There will be a lot of Illini Orange at the Edward Jones Dome if the Rams draft follows the first two rounds of #MockThree

With the 47th pick in #Mockthree, the Rams select Mikel Leshoure, RB – Illinois.

A few in the Rams’ #Mockthree war room cheered and a few in the war room looked puzzled. If you were to ask Steven Jackson he would have told us to fill other holes this earlier. However, the last two years, the Rams have missed out on trying to supplement Steven Jackson’s work load, having Shonn Greene and Jahvid Best stolen from under their noses. So instead of waiting to secure this need, the war room took an ultra-aggressive approach by stealing Mikel Leshoure at 47.

Leshoure wrapped a productive career at the University of Illinois by setting a school record in touchdowns in a season. He finished tied for sixth on the Illinois career-rushing list with 2,557 yards just ahead of current NFL running backs Pierre Thomas and Rashard Mendenhall. He is a big, strong, power back but he has homerun ability. On his way to nearly 1,700 yards and 6 yards a carry last season, Leshoure put up longs of: 42, 35, 29, 39, 55, 70, 50.

When addressing this position, I think it is best to look for just a guy that is not just a change of pace. I think it is important to give SJ39 a breather for whole series at a time. Could you imagine having a fresher Steven Jackson entering the 4th quarter? How about a two-headed monster in Leshoure and Jackson wearing down defenses all game?

I love the pick. For the third year in a row, the Rams would have added 1st round talent from the Big 10 that slipped to the second round. It’s worked pretty well the last two years.

Editor's note: There was a contingent in the Rams' MockThree war room that was dead-set against drafting a running back in the first two rounds. However, from a "best player available" standpoint, Leshoure was hard to object to very strenuously. Tim's proposal of being able to find a three-down replacement for SJ for whole series at a time helped turn the tide; Jackson appears to struggle to get his motor going when he's coming off the field every third play or so. But give him five touches in a row and he is still capable of wicked damage.

In retrospect, the decision to draft Liuget in the first round is starting to look like a smart buy, given the continued run on defensive tackles that saw potential value picks in Muhammad Wilkerson and Marvin Austin come off the board before the close of the first round. However, with so much talent at the position, Oregon's Stephen Paea slipped past the Rams here at pick #47, going to Denver three picks later. Would Paea have passed the Rams' tight medical scrutiny? We can't say for sure. 

Well, Mr. Bradford, I hope you enjoyed your honeymoon period in the NFL. You started all 16 games, revitalized a franchise, set some records and even had your face on the Madden 2012 cover for half a second. But becoming one of the fresh new faces of the NFL comes with a cost. The 2011 schedules came out today, and the NFL is throwing a battle royale in your honor, inviting you to the very toughest competition in the league. You'll face the winners of five of the last six Super Bowls, hosting only one of them, and only three non-conference opponents had records under .500.

Sounds like a tough road, right? In fact, it's being called the very toughest schedule in the league.  

Week after week, you'll be taking the best shots from the best out there. Week after week, they'll come to see if you and these young upstart Rams have what it takes. The NFL is sending the axe gang after you. And it might get bloody.

The full hustle, after the break:

Series: A look at the other three teams in the most wide open division in football.

After yet another regime change, is it finally time for the 49ers to admit that the Alex Smith Era is over? Drafting Blaine Gabbert would say yes.

What a difference a year makes.  A year ago at this time, the Rams were the team no one wanted to be.  A team in chaos, who was coming off a 6-42 span that saw the epic collapse of what once stood as an offensive haven.  When the first round ended, the Rams had addressed their biggest question -- quarterback.  Fast forward a season  and the Cardinals, 49ers and Seahawks now have that unsettling, uncomfortable feeling at quarterback.  Will the other teams follow the Rams’ approach and try to answer their quarterback question in round one or could they go after a guy that is going to sack Sam Bradford?  Here’s a look at the draft options for the Cardinals, 49ers and Seahawks.

San Francisco 49ers

On the morning of September 12^th, the San Francisco 49ers were the overwhelming favorite to win the NFC West. By the end of the day, the 49ers had been knocked out by the Seahawks in a devastating 31-6 loss.  Over the next four weeks, the 49ers would run into four playoff teams in a row.  By the end of that span, the pre-season favorites were 0-5 and looking up at the rest of the division.  The disappointing 6-10 season cost Mike Singletary his job, making way for the arrival of the hottest coaching commodity of the off-season, Jim Harbaugh.  Harbaugh takes over a team that does have some real talent.  Between Frank Gore and Vernon Davis, the 49ers are the home of some of the best offensive talent in the NFC.   However, there is plenty of room for improvement on a team that ranked 24^th in points scored and 30^th in first downs. 

