Free Agent or Draft: How Should St. Louis Rams Fill Its Biggest Holes?
The St. Louis Rams are better off than they were five years ago, but the franchise still has a number of needs that must be addressed through the draft or free agency.
Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. The draft offers youth and affordability, while free agency provides a veteran touch with proven NFL talent. And while the draft is the primary source for maintaining a loaded roster, the Rams must adopt a two-pronged approach and put to use both methods this offseason. That's what it'll take to get ahead in the NFC West.
This article will outline St. Louis top-five needs and determine how the Rams should fill each need. With each position, we'll decide whether the draft or free agency is the proper route.
Guard
1 of 5
Best Source: The Draft
The free-agent market is rather limited on guards. There's Mike Iupati at the top, followed by long list of aging veterans on the wrong side of 30 and some unproven commodities.
Unless the Rams are ready to make a run at Iupati (not impossible), free agency has little to offer at guard other than depth. That makes drafting a guard the ideal choice (though don't be surprised if it's a mixture of both).
If for some reason the Rams trade back in the first round, LSU's La'el Collins would be an excellent choice. He's versatile, plays multiple positions and is a safe pick. If St. Louis drops into the late teens or early 20s, Collins should be high on the list.
If not, Duke's Laken Tomlinson would be a phenomenal Day 2 selection. His draft stock is still fluctuating a bit, so it's hard to say if he's a better candidate for the second round or the third. However, it'd be hard to complain if his name is called in either round.
The offensive line is a major concern for St. Louis. Even if the Rams sign a veteran or two for depth, they must also draft the position early and often.
Center
2 of 5
Best Source: Free Agency
The current draft class is deprived of rookie centers capable of starting Day 1. That practically makes free agency the only choice for finding a capable center.
The two best options in free agency are Stefen Wisniewski of the Oakland Raiders and Rodney Hudson of the Kansas City Chiefs. Both are young and in their mid-20s, have starting experience and are considered rising stars at the position.
Neither of them will be cheap. It will take a multiyear deal that averages around $5 million per year. The Rams are limited on cap space, but as I've mentioned in the past, the team can certainly afford to take on a contract like that if it's willing to cut veterans Jake Long and Scott Wells.
The free-agency class also features some older alternatives, such as Chris Myers of the Houston Texans.
Myers was just recently cut by the Texans for salary-cap reasons, per Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. Ganguli mentions that Myers started 128 consecutive games by the end of 2014—the second-longest streak by an active offensive lineman.
While Myers' streak is a comforting contrast to Wells' injury-plagued tenure with St. Louis, it's worth noting that Myers is 33 years old. Eventually the streak will end and sooner rather than later.
With no appealing draft candidates, it seems that free agency is the only option for finding a center. If the Rams fail to get one locked up, it will be highly disappointing.
Linebacker
3 of 5
Best Source: The Draft
St. Louis' need for a third linebacker has been downplayed a bit, but it's still an important need that will be addressed at some point. The best option would be to draft a young linebacker.
The Rams are struggling with cap space as it is. Given the fragile state of the offense, it would be quite reckless to spend the limited funds on linebacker. The St. Louis defense is hardly what held the team back in 2014, so the team's limited offseason resources must focus almost entirely on offense.
Not that the Rams can't find a cheap mid-level linebacker in free agency, it'd just be more financially feasible to draft one in the third or fifth round (maybe the fourth round if the Rams can somehow recoup that lost pick).
There's a reason why linebackers frequently win Defensive Rookie of the Year, including six of the last 10 years. It's due to the fact that it's not a difficult position for rookies to learn. It's not uncommon to see multiple rookie linebackers start immediately each year and play up to par with veterans.
Not to mention, the position has been devalued lately in today's pass-happy NFL. It's not difficult to find talented linebackers during Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft. In another era, some of those players might have been more valued.
Eric Kendricks of UCLA—brother of linebacker Mychal Kendricks of the Philadelphia Eagles—would be an excellent pickup on Day 2 and a perfect scheme fit. The same can be said of Washington's Shaq Thompson.
A less lofty selection would be Arkansas' Martrell Spaight or Michigan's Jake Ryan. Both players should be available in the third round or later.
Overall, there are plenty options in the draft. There's no need to deplete cap space with a bloated veteran contract.
