St. Louis Rams - NFC West

St. Louis Rams - NFC West, 2009 Draft Selections & Prospects

St. Louis Rams

- 2009 NFL Draft Breakdown and Analysis
1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | 4th Round | 5th Round | 6th Rd | 7th Rd

- CFN 2009 Draft Central & Team-by-Team Picks and Analysis

#	Pick
1	2	1st Round   Jason Smith, OT Baylor 6-4, 309 One of the hottest prospects since the end of the season, Smith went from being a first rounder to a sure-thing, top five type of pick after doing everything right in post-season workouts and the Combine. The former tight end is a fantastic athlete who has gotten better and better the more he’s been scrutinized. Not only is he extremely smart, but he has a nasty streak to the point of being over-competitive (re: cocky … but not necessarily in a bad way). While he needs work on his technique to be ready at a pro level, there’s nothing that can’t be tweaked a little bit and he’s more than willing to work on being the best he can be. There’s no real knock on him that should send up any sort of red flag, and the sky’s the limit on how good he can become. There’s a limitless upside. CFN Value Rank: First Round, Top Five Overall    CFN Position Rank: 1
3	35	2nd Round  James Laurinaitis, LB Ohio State  6-2, 245 Stunningly mediocre at the Combine, when he was expected to blow the quickness, speed, and agility drills off the charts, his stock has dropped to a low point considering he likely would’ve been taken in the top ten had he left a year early. After a breakthrough sophomore season when he seemingly made every play possible against the run and the pass, he got by more on reputation, at least when it came to the award-types, than big-time production. While he filled the stat sheet, he wasn’t quite the difference maker the numbers indicated. Strong when he was in space and able to roam to the ball, he had problems when attacked and blocked. Even so, he was the leader of a fantastic defense, especially against the run, and has absolutely no bust potential, unless he gets hurt. He’ll make a ton of tackles and will be a fan favorite, but he’s not going to be a special all-around star. CFN Value Rank: First Round    CFN Position Rank: 2
2	66	3rd Round   Bradley Fletcher, FS/CB Iowa 6-1, 195 He has a great combination of size and speed with 4.49 wheels in a long frame. Extremely quick both on the field and in workouts, he has the skills to be a top-shelf corner and the size and strength to become a decent free safety. However, he’s still a work in progress. It took him a while to become a good player at Iowa and he’s still developing. Technique as both a corner and a safety are a problem and there’s a concern about substance abuse after getting suspended for a time earlier in his career. While he didn’t do enough on the field to warrant a high pick, his raw skills are too much to pass up. CFN Value Rank: Third Round    CFN Position Rank: 10
3	103	4th Round Dorrell Scott, DT Clemson  6-4, 310 A good cog in the system, he’s a true space-eater with long arms, a huge build, and just enough lateral quickness to make himself even bigger. He was surprisingly athletic at the Combine, tearing off a 4.92 in the 40, but he needs to get stronger and he needs to show he can handle the bigger, stronger linemen. He’s not a 3-4 nose tackle and will need to play in a 4-3 with good players around him, but he’s good enough to plug in and start from day one. He could turn out to be tremendous with a little bit of time with a trainer. CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round    CFN Position Rank: 9
24	160	5th Round (from Atlanta) Brooks Foster, WR North Carolina 6-0, 211 He could be the best of the Tar Heel lot that’ll be drafted with a good blend of size and speed. However, he didn’t stand out often enough. A great athlete, he's smooth with highlight reel catching ability and ridiculous strength, he has all the tools. However, he's not a great football player. He needs rout refining and he'll need some developing time, and unfortunately for the team that drafts him, he could grow into a playmaker for a second team. CFN Value Rank: Fourth Round    CFN Position Rank: 27
23	196	6th Round (from Atlanta) Keith Null, QB West Texas A&M 6-4, 220 A pure bomber, he's not going to run and he's not going to do anything fancy, but he can step up and fire with the arm to make all the throws. He threw for 5,097 yards and 48 touchdowns, with 595 yards and seven touchdowns against Abilene Christian in a 98-63 loss, but he hasn't faced anything more than D-II competition. He'll trust his arm too much and will go on streaks where he'll throw picks. CFN Value Rank: Not Ranked    CFN Position Rank: NR
2	211	7th Round Chris Ogbonnaya, RB Texas 6-0, 220 An interesting mix of size, power, and quickness, he's a raw runner with the upside to be a decent powerback in the right system. For good and bad, he doesn't have a lot of tread on the tires. He didn't get a lot of work at Texas in part of a rotation, but he wasn't all that productive when he got his chance. He could be a nice runner in a rotation, but he'll likely never be a feature back. CFN Value Rank: Sixth Round    CFN Position Rank: 29

