Previous Pick: Detroit Lions

2. St. Louis Rams

-Jason Smith (LT/Baylor)

NFL.com

With Orlando Pace as its anchor, the Rams used to have one of the dominant offensive lines in the NFL. As his ability has declined, so has that of the offense as a whole.  For the past few years, St. Louis has been trying to find a player to succeed Pace and return the Rams to the being one of the elite teams in the NFC. After missing out on Jake Long last year, I think the Rams jump at the chance to draft an offensive tackle with the #2 pick. And they don’t have much choice.  Alex Barron hasn’t improved much over the last two years; Marc Bulger has to be better protected; and the unit allowed 45 sacks over the regular season.

Since Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe are both talented pass blockers and have great athleticism, it’s difficult for me to say which one will be chosen. Resulting from his great combine, I would think Jason Smith gets the slight edge over Monroe. Plus Smith might be a better fit because he has that nasty nature and finishes his blocks very well. That will come in handy when he paves the way for Steven Jackson in the run game.

-Eugene Monroe (LT/Virginia)

NFL.com

Monroe has all the things you look for in a offensive tackle: long arms, quick feet, great size, intelligence, work ethic. Unfortunately, he lost  momentum at the combine when he only posted 23 reps when his peer, Jason Smith, recorded 33 reps. I suspect Monroe’s long arms make it tough to bench press as efficiently as the more barrel-chested linemen.

On a more positive note, Eugene Monroe is a less risky pick because of his experience. Whereas his counterpart Smith, only recently entered the elite talent conversation.

It comes down to whom the Rams give the slight edge. After all, there isn’t much separating these two extremely talented football players.

-Aaron Curry (OLB/Wake Forest)

NFL.com

If the Rams decide to go with the best player available, Curry would be the right choice. Although St. Louis has more pressing needs, linebacker does need help. So don’t rule out Curry because you never know if the defense-oriented Spagnolo might make a move for Curry if the Lions don’t take him first.

Michael Crabtree is a possibility here, but I just don’t see new coach Steve Spagnolo advocating that decision so early in his tenure.

Next on the clock: Kansas City Chiefs

Make sure to vote so I can include the fan picks into each post. We can make a little game out of comparing the fan picks with my own! At the end of my completed mock draft I will show all the results.

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I’ve grown tired of the idea of traditional mock drafts. So I designed one that accounts for possible trade spots and for a range of scenarios. That way when a player is chosen well before he should be, you won’t be thrown for a loop when your team is on the clock.

Each team will have a few players (listed in order of likelihood of being picked) that I believe they can target, depending on who else is chosen prior to that pick. So naturally, you may see a few players show up more than once.

Each post will look in-depth at 1 team starting with pick #1:

1. Detroit Lions

NFL.com

- Aaron Curry (OLB/Wake Forest):

For a team with one of the NFL’s worst defenses of all time, Curry could be the catalyst to jump start a roster starving for talent. Seldom do you see such a complete player come along, and when you do, take him. He simply has no weakness: very vocal leader, extraordinary intensity, awesome speed and athleticism, intelligence, and no injury history. I can’t think of a bad thing to say about this guy.  I was super excited to see him destroy competitors at the combine, where he placed first in all the drills except bench press (7th place overall). To top it off, he looked awesome in position drills and posted one of the fastest 40 yard dash times amongst all of the defensive players (4.56 seconds).

Although he doesn’t play a premium position, he is definitely the best player available. Let’s face it, the Lions simply cannot afford to miss on this pick because the money issues would cripple them beyond belief. He obviously is being seriously considered because Lions GM Martin Mayhew took only about 4 players, including Curry out to dinner during the combine.

-Jason Smith (LT/Baylor)

NFL.com

After allowing 52 sacks (2nd worst in NFL), it’s hard to argue Detroit’s offensive line doesn’t need some help. Left tackle Jeff Backus allowed more sacks than nearly every other starting left tackle during 2008. Offensive guard Edwin Mulitalo was sent packing, and there is little to look forward to behind him. Basically, Jason Smith could step in early and help anchor the line at left tackle, while Jeff Backus could theoretically be moved to guard or vice versa.

Both Mayhew and coach Schwartz emphasized how essential the trenches are to winning. They want to be able to run the ball and stop the run. Jason Smith, although a better pass blocker than run blocker has the best tools of the top 3 tackle prospects.

-Matthew Stafford (QB/Georgia)

Although Daunte Culpepper was recently resigned, the likely departure of Dan Orlovsky leaves the Lions a bit thin at the quarterback position.  Anyone who watched the 2008 season knows the Lions don’t have an all-pro caliber player there, so they might grab Matthew Stafford if they evaluate him highly enough.

NFL.com

Most people argue Stafford is the obvious pick for Detroit because history tells us that new regimes like to pick a quarterback to begin their rebuilding plans. Bill Polian did it in Indianapolis and Carolina by choosing Peyton Manning and Kerry Collins respectively. Bill Parcells chose Drew Bledsoe when he came to the Patriots. But here is the twist. The Lions are in a unique position since they are the first team to ever go 0-16. This unique situation calls for a unique fix.

Stafford was one of the 4 guys to be taken out to dinner by Detroit during the combine. But that could easily have been a smokescreen to increase trade value. However, he is a smart guy who has a wonderful set of physical skills.Yet, he does suffer from inconsistent play, as you can see by Stafford’s numbers against top 25 defenses. And I doubt he is quite as ready for the pro game as most top flight quarterbacks. He will likely have to sit a while before he is ready to start. Additionally, I think Stafford actually hurt himself by not throwing at the combine. Coach Jim Schwartz expressed disappointment in a player who doesn’t have the will to compete.

Ultimately, the Lions are insistent on signing their top pick before draft day. Stafford is the least likely to do this because his agent is known around the league for being a hardballer, fighting to get top dollar contracts for his players.

Next On the Clock: St. Louis Rams

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