Re-Grading St. Louis Rams' Past 5 Drafts
The St. Louis Rams have struggled with talent acquisition since the end of the Greatest Show on Turf era. The Rams spent many years as bottom-feeders thanks to poor drafting, but things have improved in recent years.
While the Rams are hardly a playoff contender, the days of Tye Hill and Jason Smith are apparently over. The team has made better decisions in recent years, and the on-field results are beginning to show.
This article will look at St. Louis' last five drafts and provide a letter grade for each year. The grade will be based on the number of starters acquired, the quality of those starters, player potential and other factors.
2010 Draft: D+
1 of 5
Round 1: QB Sam Bradford, Oklahoma
Round 2: OL Rodger Saffold, Indiana
Round 3: CB Jerome Murphy, South Florida
Round 4: WR Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati
Round 5: TE Michael Hoomanawanui, Illinois
Round 5: DE Hall Davis, Louisiana
Round 6: TE Fendi Onobun, Houston
Round 6: DE Eugene Sims, West Texas A&M
Round 7: DB Marquis Johnson, Alabama
Round 7: DE George Selvie, South Florida
Round 7: LB Josh Hull, Penn State
The selection of Sam Bradford with the No. 1 overall pick was hardly a great success, but it was the right decision at the time. Every other general manager out there would have done the same thing in Billy Devaney's shoes.
The pick appeared to be a home run in the beginning. Bradford tossed 18 touchdowns and over 3,000 yards as a rookie, earning him the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Then, the injuries happened. He missed six games in 2011 with an ankle injury. He was healthy for 2012, but back-to-back season-ending knee injuries in 2013 and 2014 ended his career with the Rams.
Second-round pick Rodger Saffold hasn't exactly been a shining example of good health either (he has missed 20 starts in five seasons), but he's been excellent when on the field and is probably the best pick from this class.
Eugene Sims was selected in the sixth round and is the only player besides Saffold who's still with the team. He's a productive member of the defensive end rotation and should be the No. 3 (even ahead of William Hayes) next season.
George Selvie was an excellent late-round selection. It's just a shame that the past regime was too foolish to see his obvious potential. He played just one season in St. Louis.
Saffold and Sims—a banged up lineman and a rotational end—are the only ones with the team. And whether it was their fault or not, the team must also take some heat for using a No. 1 overall selection on a player who didn't pan out.
Furthermore, third-round pick Jerome Murphy played just one season with St. Louis, and fourth-rounder Mardy Gilyard ended his Rams career with six receptions.
There's no monumental bust from this class, but that's still pretty bad.
Overall Grade: D+
2011 Draft: B-
2 of 5
Round 1: DE Robert Quinn, North Carolina (A)
Round 2: TE Lance Kendricks, Wisconsin (B)
Round 3: WR Austin Pettis, Boise State (C)
Round 4: WR Greg Salas, Hawaii (D)
Round 5: S Jermale Hines, Ohio State (F)
Round 7: DB Mikail Baker, Baylor (D)
Round 7: LB Jabara Williams, Stephen F. Austin (B)
Round 7: S Jonathan Nelson, Oklahoma (D)
The selection of Robert Quinn was a major addition for this franchise. He's the first defensive Pro Bowler for St. Louis since Aeneas Williams and Leonard Little in 2003, and he has been the face of the defense.
Rams fans nearly forgot what it's like to have a truly elite player on the roster, but Quinn changed that. He's creating a legacy, and the fans are having a blast watching him.
Lance Kendricks has not been nearly as impressive, but he has still been a capable starter on offense. He has averaged about 350 receiving yards per season since joining the Rams, but his real value is as a run-blocker. He has been excellent at opening run lanes and serving as a fullback in a pinch.
Austin Pettis was a solid third-round selection, but the Rams parted ways with him during the 2014 season. Pettis was a productive player, but Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports reported that he was let go due to missing player meetings.
Still, as far as talent and production, Pettis was still a decent pick.
Greg Salas was beginning to look like a steal during his rookie year. He had 264 yards in his first six NFL games, but he missed the rest of his rookie year with an injury. He never played another down with St. Louis.
Jabara Williams showed some potential as a late-round steal on special teams, but that never really panned out.
The Rams could have done much better in the fourth round and later, but the team made solid decisions in the first three rounds. This grade should probably be lower, but Quinn alone raises the reputation for the whole class. He's that good.
Overall Grade: B-
2012 Draft: A-
3 of 5
Round 1: DT Michael Brockers, LSU
Round 2: WR Brian Quick, Appalachian State
Round 2: CB Janoris Jenkins, South Alabama
Round 2: RB Isaiah Pead, Cincinnati
Round 3: CB Trumaine Johnson, Montana
Round 4: WR Chris Givens, Wake Forest
Round 5: OL Rokevious Watkins, South Carolina
Round 6: K Greg Zuerlein, Missouri Western
Round 7: LB Aaron Brown, Hawaii
Round 7: RB Daryl Richardson, Abilene Christian
This was the first draft of the Jeff Fisher and Les Snead era. Immediately, you can see improvements over the previous regime.
Michael Brockers was not an exciting or flashy first-round pick, but he has been a solid starter since 2012. He's the anchor in the middle and makes the rest of the defense better.
Brian Quick did nothing his first two seasons. He began to break out in a big way in 2014, but an unfortunate shoulder injury put a stop to that. If he can return to his 2014 form, he'll be a big factor on offense for St. Louis in 2015.
