2010 NFL Draft Debate: St Louis Rams Taking a QB or DT at No. 1?

Coming off of a 1-15 season the St. Louis Rams are in possession of the number one overall selection in the draft and need to use the selection to jumpstart their rebuilding process.  But which side of the football should they focus on?  The offense ranked a dreadful 32nd in the league in points and 29th in total offense. 

The defense was not much better ranking 31st in points allowed and 29th in total defense.  Based on the talent in the draft and the team's needs the focus has shifted to two positions: Quarterback and Defensive Tackle.  To help answer this question our draft experts each took a side and plead their case.

Why should the Rams select a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick? (by Chief Scout Dan Wernery)

If the St Louis Rams were an outdoor team, I wouldn't be making this argument. However, the Rams are a dome team and how many dome teams have had success as a defensive oriented team? None.

The Rams should have only one quarterback on their board: Jimmy Clausen . Sam Bradford should not enter the conversation. Bradford is a system player, purely a spread quarterback and is coming off shoulder surgery. Put Sam Bradford under center and force him to throw the ball in less than 10 seconds and he's going to be a bust.

Each of the last two seasons Matt Ryan (2008) and Mark Sanchez (2009) had success as rookies and were draft in the top 10. What did they have in common? Both played in a pro style offense in college, both went to teams with good running games and both played behind solid offensive lines anchored by talented left tackles.

Jimmy Clausen played in a pro style offense in college. The Rams spent the second overall pick in 2009 on left tackle Jason Smith. Steven Jackson is still one of the best running backs in the NFL.

Keep in mind that Matt Ryan had 19 interceptions as a senior and Mark Sanchez had only 16 collegiate starts. Jimmy Clausen has 35 career starts and threw only 4 interceptions for a Notre Dame offense that could not run the football and had a bad offensive line.

The big question with Clausen is can he handle the spotlight as well as Ryan and Sanchez? Matt Ryan had to replace Michael Vick one year after the dog-fighting conviction and Mark Sanchez had to face the New York media daily, the pressure is far less on a quarterback in St Louis.

Ndamakong Suh is the best player on the board, but without a high powered offense its hard to win indoors in this league. This website was critical of the Falcons passing on an equally hyped defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey in 2008. I think the Falcons fared quite well with their selection.

Why the Rams should select a defensive tackle with the No. 1 overall pick? (by Senior Editor Chris Maier)

In debating whether to select a defensive tackle or a franchise quarterback with the number one selection, the first question you need to ask is whether the talent at each position warrants the selection. 

Let's start at quarterback. Take your pick between Jimmy Clausen or Sam Bradford and ask whether or not your believe either player is a true franchise quarterback worth the investment of the number one pick.  The answer is no. 

Sam Bradford has great character, good size, and pinpoint accuracy when playing behind a great offensive line.  He also a spread quarterback who is coming off shoulder surgery and  failed to elevate his team in the national title game or vs. BYU when facing pressure. 

Jimmy Clausen fits the profile a little better but when watching him play he looked more good than great and there are questions about his leadership ability.  Could either of them be a franchise quarterback? Yes, but the bust factor for both is too high to take the leap.

Now switch gears to the defensive tackle position and ask whether the talent at the position warrants the selection.  The answer is their are two top notch defensive tackles in Gerald McCoy and Ndamukong Suh who are each rated in the top five on nearly every draft board.  

Add to the mix the fact that head coach Steve Spagnuolo is a defensive coach who builds his defenses in the trenches and you have a good fit.  If Spagnuolo can get his defense to stop the run and bring pressure on defense, the Rams can shorten football games and build an offense that manages the game and gets the football to running back Steven Jackson.

As for the decision between, Suh and McCoy, the answer is an easy one: Suh.  Some like to point to Ndamukong Suh being a product of his tremendous performance against Texas in the Big 12 Championship game (and it was one of the singular most dominating performance in the last 20 years) but anyone who makes that argument did not see him play the rest of the season. 

He led a Nebraska team with a horrific offense to the Big 12 title game and a near miss in its upset of the No. 2 team in the country.  Suh is as safe of a defensive tackle as the draft has seen since Tommie Harris.

He is dominant against the run and commands double teams.  He plays with a high motor and elevates the play of his teammates.  Lastly, he can get after the quarterback and be the difference maker the Rams need to build a dominant defense.

Taking a defensive tackle number one is not sexy and probably will not sell a lot of tickets but when the quarterbacks are not true franchise quarterbacks and Suh is clearly the number one player and plays a position of need, then Suh should be the pick. 

Chris Maier is senior editor for nfldraft101.com .  He can be reached at [e-mail]  and can be followed on twitter: nfldraft101 .  Dan Wernery is Chief Scout for nfldraft101.com and can be reached at [e-mail].