.4 40 and can make up ground to recover from mistakes. 

Wade has decent coverage skills but still allows his share of catches down the field. He isn't known for hard hitting, so expect him to spend his time pushing receivers down or hanging on and waiting for help. 

Wade has plenty of upside if he continues to learn at the NFL level.  His experience as a wide receiver indicates that he has good hands and can react to a ball in the air. 

With a good backfield coach, Wade can be an everyday defensive back—but probably not until his third year in the league.


Round Five: Dustin Fry, C, Clemson & Clifton Ryan, DT, Michigan St.

In the fifth round, the Rams returned to the offensive side of the ball by drafting center Dustin Fry out of Clemson.  Fry can be a starter in the NFL someday, though I don't expect it to be someday soon. 

Fry needs to work on his upper body strength to be able to handle the big men in the NFL.  Additionally, he will get beat by speed and lateral movement because he lacks quickness after the snap. 

That said, he rarely gets beat on the snap and is able to get into his man quickly.  Fry plays with tenacity and never gives up—expect him to make the team and be used as an emergency backup for a fragile offensive line.

With their second selection in the fifth round, the Rams drafted Clifton Ryan out of Michigan State.  He's a big run-stuffer who isn't going to get pushed around. 

Ryan has good initial speed but then tends to disappear.  He sometimes takes plays off, but good coaching can probably work that out of him. 

What's harder to teach is intuitiveness, which Ryan lacks.  He is much more a "does what he's told" type of player. 

I don"t expect Ryan to make the roster next season; he"ll likely be cut or land on the practice squad.  I would much rather have seen the Rams select QB Troy Smith from Ohio State, who was the best talent on the board at the time, or CB CJ Gaddis, who would have added depth and competition to the Rams' defensive backfield.


Round Six: Ken Shackleford, OT/OG, Georgia

In the sixth round, the Rams selected Ken Shackleford, OT/OG from Georgia.  Shackleford has some great strengths and was a good find late in the draft.  He is able to absorb the initial bullrush toward the QB, and should be an asset on obvious passing downs. 

Shackleford is also flexible in the sense that he can play both the OT and OG positions on the Rams' O-line, which saw its share of injuries last season. 

Shackleford is quick off the ball but doesn't have good speed.  He uses good footwork to keep his balance and stay on blocks.


Round Seven: Keith Jackson, DT, Arkansas & Derek Stanley, WR, Wisconsin-Whitewater

In the seventh round, the Rams drafted DT Keith Jackson from Arkansas and WR Derek Stanley out of Wisconsin-Whitewater. 

Jackson has a lot of potential, but also a lot of downside.  His bad habit of dropping his head causes him to lose sight of the ball and thus the direction of the play. Combined with his lackadaisical work ethic, that doesn't bode well. 

If Jackson can overcome his bad habits, the Rams will have a solid, squat hole plugger who doesn't get pushed around and can be a solid run-stuffer.  This is a risky pick—but that's par for the course in the seventh round.

WR Derek Stanley is a speedster.  He ran a 4.34 40 and can catch the ball.  So what was he doing on the board at the end of the draft?

Well, Stanley comes from a small school, and he can't run routes.  He's a wing-and-a-prayer sort that you line up on the outside on desperation plays. 

However, if you pair him with Dante Hall on kick returns, you have a double threat.  He could learn from Hall and become the kick returner of the future in St. Louis.

Overall, I grade the Rams draft as a solid B. 

Adam Carriker is a no-brainer pick (even for you Alan Branch fans) in the first round.  The skeptics come out in the second round with the selection of Brian Leonard.  Many wanted to draft a cornerback in this spot, but what they forget is that there's nobody on the Rams roster who can legitimately backup Stephen Jackson. 

By taking Leonard, the Rams get Jackson light—a guy who can adequately fill his shoes in the event of  an injury.  I watched the video on this Leonard; his athletic ability is a marvel, and his attitude is going to guarantee him success in the NFL (barring injury). 

The Rams kept their draft balanced between offense and defense, which was wise.  Many of their defensive and special teams needs were addressed in the offseason, allowing them to take a more balanced approach to the draft.  They were able to draft for the present as well as for the future of the franchise. 

Combined with their offseason trades and free agent signings, the draft propelled the Rams from mediocrity to potential division champions in the NFC West. 

The 49ers offseason also turned them into likely division contenders. As for the Seahawks: Welcome to mediocrity.  Expect them to return to 8-8 and finish third behind the Rams and Niners.