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Defensive Back
4 of 5
Best Source: The Draft
The secondary had its struggles in 2014, but it shouldn't be considered a major need. The Rams have two capable veteran corners in Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, along with a duo of promising youngsters in E.J. Gaines and Lamarcus Joyner.
At safety, the team has invested too much in acquiring Mark Barron (fourth- and sixth-round selections in the 2015 draft), T.J. McDonald (2013 third-round pick) and Maurice Alexander (2014 fourth-round pick). It's hard to justify adding more talent at the position before giving the trio a chance to pan out.
At both corner and safety, the talent is there. For whatever reason, the players just didn't always execute on game day. Adding a little depth—both as injury insurance and to force competition—could change that.
Just as it wouldn't make sense for the Rams to spend their limited funds on a linebacker, the same holds true for the secondary. A Day 3 pick should be enough to satisfy this need.
In fact, the Rams have drafted eight defensive backs in the three drafts under head coach Jeff Fisher, so it's almost inevitable that it will happen.
Doran Grant of Ohio State is an interesting Day 3 choice. Not only did he perform for a national championship team, but he also has the versatility to switch between cornerback and safety.
Another late-round choice is Georgia's Damian Swann. He stood out in the East-West Shrine Game and has experience playing in the tough SEC conference. He won't make an immediate impact, but he has potential as a project.
Quarterback
5 of 5
Best Source: Both
According to NFL.com, Fisher was quite vocal with his support for Sam Bradford and went as far as to say he's "betting on" Bradford in 2015.
It's always a feel-good moment when a coach goes to bat for one of his players. But let's get real—the Rams need to take the quarterback position very seriously this offseason.
Bradford's knee injuries have forced him to miss 25 of his last 32 possible starts. He hasn't been seen in a regular-season game since October 2013 against the Carolina Panthers. Not to mention his ankle injury in 2011 and his well-documented shoulder injury at Oklahoma in 2009.
Since Bradford has such awesome potential as an NFL starter, there's no shame in "betting on" him in 2015 and giving him a shot as the starter. There just better be a very good contingency plan in place—in fact, there should be two.
For two years in a row, Rams fans have watched the season fall apart as backup quarterbacks struggle to produce at a winning level. Now that the current regime is in its fourth season, the seats are warming up, and jobs are hanging by a thread. The team simply cannot afford to continue the quarterback blues for a third straight year.
The Rams must address the issue from multiple vantage points. The team needs to find a capable veteran in free agency and combine him with a rookie who has the potential to be a long-term answer.
Free agency is vacant when it comes to exciting options. Every so often, a Drew Brees or Peyton Manning will hit the market. Unfortunately, this isn't one of those years.
Brian Hoyer of the Cleveland Browns struggled near the end of his 2014 run, but he has a 10-6 record in his last 16 starts.
The Philadelphia Eagles' Mark Sanchez crashed and burned in New York, but he showed some life in relief of Nick Foles this past season.
There's also a number of young passers who have question marks but certainly possess excellent talent. This includes Jake Locker, Ryan Mallett, Josh Freeman and Christian Ponder.
None of the free-agent quarterbacks will sell jerseys, but they're capable of upgrading St. Louis' quarterback situation under the right conditions.
Additionally, the Rams must also draft a rookie capable of taking over someday. It could be a first-round choice or even a Day 2 selection.
Marcus Mariota of Oregon and Jameis Winston of Florida State lead the pack. The consensus suggests that both players should go in the top five, but neither of them are Andrew Luck-caliber prospects. It's certainly within the realm of possibility that one of them could fall to No. 10.
In fact, they don't even need to fall that far. If either player drops to Chicago at No. 7 overall, the Rams should be able to cut a deal and trade up. Since they'd only be rising three spots, it shouldn't cost a lifetime of draft picks either.
If that's not an option, there are certainly other prospects worth looking at. Between Baylor's Bryce Petty, Colorado State's Garrett Grayson and UCLA's Brett Hundley, one of those players will shoot up draft boards and become worthy of St. Louis' second-round selection.
There are those who are displeased with this year's crop in the draft, and those who are overly confident in Bradford's abilities.
If you fall into that line of thinking, just know that this is not an issue that can be put off until next year. If quarterback is still the team's top need by 2016, there won't be a next year for this current regime.
Bank on that.
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