First Round (from Washington): Taylor Lewan, Offensive Tackle, Michigan
The St. Louis Rams did go out there and sign Jake Long to a long-term contract this offseason. He's also performed pretty well in his first season with the club. This doesn't mean that the Rams should ignore the offensive line early. Rodger Saffold isn't much more than a decent right tackle and the Rams could easily move him inside to guard, where they also need some help.
Lewan is one of the most polished college prospects at this position to come down the pike in some time. At 6'8" and 315, the Michigan product has the size to be a dominating pass-protecting force. He has the ability to reach and extend against oncoming pass rushers from the outside, which should help against the speedier type. With that said, Lewan does seem to get a bit too upright at times and can be pushed off at the point of contact. This is one of the primary reasons that he fits better as a right takle, at least initially. Once Long's age catches up with him, Lewan will have no problem transition to the blindside.
First Round: Sammy Watkins, Wide Receiver, Clemson
Sure, St. Louis went out there and traded up for Tavon Austin last April. Sure, it has spent a total of six picks in the last three seasonson wide receivers.
This might seem to indicate that the Rams will look to avoid that position in 2014. Not so fast, my friends. Austin wasn't brought in to be a true No. 1 wide receiver. Instead, his role is more in the jack-of-all-trades variety.
With Watkins, the Rams will be getting someone that can stretch the field from both the slot and the outside and doesn't struggle going up against press coverage, which is important in the NFC West. As my No. 1 overall receiver at this point, St. Louis would be getting an immediate-impact performer. He will need to get more physical to beat press coverage in the pros, but has the athletic ability to make up for it on the intermediate routes, where he tends to have an understanding where to sit down in front of the coverage.
Second Round: Zach Mettenberger, Quarterback, Louisiana State
Some may conclude that Sam Bradford is the Rams' quarterback of the future. While this very well might be true, they need to get him some competition. With two first-round picks, Les Snead and Co. can afford to take a shot on the LSU product here. Despite unrefined mechanics, Mettenberger has a ton of potential. He kinda reminds me of Ryan Tannehill coming out of Texas A&M in that he's going to be considered somewhat of a project.
It's also important to note that he can sit behind Bradford and learn from one of the most intelligent quarterbacks in the league. At the very least, St. Louis could end up having solid trade bait should Bradford pan out moving forward. It's a win-win situation here.
Third Round: Daniel McCullers, Defensive Tackle, Tennessee
At 350 pounds, McCullers isn't necessarily a perfect fit for the Rams' 4-3 defense. He seems to be better suited as a nose tackle in a 3-4. With that said, the Rams could use a big body in the middle to help free up Robert Quinn and Chris Long from the defensive end position. Kendall Langford is a decent stop-gap measure, but McCullers pairing up with Michael Brockers could be dominant moving forward.
Fourth Round: Spencer Long, Guard, Nebraska
With Chris Williams and Harvey Dahl as the Rams' two starting guards right now, it goes without saying that they will have to add at least one in the draft this upcoming May.
As most of you already know, guards tend to fall down the draft boards due to the lack of importance organizations put on that position. Such is going to be the case with Long, who is impressive.
The interior lineman moves extremely well for someone his size (6'4' and about 312) and will be an athletic pull guard in the NFL.
This works well with the Rams newfound running game, led by Zac Stacy. While Long may end up going somewhere in Day 2, he's currently projected more as a fourth or fifth rounder. This would be a tremendous fit.
Fifth Round: Denicos Allen, Linebacker, Michigan State
Allen is more of a 4-3 outside linebacker, which works well as it relates to what the Rams love to do on the defensive side of the ball. At a little under 5'11", Allen is a tad undersized. He makes up for that with plus athleticism and solid tackling ability. The Michigan State product could be a potential long-term replacement for Jo-Lonn Dunbar in St. Louis.
Sixth Round: C.J. Barnett, Safety, Ohio State
Why not attempt to find a solid backup safety from a power conference? Barnett has gone up against some darn good tight ends and slot receivers in the Big 10 and seems to be up for the task as it relates to transitioning to the NFL. I also still work under the theory that rookie safety T.J. McDonald is still better suited to play strong safety. If so, the Rams could have an opening at free safety down the road.
Seventh Round: Asa Watson, Tight End, North Carolina State
Seventh Round: Keith McGill, Cornerback, Louisville