St. Louis Rams Mock Draft: Final 7-Round Predictions
The St. Louis Rams are hours away from being on the clock, so it's time for one final mock draft before the fun begins.
General manager Les Snead and coach Jeff Fisher have kept strong poker faces throughout the process. With many needs and multiple options at No. 10 overall, it's difficult to determine which direction the Rams will take.
The offense is in desperate need of reinforcements. The offensive line is a mess, and the team lacks a true playmaker. Then again, Fisher loves his defense. As long as he's in charge, drafting a defensive standout is never out of the question.
Despite the uncertainty, this article will go through each round and take one last crack at mocking the draft.
Round 1 (No. 10): WR DeVante Parker, Louisville
1 of 6
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 209 pounds
Projected Round: 1
The Rams need offensive linemen more than anything else, but it's a deep class for linemen. St. Louis can grab a quality tackle or guard in Round 2 or beyond, but big-time playmakers can only be had in the top 10.
Alabama's Amari Cooper and West Virginia's Kevin White are the top preferences, but neither player is expected to fall to No. 10. If that's the case, Louisville's DeVante Parker is a perfectly adequate option with the 10th pick.
Parker is excellent at getting into position and giving himself an opportunity to make the catch. His hands are as reliable as they come, and he has decent height to fight for jump balls.
He needs to add muscle mass and improve his physicality against the stronger NFL cornerbacks, but he has the potential to eventually do that.
The Rams need a go-to guy on the outside capable of catching every ball thrown in his direction. Parker's skills perfectly align with that job description.
Round 2 (No. 41): T/G D.J. Humphries, Florida
2 of 6
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 307 pounds
Projected Round: 1-2
If the Rams draft any position other than offensive line in Round 1, they'll practically be forced to grab a guard or tackle in the second round.
Florida's D.J. Humphries is versatile. He can line up at right tackle or either guard position, and that's a great benefit for a Rams team in need of help at all three spots.
Humphries is a mean player—a run-blocking enforcer. That's a quality that will catch Jeff Fisher's eye. If the Rams truly want to run the ball more, Humphries will help accomplish that.
Humphries is a day-one starter and a total bargain if he falls to the second round (as he did in Bleacher Report's community mock draft). Some mock drafts, such as Walter Football, have him going as high as No. 19 overall.
With Humphries, the Rams get an immediate starter on the line without spending a top-10 pick.
Round 3 (No. 72): T Cedric Ogbuehi
3 of 6
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 306 pounds
Projected Round: 2-3
The Rams need as many talented offensive linemen as they can get. Finding starting-caliber linemen beyond Round 1 may require taking a few gambles.
Cedric Ogbuehi played like a true first-round prospect during his time at Texas A&M. According to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com, Ogbuehi tore his ACL late last season. His draft stock has suffered ever since.
Ogbuehi has been mocked all over the second and third round. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com even reported that Ogbuehi is still in play for Round 1.
With so many varying opinions, it's impossible to know how things will unfold. If, however, the Rams are lucky enough to get a shot at him on Day 2, they need to take that risk.
Ogbuehi is a day-one starter at right tackle and certainly has the talent to play on the blind side. If Greg Robinson—the No. 2 overall pick last year—struggles at left tackle and is forced to move back to guard, Ogbuehi can be his backup.
It's hard to find a lineman with first-round talent in the third round. This is the best shot of accomplishing that.
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Round 4 (No. 119): QB Garrett Grayson, Colorado State
4 of 6
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 213 pounds
Projected Round: 2-5
New Rams quarterback Nick Foles will get a fair opportunity to become the team's franchise quarterback, but St. Louis needs a backup plan.
It would be more ideal to grab Baylor's Bryce Petty or UCLA's Brett Hundley at this spot, but it's unlikely either will last this long. It's possible Garrett Grayson won't last this long either, but if so, he'd be a great fourth-round pickup.
Grayson has acceptable arm strength. He throws a nice deep ball and maintains tremendous accuracy. He's not a scrambler, but he's very talented when it comes to rolling out and escaping pressure.
Even if Grayson serves as nothing more than the No. 2 quarterback for the next five years, he's still worth a fourth-round selection. If he develops nicely, the Rams can trade him in the near future and make a profit on that fourth-round investment.
Round 6 (No. 215): LB Ramik Wilson, Georgia
5 of 6
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 237 pounds
Projected Round: 5-7
The Rams need a backup option behind veteran James Laurinaitis. Maybe it's not time to replace Laurinaitis just yet, but the team still needs a reliable No. 2.
Ramik Wilson has the ability to play both inside and outside. He's a great tackler with three years of SEC experience, and he has a nose for the ball-carrier.
Wilson is weak in coverage, so that's an area he'll need to focus on. In the meantime, he'll be an immediate contributor on special teams.
Round 7 (No. 227): RB Dominique Brown, Louisville
6 of 6
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 234 pounds
Projected Round: 5-7
Tre Mason has established himself as the team's every-down back, and Benny Cunningham is a productive third-down back. That's a good start, but the Rams need a strong short-yardage back for goal-line situations.
Zac Stacy has the potential to be that guy but he's apparently in the doghouse. Stacy had just 15 total carries in the final 11 games of last season. If the team is truly done with him, it'd be wise to draft another powerful back as a replacement.
Dominique Brown missed five games for Louisville last season and had just 378 yards on 96 carries. However, he was quite productive in 2013 with 825 yards, eight touchdowns and an average of 5.1 yards per carry.
He lacks agility and breakaway speed, but he has decent strength. If he only costs a seventh-rounder, he's certainly worth a look.
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