St. Louis Rams: Looking at First Round Draft Pick Projections from Every Expert

Less than three weeks remain before the top college prospects head to Radio City Music Hall in New York for the 2012 NFL Draft. 

With the NFL Combine, college pro days and the literally thousands of mock drafts in existence, most enthusiastic fans know what they are expecting on draft day. Some even know exactly which player they want their team to draft. 

However, no one knows how the big day will unfold except for the team executives, who have been sworn to secrecy. 

But even though the only information that exists this time of year is misinformation, it doesn't stop experts and draft nerds everywhere from analyzing the prospects and making predictions. 

For the St. Louis Rams, there's no clear-cut answer after winning just two games last season. 

The offense scored just 16 touchdowns all season and was primarily responsible for the team's 14 losses. However, the defense finished with the second-worst run defense in the NFL after surrendering 152.1 yards per game.

With such a lack of quality talent on both sides of the ball, it's difficult to predict the strategy that the Rams will use on draft day.

And although we won't hear a peep from head coach Jeff Fisher or general manager Les Snead, we can certainly look around the web and see what the top experts are predicting.

Chad Reuter, NFL Network

Pick: Morris Claiborne, CB (LSU Tigers)

Chad Reuter of the NFL Network selected Morris Claiborne as the Rams' pick at No. 6 overall and apparently feels that they'll be teaming up Cortland Finnegan with an elite cornerback prospect. 

Here is his take:

"

Signing Cortland Finnegan will not prevent the Rams from selecting the last of the six elite prospects in this draft. Teams need at least four cornerbacks to battle today's NFL passing attacks.

"

Charley Casserly, NFL Network

Pick: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State Cowboys)

Charley Casserly of the NFL Network stuck with the fan favorite Justin Blackmon in his mock draft. He stated, "Sam Bradford gets a go-to receiver, which is huge for him."

Brian Baldinger, NFL Network

Pick: Matt Kalil, T (USC Trojans)

Many mock drafts have Matt Kalil being selected No. 3 overall by the Minnesota Vikings, but apparently Brian Baldinger of the NFL Network feels that Kalil may slip to the Rams at No. 6 overall, which would be a terrific scenario for a St. Louis team that surrendered 55 sacks in 2011.  

Walter Cherepinsky, Walterfootball.com

Pick: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State Cowboys)

Walter Cherepinsky operates Walter Football, which is one of the more popular mock drafts on the web. For a while now, Walter has predicted that Justin Blackmon will be the selection for the Rams. 

Here is his take:

"

St. Louis has a huge need for a receiver. It brought in Brandon Lloyd for a fourth-round pick - a trade that would end up poorly for both teams involved - but Lloyd signed with New England recently. 

"

Rob Rang, CBS Sports

Pick: Morris Claiborne, CB (LSU Tigers)

Rob Rang operates a mock draft for CBS Sports. He feels that Morris Claiborne is a better prospect than his teammate Patrick Peterson, who was drafted No. 5 overall by Arizona in 2011. 

Also, Rang feels that Claiborne will add more depth to the cornerback position along with Cortland Finnegan. 

"

In signing cornerback Cortland Finnegan to a five-year, $50 million dollar deal as their first move in free agency, the Rams took a significant step in improving their secondary. The team still lacks depth at the position and would likely nab Claiborne, the unquestioned top cornerback in 2012 draft and a more technically refined player than Patrick Peterson, his former LSU teammate taken fifth overall by Arizona last year.

"

Mel Kiper, ESPN

Pick: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State Cowboys)

Mel Kiper of ESPN is one of the more popular and well-known draft experts around, and according to his latest mock draft, he feels that the Rams will stick with the popular choice in Justin Blackmon. 

"

The possibility remains that St. Louis could move off this spot, but if they stay here and get Blackmon, they'll immediately upgrade a huge weakness, which is the lack of talented options for Sam Bradford in the passing game.

"

Bucky Brooks, NFL.com

Pick: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State Cowboys)

Bucky Brooks of NFL.com feels that Sam Bradford's regression in 2011 was due to the lack of a top-tier receiver on the roster, which is why Brooks has Justin Blackmon being selected by St. Louis in his mock draft.

Here is his reasoning:

"

Sam Bradford seemingly took a step backward in his development without a legitimate No. 1 receiver to target in the passing game. Blackmon is a dynamic pass catcher with explosive running skills, and his ability to make plays will make Bradford's life easier in the pocket. 

"

Dane Brugler, CBS Sports

Pick: Fletcher Cox, DT (Mississippi State Bulldogs)

Dane Brugler of CBS Sports made a questionable pick on the Rams' behalf in his latest mock draft.

With wide receivers Justin Blackmon and Michael Floyd still available, Brugler had the Rams reaching for defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. 

The Rams certainly have a need for another defensive tackle, but there will surely be a riot in St. Louis if Cox is their pick at No. 6. 

Peter Schrager, FoxSports.com

Pick: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State Cowboys)

Peter Schrager of Fox Sports praised the Rams for their blockbuster trade with Washington in his latest mock draft. He feels that Justin Blackmon was their guy at No. 2 overall, and that he's still their man at No. 6. 

