Rams 2013 Mock Draft: Predictions for Day 2 and Beyond

After two trades that resulted in the St. Louis Rams drafting Tavon Austin and Alec Ogletree (h/t the Associated Press via Yahoo!), the Rams have no second- or seventh-round pick entering Day 2 of the 2013 NFL draft.

Instead, St. Louis has an additional third and sixth while their own third-rounder got upgraded from No. 78 to No. 71 in the Austin deal.

Each side of the ball likely got a starter installed from Day 1’s proceedings. The Rams will be hoping to find more with their remaining six picks.

Jamal Collier is the St. Louis Rams draft correspondent for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @StatManJ.

Round 3, Pick 71: Shamarko Thomas, SS, Syracuse

Let’s be honest: The St. Louis Rams are probably going to strike some sort of deal before they’re scheduled to be on the clock at No. 71. They made two trades on Thursday night, taking themselves out of the second round for the time being.

Jonathan Cyprien is still waiting for that phone call, but he might be too expensive to move up and get. Failing a trade up for the safety from Florida International, Shamarko Thomas from Syracuse could be the pick in the early third round.

He fits a need for the Rams, who like him and now have 6’2” Alec Ogletree at linebacker to run with some tight ends (h/t Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

Round 3, Pick 92: Dallas Thomas, OL, Tennessee

If the St. Louis Rams wait too long to get an offensive lineman in this draft, there might not be any left. With the way the big guys are flying off the board, the Rams must have more trust in their unit up front than initially thought.

They wouldn’t have jumped all the way up to No. 8 and left Chance Warmack and D.J. Fluker on the board if they didn’t.

But they still need depth, at worst. Dallas Thomas would provide that, if he isn’t snatched up early like every other O-lineman thus far.

Round 4, Pick 113: Le'Veon Bell, RB, Michigan State

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you have never seen an NFL first round unfold like the 2013 iteration did. That’s because we’ve seen a running back hear his name get called in the first frame in every draft for the last 50 years.

Le’Veon Bell’s availability seems more probable at this point than it was entering Thursday, since no other running back was drafted.

Round 5, Pick 149: Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers

My pick for the St. Louis Rams in Round 5 prior to the draft was another offensive lineman, USC's Khaled Holmes. If he’s still available at this spot, great, but GMs are gobbling up offensive linemen like piranhas.

NFL.com’s Josh Norris has Rutgers linebacker Khaseem Greene going at No. 132 overall to the Detroit Lions. If he drops—even a little bit—beyond that, St. Louis will have the opportunity to bring in another speed guy at linebacker who was perceived as a Day 2 player during the draft process.

Round 6, Pick 184: T.J. McDonald, S, USC

You can’t teach size, and Shamarko Thomas unfortunately doesn’t have it—in terms of height, anyway. The St. Louis Rams still need two safeties, so even if they take the meteor from Syracuse, they could get away with looking in the late rounds for a larger presence on the back end.

USC safety T.J. McDonald is 6’2”, 219 pounds.

Round 6, Pick 192: Ace Sanders, WR/KR, South Carolina

Would there be some redundancy if the St. Louis Rams draft Ace Sanders in the seventh round? Maybe, but they still only have four wide receivers: Tavon Austin, Chris Givens, Austin Pettis and Brian Quick. I also projected them to have four wideouts at this juncture before Thursday night.

Without knowing St. Louis’ specific plans for its first first-round pick, it can’t hurt to add another guy in the sixth round who is capable of taking some of the kick-returning load off his shoulders.