2011 NFL Mock Draft: St. Louis Rams Road to the Playoffs Begins This Week

The St. Louis Rams began the 2010 season with the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. 

As every football fan on the planet is aware, St. Louis selected OU QB Sam Bradford with that No. 1 overall pick, a selection that was questioned at the time due to concerns around the NFL that Bradford was an injury risk. 

Bradford was coming off a major shoulder injury, one that not many years ago would have been a career ender, after all. 

Bradford answered his critics by putting up one of the best rookie quarterback seasons in NFL history, and definitely the best since Peyton Manning in 1999. 

Durability? Check. Bradford took every offensive snap in the 2010 season. 

Poise under pressure? Check. Bradford got hit a lot during the season as receivers struggled to get open, but time and time again he got back up, got into the huddle, and delivered on the next play. 

Any questions about whether Bradford was the right choice were answered with a resounding yes as Bradford looks poised to be the next great quarterback after leading St. Louis from a 1-15 record to a 7-9 record, one win shy of going to the playoffs in the abysmal NFC West. 

On Thursday, the St. Louis Rams begin their drive to the 2011 NFL Playoffs with the No. 14 overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft.

(Keep in mind that the Rams traded their sixth round selection to Baltimore for Mark Clayton and Baltimore's seventh round pick).  

With the 14th Overall Pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, St. Louis Selects:

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

TUSCALOOSA, AL - OCTOBER 16: Julio Jones #8 of the Alabama Crimson Tide fails to pull in this touchdown reception against the Ole Miss Rebels at Bryant-Denny Stadium on October 16, 2010 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Julio Jones, WR Alabama. 

A lot of mock drafts have the Rams picking Jones here, but even more have the stud WR from Alabama going higher in the draft to Cincinnati, Cleveland or Washington. I think he'll still be available, and the Rams will snatch him up. 

Cincinnati has far bigger needs, and more issues, to deal with. Carson Palmer, once considered the franchise savior in Cincinnati, has threatened to retire if he is not traded. I don't think he's bluffing, and I don't think there are many people in the Bengals organization who think he is either. QB is their biggest need, and Blaine Gabbert should still be on the board. 

Cleveland, now coached by former Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, have a lot of glaring holes as well, but their biggest desire is a franchise wide receiver to pair up with Colt McCoy. Personally, I'm of the opinion that selecting A.J. Green is a luxury pick in the "Dump and Duck" offense that Shurmur likes to run, but if he's on the board I don't see how they pass him up. 

That leaves Washington, with the No. 10 overall pick, as the only real threat early on to steal Julio Jones from the Rams. I grew up watching Mike Shanahan offenses, and I know that a first-round wide receiver has never been what Shanahan has been about. In Denver, where he had the majority of his success, he did it with a good, mobile quarterback, a good running game and whatever wide receivers he could find (namely, Rod Smith, an undrafted free agent who is now considered a borderline Hall of Famer).

Jake Locker is probably still on the board at No. 10, and I don't think Shanahan will pass up the opportunity to take a quarterback he loves and groom him into the quarterback he wants running his offense for the next decade.

(I promise, this is by far the longest slide). 

Second Round, No. 47 Overall:

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PASADENA, CA - SEPTEMBER 18: Safety Rahim Moore #3 of the UCLA Bruins in the game with the Houston Cougars at the Rose Bowl on September 18, 2010 in Pasadena, California. UCLA won 31-13. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Rahim Moore. Safety, UCLA.

With the departure of O.J. Atogwe to greener pastures (pun intended) the Rams have a big whole to fill in their secondary. They already had a big hole to fill, but it got bigger when Atogwe took his ballhawking to Washington. 

Moore is, without a doubt, the best safety in this draft. He's big, he's fast and he has a nose for the football. The Rams have a few needs ( a guard could go a long ways towards opening up the offense), but with a defensive-minded coach and the recent success that the Rams have had with second-round picks, the Rams go after a guy who can help a lot on the defense, thus helping the offense. 

