The NFC West has been the butt of jokes now for years. In the very short term, this year's draft class will do little to change that.

The West has gone without a "respectable" division power since the days of the Greatest Show Rams and the Steve Hutchinson Seahawks. (Yes, I'm glossing over a surprising and thrilling Super Bowl appearance by a Kurt Warner-led Cardinals team, but that did more to burnish his HOF credentials than to cast the Cardinals as a dynasty in the making.)

And with the three non-horned teams all with desperate needs under center, this draft class sorely lacked in "impact" picks. Or "sexy" picks. Or anything that any barstool draftnik could hang his hat on and say "Oh yeah, they got way better! Look out!" 

Here's the roundup, with skill positions highlighted.

49ers	Seahawks	Rams	Cardinals
1. DE Aldon Smith 2. QB Colin Kaepernick 3. CB Chris Culliver  4. RB Kendall Hunter 5. OG Daniel Kilgore 6. WR Ronald Johnson 6. S Colin Jones 7. LB Bruce Miller 7. OL Mike Person 7. CB Curtis Holcomb	1. OT James Carpenter 3. OG John Moffitt 4. LB K.J. Wright  4. WR Kris Durham 5. DB Richard Sherman 5. FS Mark LeGree 6. DB Byron Maxwell 7. DT Lavarius Levingston 7. LB Malcolm Smith	1. DE Robert Quinn 2. TE Lance Kendricks 3. WR Austin Pettis 4. WR Greg Salas 5. S Jermale Hines 7. CB Mikail Baker  7. LB Jabara Williams 7. S Jonathan Nelson	1. CB Patrick Peterson 2. RB Ryan Williams 3. TE Rob Housler 4. LB Sam Acho 5. FB Anthony Sherman 6. LB Quan Sturdivant 6. DT David Carter 7. WR Demarco Sampson

Team-by-team analysis after the break.

The Rams are quite the passing team now. Even after Billy Devaney all but promised to find help in the running game for Steven Jackson in the draft, the Rams have 'passed' on backs over and over, draft after draft. 

Last year, the Rams got leapfrogged by Detroit for Jahvid Best at the tail end of the first round. The year before, the Jets nabbed Shonn Greene out from under Billy Devaney's nose. This year, with massive depth available at the position, would be different, right? We almost couldn't miss, right? 

Fast forward to the fifth round, after drafting sure-handed pass-catchers in rounds two-through four. Billy Devaney had Jacquizz Rodgers -- an Oregon State alum who met with Steven Jackson's seal of approval -- all lined up and ready to draft.

Instead, the Rams traded out of the spot, handing Quizz to the Falcons while accepting an extra 7th round pick in return. Then as Rams fans lined up with their picks of the best remaining rushers -- notably Jordan Todman, Da'Rel Scott, and Anthony Allen -- the Rams simply kept passing, passing, passing them by. I guess you could say it's becoming a theme. 

Given the way the tail end of the draft wound up, the hope of free agency now offers the only salve to Rams fans, and the holes on the roster (OLB and OG, in addition to the RB spot) that are seen as still unaddressed. Here's how the rest of the haul stacks up:

When Josh McDaniels took over the offensive coordinator position, much was made of the versatility of his scheme, and his ability to work with the talent give him. Accordingly, few expected as complete an overhaul of the offensive skill positions that the Rams draft has shown so far.

Despite our depth at wide receiver and tight end, the Rams dove in and made three consecutive picks at the position. We now have four or five TEs and as many as ten WRs in house, with more draft to come.

The quality that separates the guys we just got from the players we already have? Very good to great hands. New Era Scouting on Greg Salas: "ideal size, shows good hands." Sideline Scouting on Austin Pettis: "Above-average hands, doesn't let the ball get into his body." New Era on Lance Kendricks: "Catches like a wide receiver. Has big hands and can snag the ball out of the air."

Except for Amendola and our safety-valve tight ends, the Rams pass catchers have struggled with drops and lapses in concentration. And it isn't as though we have a lot of of speed or big-play ability on the roster with Avery nearly always hurt. Here's how they rank in Catch Percent, according to PFF stats:

Receivers
Danny Amendola: 74.6%
Brandon Gibson: 61.6%
Danario Alexander: 60.6%
Mark Clayton: 60.5%
Donnie Avery (2009): 51.1%
Laurent Robinson: 49.3%
Mardy Gilyard: 40%

Tight Ends
Billy Bajema: 73.7%
Daniel Fells: 73.2%
Michael Hoomanawanui: 61.9%
Fendi Onobun: 50%

It sure seems as though a message is being sent. McDaniels wants to flood the field with as many legitimate targets as possible for Bradford and let him pick and choose. But nothing will blow up a perfect play call or a perfect decision by Bradford than a drop.

Last year, receivers who dropped a pass in training camp had to run a lap around the field. This year, they might as well keep running all the way out to the parking lot. 

Austin Pettis became the newest Ram when he was selected with the 78^th overall pick on Friday night.  Without a doubt, Pettis comes from one of the most prolific offenses in the country at Boise State.  Boise State ranked second in the nation last year in scoring. 

The 6’3, 209 lbs senior, served as the number- two wide receiver behind the newest Detroit Lion, 44^th overall pick Titus Young. Literally, Young wore #1, Pettis wore #2, and the pair made the offense go. Now they each have a chance to jump-start two NFL teams that are on the rise.

With the pick, the Rams add a fantastic route-runner, with size and great catching ability.  They also add a football player that produced four straight years.  With 46 catches as a freshman, 49 as a sophomore, 63 as a junior and 71 as a senior, Pettis leaves Boise State as the all-time leader in receptions with 229 receptions.  He is also the school’s all-time leader in touchdown catches.  He finished his senior season with 71 catches for 951 yards and 10 touchdowns. 