Janoris Jenkins made an immediate impact with four defensive touchdowns as a rookie. He gets burned from time to time, but he's a capable starter and total playmaker. Fellow cornerback Trumaine Johnson has also been a reliable starter. Johnson is less of a big-play guy than Jenkins, but he doesn't get torched as often either.
Greg Zuerlein has been the team's kicker since being drafted and even earned the nicknames "Legatron" and "Greg the Leg" for his booming leg strength (how many kickers earn a nickname at all, let alone in year one?).
Chris Givens was an excellent deep-ball threat as a rookie. He appeared to be a steal, but he was almost entirely phased out of the offense last year.
Daryl Richardson had some bright moments as a change-of-pace back his rookie year. He even took over as the starter in 2013, but eventually lost the job to Zac Stacy midseason. He's not a home run pick, but not bad for a seventh-rounder.
Isaiah Pead is a major bust and has accomplished nothing at the NFL level. Same with Rokevious Watkins and Aaron Brown (not that the seventh-round linebacker carried any expectations).
Seven of the 10 picks have contributed in some way, and five are still major players on this team.
Overall Grade: A-
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2013 Draft: B
4 of 5
Round 1: WR Tavon Austin, West Virginia
Round 1: LB Alec Ogletree, Georgia
Round 3: S T.J. McDonald, USC
Round 3: WR Stedman Bailey, West Virginia
Round 4: OL Barrett Jones, Alabama
Round 5: CB Brandon McGee, Miami
Round 5: RB Zac Stacy, Vanderbilt
The Rams owned two first-round picks and took advantage by grabbing two players with high potential in the opening round.
St. Louis made the jump from No. 16 to No. 8 overall to grab Tavon Austin. Austin was expected to revolutionize the offense and special teams with his electric moves and lightening speed, but it hasn't exactly panned out that way.
We've certainly seen flashes from Austin. He had three touchdowns and over 300 all-purpose yards against the Colts in 2012. He then rushed for a 65-yard touchdown the following week against the Bears. He ended his rookie campaign with seven total touchdowns, and he has had numerous return touchdowns called back for needless penalties.
His sophomore year was far less promising. We rarely saw the breakaway speed that made him a top-10 pick, and he finished will less than 500 yards from scrimmage.
Austin is a hard player to gauge. He hasn't been utilized properly, but he rarely makes a difference when he is. We'll need to see more before making any final conclusions.
As for Ogletree, he struggled early in the 2014 season but settled down as the year progressed. He's finally a key player on defense and fans should look forward to a breakout campaign in 2015.
T.J. McDonald is a full-time starter at safety, and a very good one. Stedman Bailey is still struggling to produce consistently, but he appeared to start putting it together toward the end of 2014 and he'll be fun to watch next season.
Zac Stacy had an excellent rookie year with over 1,000 yards from scrimmage and over 900 rushing yards. He appeared to be the long-term answer at running back, but the Rams benched him in favor of Tre Mason last season. Stacy is in limbo at the moment, but expect him to contribute in some way next season.
Barrett Jones will be battling for the starting center job, as long as he can stay healthy. Brandon McGee has been a disappointment and has barely seen the field (it hasn't been pretty the few times he's played on defense).
Overall, only Jones and McGee have failed to contribute out of the entire class, and that could change with Jones this year. The Rams did a great job with this group, but the lack of production from Austin leaves a sour taste in our mouths.
Overall Grade: B
2014 Draft: A
5 of 5
Round 1: OL Greg Robinson, Auburn
Round 1: DT Aaron Donald, Pittsburgh
Round 2: CB Lamarcus Joyner, Florida State
Round 3: RB Tre Mason, Auburn
Round 4: S Maurice Alexander, Utah State
Round 6: CB E.J. Gaines, Missouri
Round 6: QB Garrett Gilbert, Southern Methodist
Round 7: T Mitchell Van Dyk, Portland State
Round 7: S Christian Bryant, Ohio State
Round 7: DE Michael Sam, Missouri
Round 7: C Demetrius Rhaney, Tennessee State
Once again, the Rams entered this draft with multiple first-round picks. This time, they decided to bulk up the lines.
After the Rams selected Greg Robinson with the No. 2 pick, I recall one Rams writer from another site making the claim that Robinson was the "highest-drafted guard of all time." Fortunately, Robinson proved his doubters wrong and made his debut at left tackle midseason. He had some rookie hiccups but did quite well overall.
While Robinson was capable, Aaron Donald was a whole different story. Not only did Donald hold his own, but he immediately established himself as one of the best defensive tackles in the entire NFL. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and recorded nine sacks.
Mason didn't see action until Week 6, but he made a name for himself. He had just 179 carries on the season, but he turned that into 765 yards and four rushing touchdowns. He should be locked in as St. Louis' long-term starter.
Second-rounder Lamarcus Joyner saw some decent playing time at corner, but it was sixth-round selection E.J. Gaines who stood out. Gaines took over for an injured Trumaine Johnson and started 15 games.
Safety Maurice Alexander is still a work in progress, and Demetrius Rhaney will likely compete for the starting center job in 2015.
Between the two first-rounders, along with Mason and Gaines, this was an excellent class. Joyner, Alexander and Rhaney could make it much better.
Overall Grade: A
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