2008

The Draft Was ... Hit or miss. Chris Long is a sure-thing at the No. 2, but Donnie Avery isn't the best receiver in this class and there were some interesting value picks, like CB Justin King in the fourth, to go along with big reaches like WR Keenan Burton. The team needed receivers, but it didn't get any sure-thing starters.
Best Value Pick: Roy Schuening, OG Oregon State. 5th round. Guards are never sexy, but Schuening was one of the best in the draft. Experienced, tough, and good enough to be a decent starter, but not a star, he'll be the rare fifth rounder who sticks.
Biggest Reach: Donnie Avery, WR Houston. 2nd round. There's no questioning the incredible speed and the way he'll fit in with the Rams, but should he have been the first receiver taken? Let the second guessing begin.
They Should've ... Gotten another receiver. Keenan Burton isn't durable and Avery was hurting at the Combine. Considering the holes that need to be filled in the passing game, one more target would've been a good insurance policy.

#	Pick
2	2	1st Round     Chris Long, DE Virginia Motor, motor, motor, motor, motor. A natural pass rusher, Long is a tremendous all-around end who can get into the backfield any time he wants to and is a playmaker against the run. Even when nothing seems to be happening, he finds a way to make a play on sheer drive and desire. He got stuffed in the Gator Bowl loss to Texas Tech and there's a question about just how good he'll be against the elite tackles. He'll dominate from time to time at the NFL level when going against average linemen, but he'll likely be erased by the top OTs. There's no real downside; he'll be a sure-thing starter for the next ten years, but is there any upside? Unlike Vernon Gholston, Phillip Merling or Calais Campbell, what you see with Long might be exactly what you get. That's not necessarily a bad thing. CFN Value Rank: Top Ten Overall    CFN Position Rank: 2

2

33

2nd Round    Donnie Avery, WR Houston A slight disappointment at the Combine, he was fast, but he didn't put up the blazing sub-4.4 time expected. That could be seen as a slight positive; that means he just played really, really fast. He's a gamebreaker and a polished deep runner who can blow by any corner who doesn't get a jam right away. He'll have to work on some basic mechanics and his hands are questionable, but he's not pretending to be the next Wes Welker; he's a long-ball hitter. CFN Value Rank: Mid-Second to Third Round   CFN Position Rank: 13

2

65

3rd Round   John Greco, OG/OT Toledo If he's not the greatest MAC offensive lineman of all-time, he's in the team photo. A starter from day one to game 49, he's ridiculously durable, freakishly strong, and will work his tail off to get better. While he was an all-everything tackle for Toledo, he just doesn't have the quickness of the athleticism to be on the outside at the highest level. He could move to tackle from time to time, but he has the size, toughness, and make-up to shine as a guard if given the chance to grow into the job. CFN Value Rank: Third Round   CFN Position Rank: 4 (as a OG)

2

101

4th Round   Justin King, CB Penn State Really, really fast. King's 4.37 40 confirmed what everyone already knew that he was among the fastest players in the draft, but for all his speed and all his athleticism, he wasn't all that great a cover-corner on a consistent basis. He had some big games when he erased the No. 1 receiver, and then he got destroyed by some, like Indiana's James Hardy, who lit it up with 14 catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns. He has the measurables, but not the talent or the consistency to be anyone's top corner. CFN Value Rank: Second Round to Third Round   CFN Position Rank: 11

29

128

4th Round (from trade)   Keenan Burton, WR Kentucky Tall, fast, and productive, he showed flashes of big-play talent throughout his college career, Durability is an issue and he doesn't use his speed well enough; he plays slower than he actually is. However, if he's in the right system and he's asked to be a backup, occasional No. 3, and emergency No. 2, he could hang around the league for a little while. CFN Value Rank: Sixth Round   CFN Position Rank: 27

22

157

5th Round (from trade)   Roy Schuening, OG Oregon State An excellent four-year starter for the Beavers, Schuening is excellent when he has to open a hole and get the ground game moving. If he has to get moving and if he has to pass protect on a regular basis, there will be problems. He's a strong player who'll be tough to leave on the bench and tougher to cut because of his toughness, durability and versatility, he spent some time at tackle, but he'll have find the right offense and the right style to be a steady NFL starter. CFN Value Rank: Third Round      CFN Position Rank: 3

21

228

7th Round (from trade)  Chris Chamberlain, LB Tulsa Undraftable until he came up with a whale of a pro day. Chamberlain is tremendously athletic and was an ultra-productive defender for the Golden Hurricane. Too small to play linebacker, stretched out to get to 226 pounds, and he needs to prove he can be fast enough in the secondary to warrant further development as a safety. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent   CFN Position Rank: NR

45

252

7th Round  David Vobora, OLB Idaho A good all-around football player who tackled everything that moved over the last two seasons, he's a smart linebacker who makes up for a lack of athleticism with good instincts and tough tackling ability. He could make the team on special teams, but he's a good enough defender to find a role at any linebacking spot. CFN Value Rank: Free Agent   CFN Position Rank: 42