What Positions Offer Most Value for St. Louis Rams in 2015 NFL Draft?

The St. Louis Rams appeared to be a team on the cusp of contending for the playoffs in the future toward the end of the 2014 season.

The future could be as early as the 2015 season. That makes the upcoming NFL draft an important one for the organization.

What will the Rams be looking for in the draft, and how will they choose to use their picks?

Those are always questions that raise a lot of speculation in the months leading up to the annual draft.

The Rams are set defensively.

The team has a great nucleus of players on defense, and in 2014, it found two solid rookies in defensive tackle Aaron Donald and cornerback E.J. Gaines.

But on offense, the Rams didn't scare too many teams in 2014.

They averaged just 20.3 points per game, good for 21st in the league. That was largely due to the fact that the team's starting quarterback, Sam Bradford, missed the entire season.

So that means the Rams should go all out to draft a quarterback, right? Not necessarily.

This is not a deep draft for quarterbacks. In fact, there could easily be less than 10 quarterbacks drafted this year.

Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota should go early, and the Rams probably won't want to burn their first-round pick (No. 10 overall) on a quarterback.

There's a good chance that they'll draft one in the later rounds, but there isn't a wealth of talent at the position.

So what positions have the best value, and where can the Rams fill a position of need without making a stretch?

For the answer to that, the Rams need to look squarely at offensive linemen. That is the area they need to attack in the draft. If they are able to make their offensive line as strong as their defensive line, they will be a tough matchup for anyone.

Center

Scott Wells hasn't exactly excelled at center after coming over from the Green Bay Packers as a free agent following the 2011 season.

He has a $4.75 million cap number in 2015, and as a result, it may be time for the Rams to move on from him. If they choose to do that, there are several strong options.

Florida State's Cameron Erving is a guy who the Rams could choose in the second round.

Erving is one of the most athletic 300-pound players you will ever see. At Florida State, he earned starts at both the center and left tackle positions, so his versatility could be attractive to the Rams.

"

@DarthKripple Cameron Erving of FSU moved from OT to C halfway through the year, been very good. My top guy

— Shane P. Hallam (@ShanePHallam) January 12, 2015"

At center, he would be a great fit for the team. He is both athletic and very strong. He gets great leverage on defenders and could make the rushing attack the Rams displayed last season even better.

Hroniss Grasu out of Oregon is another guy who the team should consider, and he may even be the best all-around center in the draft.

Grasu displays great technique and is adept at getting to the second level. He shows good lateral movement, and he could start for 10 years or more in the NFL.

The Rams could possibly land him in the third round. 

Finally, if the team didn't want to spend an early pick on the center, B.J. Finney would make an excellent choice in the fifth round.

Finney, a product of Kansas State, is a player who would be easily coached at the next level. He's the kind of player who makes very few mistakes.

Finney is a smart player who would bring more toughness to the Rams offensive line. He would be just as good as Wells as a run-blocker almost right away.

Guard

Davin Joseph is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. The Rams may just want to let him walk and find a new, younger option.

Tre' Jackson of Florida State is another great offensive lineman from that school and one who could come in and immediately bolster the Rams' line.

Jackson is massive, but he's also deceptively quick. At 6'4" and 330 pounds, Jackson is regularly able to move defenders off the ball to open holes in the running game.

Can he do that at the professional level? That remains to be seen.

Jackson would need to sharpen up his skills in pass protection. But he is solid in the running game, and the Rams should have a shot at him in the third round.

Another potential third-round prospect is Laken Tomlinson out of Duke.

Born in Jamaica, Tomlinson was a starter at guard all four years he played at Duke. Much like Jackson, Tomlinson excels in the running game but will need to get better in pass protection.

"

Congratulations to Laken Tomlinson!! Consensus All-American Offensive Guard 2014!! We are proud of you on and off the field!!

— David Cutcliffe (@DavidCutcliffe) January 14, 2015"

Tomlinson rarely gets pushed backward and in the right system could become a strong force at the guard position. He may be a bit of a developmental player but one with a good deal of potential.

Down in the later rounds, Christian Lombard, Aundrey Walker, Miles Dieffenbach and Shaq Mason would all provide some value.

The Rams should have no problem finding a quality guard in this draft—they might even find two.

St. Louis is a team with a good head coach in Jeff Fisher. It has a defense that could rank among the best in the league, and it has several key components at the skill positions on offense.

Tre Mason, Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, Jared Cook and Kenny Britt, if he is re-signed, give the Rams the chance to put points on the board.

Yes, the team needs a quarterback. But it may have to put its faith in Bradford for at least one more season.

The more pressing need is the offensive line. Here, we have illustrated how the Rams can focus in on upgrading the offensive line, which could give the team better play at the quarterback position at the same time.

The best teams are built through the draft, and if the Rams' organization plays its cards right, it'll make huge strides in strengthening the offensive line through this draft.