Rams Draft Speculation: Making Sense of Pre-Draft Visits

For those unfamiliar, the NFL has a process in place that allows each franchise the opportunity to bring up to 30 prospects in for an on-site visit leading up to the draft, known, creatively enough, as the "30 visits."

It's a chance for them to further examine players they haven't already become familiar with during the college All-Star games, combine or pro day processes, or to get a better look at players they already know well but are interested in gathering more information on.

The visits include a facility tour, medical examinations and ample time spent with coaching and personnel staffs to further get a feel for what the prospect is made of. 

It's not just the elite prospects who manage an invite—teams often invite players projected to be drafted on day three or small-school prospects, as many times those are the players that they have had the least exposure to.

The St. Louis Rams, who hold the sixth pick in the first round, announced yesterday that they hosted wide receiver Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox of Mississippi State for a visit, while ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd will visit the team at some point this week.

Let's take a look at each prospect, and how their visit might fit into the Rams' draft plans.  

Justin Blackmon, Wide Receiver, Oklahoma State

There isn't a lot of mystery behind the reasoning for this visit: Blackmon is most certainly on the Rams' radar at pick six. 

The team has a glaring hole at wide receiver, and despite a recent surge from Floyd, Blackmon remains the top wide receiver on most draftniks' boards.  His college production speaks for itself—he was twice the recipient of the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver—and he appears ready to seamlessly transition onto the big stage.

The biggest issue for St. Louis as it relates to Blackmon is that he may be long gone by the time the team makes its selection.  There's a strong sense that Cleveland is interested in him at pick No. 4, although a trade between the Rams and Browns would make some sense for both sides. 

Should Blackmon slip to pick six, don't be surprised to see St. Louis act expediently to submit its selection card and secure a dependable receiving threat for third-year quarterback Sam Bradford.

Fletcher Cox, Defensive Tackle, Mississippi State

It's worth mentioning that teams don't operate under the assumption that they'll stand pat at their pick under any and all circumstances, so just because Cox was invited to the Rams' facility for a visit, it doesn't mean they're seriously considering him at pick six necessarily. 

He projects further down the draft board, likely in the range of 13 to 20, and St. Louis seems a candidate to move down in the first round via a trade.  An integral key to this draft that we must remember is that there are six widely regarded elite prospects—Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, Matt Kalil, Trent Richardson, Justin Blackmon and Morris Claiborne.  

With that in mind, St. Louis could command steep value for its current selection, and move down for the opportunity to stockpile picks and talent.  

So back to Cox, who would fit on a St. Louis defensive front that needs a spike in talent and depth.  He's versatile, athletic and by all accounts a guy that Jeff Fisher and his TBA defensive coordinator could make plenty of use of.  

Keep an eye on the Rams come draft day, as plenty of indications suggest they may move—up or down—from pick six.

Michael Floyd, Wide Receiver, Notre Dame

It's early April, which means a handful of players are bound to experience a meteoric rise in their stock as the draft draws closer.  Floyd is amongst that group, and some are solidifying him as a Top-10 pick.

St. Louis is obviously in the market for a receiver, and the visit from Floyd could be for one of two reasons: They might be weighing the possibility of taking him over Justin Blackmon (assuming both are available) or they're deciphering if he's worthy of the sixth pick should Blackmon already be off the board (Floyd, remember, is not a part of that aforementioned six elite prospects group).  

The advantage Floyd has on Blackmon in the eyes of evaluators is his ability to separate from man coverage.  While Blackmon relied upon a precise spread offense, Floyd has experience in a pro-style offense (especially while he played for Charlie Weis at Notre Dame) and displayed the explosion and foot quickness to beat his defender one-on-one.  

That might be enough to convince St. Louis that he is in the fact the guy they wish to build their receiving corps around.