"

Les Snead, Kevin Demoff, Jeff Fisher and the rest of the Rams brass were wise to trade out of the second pick when they did, beating the rush of free-agent signings. They pulled the trigger and made out well, locking up the sixth pick, two additional first-round picks and the Redskins’ second-round pick this year. And guess what? If the Rams had the second overall pick, I think they would have taken Justin Blackmon.

"

Russ Lande, Sporting News

Pick: Trent Richardson, RB (Alabama Crimson Tide)

Russ Lande of Sporting News has the Rams selecting Trent Richardson in his latest mock draft. 

Richardson is an elite running back prospect, maybe the best to come out in years, and the selection makes sense now that Steven Jackson is 29 years old. 

Don Banks, Sports Illustrated

Pick: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State Cowboys)

Don Banks of Sports Illustrated has the Rams selecting Justin Blackmon in his latest mock. He states, "Getting Sam Bradford a No. 1 receiver to grow with would put the cherry on top of last month's blockbuster trade with Washington."

Jim Thomas, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Pick: Matt Kalil, T (USC Trojans)

Rams beat writer Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mocked a scenario where Matt Kalil slips to the Rams at No. 6 overall.

Kalil is not the player who's most associated with the Rams, since the common belief is that he'll be long gone by the time the Rams pick at No. 6. However, landing Kalil would be ideal for both the Rams and quarterback Sam Bradford.  

Matt Miller, Bleacher Report

Pick: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State Cowboys)

Here at Bleacher Report, featured columnist Matt Miller works constantly to bring us his take on the NFL Draft.

In his latest mock draft, he unsurprisingly has the Rams selecting Justin Blackmon, which is certainly hard to dispute. 

Todd McShay, ESPN

Pick: Morris Claiborne, CB (LSU Tigers)

Todd McShay of ESPN has the Rams selecting Morris Claiborne in his latest mock. He feels that there are talented receivers to be had other than Justin Blackmon and that Claiborne is too valuable to pass up: 

"

The Rams desperately need playmakers for young QB Sam Bradford, but there are plenty of wideouts to be had down the line, and Claiborne is one of the four best players in the draft and plays a high-value position.

"

Wes Bunting, Yahoo Sports

Pick: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State Cowboys)

Wes Bunting of Yahoo Sports has Justin Blackmon being selected by the Rams.

He states, "Getting a big-play receiver for quarterback Sam Bradford is almost a must at this point. Blackmon can line up all over the offense and has the skill set to produce as a rookie."

Shane Gray, Bleacher Report

Pick: Trent Richardson, RB (Alabama Crimson Tide)

Shane Gray, my fellow featured columnist for the St. Louis Rams here at Bleacher Report, feels that the Rams are poised to select Trent Richardson at No. 6 overall.

"

For the most part, Fisher's teams have always been built around a strong running game and tough defense.  That does not figure to change in St. Louis.  

Furthermore, Steven Jackson (as great as he is) missed all or part of several games in 2011 and will be 29 soon.  Richardson would provide terrific injury insurance while waiting in the wings to eventually become the franchise back at some point in the future. 

 

"

Scott Wright, NFL Draft Countdown

Pick: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State Cowboys)

Scott Wright is the creator of NFL Draft Countdown, which is an extremely popular Internet mock draft that currently covers the first two rounds. He has Justin Blackmon falling to the Rams:

"

Blackmon has what it takes to be a low-end #1 target at the next level and is exactly what the doctor ordered for Sam Bradford and the Rams feeble passing attack.

"

Ryan Van Bibber, Turf Show Times

Pick: Trent Richardson, RB (Alabama Crimson Tide)

Ryan Van Bibber writes for Turf Show Times, which is a popular Rams news site associated with SB Nation. 

In a March 30th article, Ryan has the Rams selecting Trent Richardson with their top pick. 

Here is some of the reasoning for his pick:

"

Richardson is the best offensive player on the board in this scenario, and probably the best offensive skill player after Luck and RG3. Having a running back like that allows the Rams to engage Sam Bradford's redevelopment on a more conservative timeline, using the run-heavy systems preferred by Fisher and used by Brian Schottenheimer in the early years' of Mark Sanchez' career. 

"

Evan Silva, NBC Sports Pro Football Talk

Pick: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State Cowboys)

Evan Silva has his mock draft on Pro Football Talk with NBC Sports. Silva made no surprises and stuck with Justin Blackmon as the Rams' top pick. 

Steven Gerwel, Bleacher Report

Pick: Justin Blackmon, WR (Oklahoma State Cowboys)

And of course, we save the best for last. Yours truly has the Rams taking Justin Blackmon due to the pitiful aerial attack that every Rams fan witnessed last season. 

Blackmon is not as dominant as A.J. Green or Calvin Johnson, but he's a highly skilled playmaker who is set to have a productive NFL career. 

Although, I won't shed a tear if Trent Richardson or Matt Kalil end up in a Rams uniform. 

Final Results

No, Trent Richardson obviously didn't win, but surely you're tired of seeing pictures of Justin Blackmon, so ignore the photo. 

Here are the results:

Justin Blackmon, WR: 11 out of 20 (55%)

Morris Claiborne, CB: three out of 20 (15%)

Trent Richardson, RB: three out of 20 (15%)

Matt Kalil, T: two out of 20 (10%)

Fletcher Cox, DT: one out of 20 (5%)