I was tempted to have the Rams trading back into the late goings of the first round and selecting Florida Guard Mike Pouncey, and, if he's still available late in the first round, I could see the Rams doing that. They need a big, run blocking guard and Pouncey fits the bill nicely. Unfortunately, I don't see him being available from picks 25 on. 

Third Round, No. 78 Overall:

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

ATHENS, GA - NOVEMBER 21: Clint Boling #60 of the Georgia Bulldogs against the Kentucky Wildcats at Sanford Stadium on November 21, 2009 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Clint Boling, Guard, Georgia

The Rams finally get a legitimate guard to fill the right side of the line up and protect Bradford. Boling's a great run blocker as well, which will help open up holes on the right side for Steven Jackson, something that Adam Goldberg wasn't able to do last year. At all. As in, ever. 

If the pick isn't Boling, the Rams will once again go defense and pick up an outside linebacker like Dontay Moch or Mason Foster, and to be honest, either of those picks are more likely considering Boling would be considered a reach in a lot of circles. 

Fourth Round, No. 111 Overall:

Harry How/Getty Images

PASADENA, CA - NOVEMBER 06: Jacquizz Rodgers #1 of the Oregon State Beavers runs through an opening against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl on November 6, 2010 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Jacquizz Rodgers, Running Back, Oregon State.

The Rams finally do what they have been putting off for the majority of the past decade: they get an honest to goodness backup running back to take some of the load off of Steven Jackson's legs. 

Rodgers is a legitimate first-round talent, if you go by the tape he put up at Oregon State. Concerns about his speed (or lack thereof) at the combine as well as his small stature (5'6", 195 lbs) mean that he won't go on the first day. 

After watching this guy for the last three years at Oregon State, I have to say that he is one of the best small running backs I've seen in a long time. Despite his small size, he plays like someone much bigger. 

He's able to use his size to his advantage, hiding behind bigger offensive linemen until a hole opens up and then shooting through it. He keeps a low center of gravity and is able to bowl over much larger players by keeping his feet moving. 

He's also the most accomplished receiver at the running back position in this entire draft as Oregon State utilizes every offensive player on the field in the passing game. 

Time and time again, people say that a small running back won't last in the NFL, and time and time again they are proven wrong buy guys like Maurice Jones-Drew, Justin Forsett, et al. 

If Rodgers is the pick in Round 4, it will be the first time in quite a while that a team has been able to honestly say they got a first-round talent in the fourth round. 

Fifth Round, No. 142 Overall

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 01: Quarterback E.J. Manuel #3 of the Florida State Seminoles avoids a sack by linebacker J.T. Thomas #30 of the West Virginia Mountaineers before completing a pass during the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl on January 1, 2010 at Jac

J.T. Thomas, Linebacker, West Virginia 

The Rams need a guy like Thomas in their linebacking corps. He's big (6'2", 230 lbs) and fast. The real knock on his game is his tackling, but that's an area that can truly be coached. Pair him up with James Laurinaitis and you could have a pair of very solid linebackers for the next decade. 

Seventh Round, No. 216 Overall:

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PASADENA, CA - OCTOBER 02: Andrew Abbott #26 of the UCLA Bruins jumps onto the shoulders of teammate David Carter #85 after Carter's sack of Washington State quarterback Jeff Tuel during the fourth quarter at the Rose Bowl on October 2, 2010 in Pasadena

David Carter, Defensive Tackle, UCLA.

Carter only started one season at UCLA, but he put up decent numbers. He's a big body who can give the Rams a solid replacement for Fred Robbins. 

Seventh Round, No. 228 Overall (From Baltimore):

Ryan Jones, Cornerback, NW Missouri State.

A local boy wraps up the Rams draft. Cornerback is a minor need for the Rams as Bradley Fletcher and Ron Bartell seem to be growing into a pair of good cover corners. Speed never hurts (unless it's on the other team) and Jones is fast enough to play CB or be a return specialist.