Pettis’s most valuable attribute to this team will be his play making ability in the red zone, which is something the current wide receiver corps lacked last year. Of his 10 touchdowns last year, 8 came in the red zone.

Video Highlights: Boise State vs Virginia Tech

Well we all got it wrong. Myself and the other writes here at RamsHerd.  Kiper, McShay, Mayock…all of us, and I’m glad we did.   No one had DE Robert Quinn from North Carolina falling to the Rams at 14. And this didn’t have the same feel as 2003 When DT Jimmy Kennedy fell to St. Louis. In ’03 there was a sense of dread that came along with the pick. Not last night, last night it was a sense of joy and excitement. I wasn’t in the War Room but I can imagine it took the Rams brass all of 4 seconds to make this pick.

There was also a sense of relief that came with the pick. Not relief that the guy we all wanted was still there but relief that the Rams didn’t choke away the pick.  The Rams have made enough questionable picks in years past to leave fans holding their collective breath in situations like this. A small part of me (okay a large part of me) still thought they were going to take Corey Liuget. Who I am sure is a terrific person, but sir, you are no Robert Quinn. Worse yet I quietly thought to myself how am I going to react when they take Mark Ingram.  Lucky for me and all Rams fans the Four Pillars were, not ignored, but maybe softened and the right pick was made. Here are some others who feel the same.

RamsHerd: Are Rams fans pleased? according to Will’s research Survey Says Yes

Bernie Miklasz: Don’t think about it! Just go with what makes sense

Sporting News: The Rams went to NY for the Draft and all they came away with was a nice pair of bookends

Fox Sports: Rams 1st pick didn't go as planned, so what do you do when the draft hands you lemons?...Draft a beast of a DE

The Rams had Marvin Austin, Stephen Paea, Torrey Smith, Mikel Leshoure and plenty of other highly touted talents lined up in front of them with the 45th pick, and took... Wisconsin TE Lance Kendricks? Come again? I mean, the Kyle Rudolph draft day rumor was just smoke, right? Josh McDaniels' predilection for overdrafting guys would be tempered by the cooler heads of the Devaney-led War Room, right? Apparently not. 

To say immediate reaction to this pick is "mixed" among Rams fans is technically correct: some hate the pick, some really hate the pick, and others are swallowing their skepticism until they can hear some sort of plausible explanation. Unfortunately, I'm looking for it, too.



In the second round, you can draft off your "little board" of top talents, guys with first round grades who have fallen. Kendricks wasn't even on my big board. So I have a lot of catching up to do. Here's how Draft Countdown characterizes him: 

 Strengths

• Outstanding athleticism, speed, quickness and agility
• Soft hands and will pluck the ball away from frame
• Fantastic body control, leaping ability and ball skills
• Runs good routes and simply knows how to get open
• Able to get separation from defenders and has a burst
• Shows the ability to get vertical and threaten seam

Weaknesses

• An undersized 'tweener with average height and bulk
• Not necessarily a physically dominant, mauling blocker
• Might have some minor health and durability concerns

If you only see the positives, he sounds like a great player. If you only see the negatives, sounds like a guy with Daniel Fells' hands and Mike Hoomanawanui's health. But if you want a dose of optimism to end on, here's one for what it's worth. (Remember, you can't spell "Ross Miles" without "smiles"!)

 

High on the list of Day Two needs and wish list items for the Rams: defensive tackle, outside linebacker, running back, wide receiver. Nowhere to be found on that list of offensive weapons, though, is tight end. I mean, why would there be, with three already on the roster in Hoomanawanui, Onobun and Bajema, and Daniel Fells just a phone call away from re-signing? 

And yet, several second-round re-mocks have the Rams selecting Notre Dame TE Kyle Rudolph at pick 45. Great value, I suppose, but is it worth taking the "best player available" if there isn't a need? Especially when the McDaniels offense has been notoriously punishing to the tight end position?

I brought the question to Shane Hallam, who seems like a pretty smart guy, and I'm not just saying that because he graded our Mock Three draft and gave us an "A-." (Okay, maybe I am, a little. But he is legitimately a smart guy.) Here is a snapshot of our exchange:

RamsHerd: Kyle Rudolph won't be a popular pick in STL. Do you think the "McD doesn't use TEs" argument is a red herring?

Hallam: I do. If he had a "complete" TE, he would use him. Will it happen? Probably not, but I bet Rudolph is on the Rams' board.

RamsHerd: [Rationalizing] Rudolph would probably be the best pass-catching TE McD has seen at the pro level... solid red zone threat as well....

Hallam: Yup, and McDaniels DOES like TEs who block. See draft picks in Denver.

(Ouch, that's a knife in the gut for Broncos fans, who watched McDaniels use one of the high draft picks obtained in the Jay Cutler trade to trade up for a block-only tight end in 2009's draft. It's one of the litany of bulletpoints at www.JoshMcDanielsSucks.com.)

But the larger point is that the trend of Tight Ends suffering under McDaniels has to be looked at in context of the talent at hand. In retrospect, the declining value of Ben Watson's offense in New England could be looked at like this: "McD originally saw a weapon that needed to be utilized to open up the middle of the field, but his perception of Watson changed over time. The guy had hands of stone, and the Patriots added a much more potent interior threat in the name of Wes Welker. Feeding Watson over Welker would have been a firable offense, though he continued to use Watson in the offense to mix things up."

Of course, that makes for a nice story if you desperately want to justify the value of Rudolph, the best TE in the draft, to the Rams. But desperation and draft day seldom mix with pleasant results.