Justin Blackmon: Oklahoma State Wide Receiver Is Perfect Fit for St. Louis Rams

If the Cleveland Browns draft Justin Blackmon with the No. 4 overall selection rather than taking Trent Richardson, the St. Louis Rams will probably get Richardson.

That'll be nice; Richardson is a great player. However, unlike Blackmon, he's not the perfect player for them.

If this draft goes well, St. Louis will be close to becoming a contender in the NFC West, where it finished last in 2011 after winning just two games.

On one positive note, the Rams have a passing defense that finished seventh in the league last season, which will be important again in 2012 if they are going to contend with Alex Smith and the 49ers. They also have a quarterback in Sam Bradford that they seem to believe in.

That being said, the Rams' offense is simply terrible, and there is one player in this draft who can immediately turn it around. That player is Blackmon.

The Rams' rushing offense finished 23rd in the league last year. It's not good, but it's not anywhere near as bad as their passing offense. At running back, they have a solid option in Steven Jackson, who rushed for over 1,000 yards and five touchdowns in 2011. Jackson is capable.

The passing offense is not.

In 2011, the Rams garnered 2,870 yards in the air. That was the third-worst total in the NFL. They also only registered nine receiving touchdowns over the entire season, which was the worst mark in the league.

It's obvious that they need a big-play wide receiver to help Bradford turn things around. Despite the signing of Steve Smith, the team are in an even worse place than they were last year after the departure of leader Brandon Lloyd.

Blackmon is the one wide receiver in the draft who can change that immediately, and an immediate impact is what the Rams need.

The Oklahoma State wideout registered an NCAA-best 18 touchdown receptions and 1,522 yards in 2011. He led the Cowboys to a 12-1 record and a Fiesta Bowl berth. His production was even better in 2010, when he registered 1,782 yards and 20 touchdowns. Consistency clearly isn't an issue for him, and he has barely any deficiencies in his game. Speed issues aside, he's still fast enough to be a deep-pass threat and a bona fide playmaker.

The Rams can't make any plays right now in the passing game. That could all change with the right move in this draft.