My pick for the San Francisco 49ers – Blaine Gabbert, QB - Mizzou. 

Jim Harbaugh has expressed support for retaining free agent quarterback Alex Smith.  Perhaps Harbaugh is sincere when he says that he thinks Smith is on the brink of finally living up to that number 1 pick status.  With the chance that both Cam Newton and Gabbert are off the board by the time the 49ers get to pick at 7 overall, Alex Smith could be the best option for the 49ers.  However, I think it is a smoke screen.  On draft day, when the option to take a franchise quarterback presents itself, I don’t think Harbaugh and company will pass it up.  There is a common trend that new regimes in the NFL typically mean new quarterbacks.  Could Blaine go earlier?  Certainly.  I think there is some sort of chance Blaine goes to 5 out of the 6 teams in front of him with the exception being the Browns at 6.  Harbaugh, a former NFL quarterback himself,  would be a great coach to groom Gabbert -- a quarterback NFL Network’s Mike Mayock has labeled as the number one quarterback in this draft.  Remember, coming out of Parkway West High School, Gabbert committed to Nebraska and Bill Callahan’s West Coast offensive scheme, which is the same scheme Harbaugh will run in San Francisco.  Gabbert could easily fit into an offense that requires a quick release and accurate passing ability on short and intermediate routes.  In addition, Harbaugh attempted to recruit Gabbert to Stanford.  This could be Harbaugh’s second chance. 

We look at other options for the 49ers, after the break.

We assembled a crack team for the Rams war room in Mock Three, spanning three Rams blogs and four reasonably sound minds, and spent a good chunk of Friday building our draft board. Now that our pick is in, I don't mind sharing our board with you:

Option 1: Julio Jones ... taken by the Chiefs in the 9th pick, after a massive trade.

Option 2: Aldon Smith ... taken by the Patriots with the 12th pick, after a trade with Minnesota.

Wildcard option 2: Da'Quan Bowers ... taken by the Lions with the 13th pick.

Option 3: Trade down ... but the apparent value of the top OT in the draft, Tyron Smith, is nose-diving as Dallas, Washington, and even the Lions passed on obvious pocket protection needs.

Option 4: Corey Liuget. We got our man! Yay?

In the short term, people are wringing their hands because we couldn't land a big-name, high-potential player. But as far as filling a need with a productive draft-day riser, the Rams will have done well with this pick. And Liuget would land with a team that he's been rooting for. He will have to quiet the naysayers, though, who will be ready to make the inevitable Damione Lewis comparisons.

Full draft results recapped here daily: http://mockthree.info. Or, for real-time commentary, hit up #MockThree and #Mock3Pick on Twitter.

Series: A look at the other three teams in the most wide open division in football.

UNC Defensive End Robert Quinn could have Sam Bradford in the crosshairs next season.

What a difference a year makes.  A year ago at this time, the Rams were the team no one wanted to be.  A team in chaos, who was coming off a 6-42 span that saw the epic collapse of what once stood as an offensive haven.  When the first round ended, the Rams had addressed their biggest question -- quarterback.  Fast forward a season  and the Cardinals, 49ers and Seahawks now have that unsettling, uncomfortable feeling at quarterback.  Will the other teams follow the Rams’ approach and try to answer their quarterback question in round one or could they go after a guy that is going to sack Sam Bradford?  Here’s a look at the draft options for the Cardinals, 49ers and Seahawks.

ARIZONA CARDINALS

The Cardinals are coming off a very disappointing season.  Only minutes away from being the Super Bowl champs the prior season, Arizona saw a sharp decline in offensive production.  By the start of the season, Kurt Warner was working on his color commentary and long-time productive receiver Anquan Boldin was wearing Baltimore purple.  To boot, the team cut the apparent heir and franchise quarterback in the 10^th overall pick in 2006, Matt Leinart.  Will the Cardinals dare go after another top 10 QB?  My thinking is no for a few reasons.  First, Ken Whisenhunt does not have enough time to bring along and develop another QB.  Second, I’m not sure they risk taking a QB and having a chance for him to bust.  Third, this offense needs a NFL-ready leader of their offense.  Fitzgerald and Breaston are two legitimate receivers who need someone who can deliver them the ball right now.  

My pick for the Arizona Cardinals – Robert Quinn, DE – UNC

Quinn is scary good off the edge.  He is arguably the best pass rusher in this year’s draft.  NFL Network’s Mike Mayock said Quinn was, “as good a natural pass rusher as I’ve ever seen.”  Assuming that Von Miller is already gone, I think Quinn is the pick.  Despite missing his entire senior season for NCAA violations, Robert Quinn is one of the top players in this year’s draft.  He possesses great athleticism and speed that will allow him to play OLB in a 3-4.   Mel Kiper, who mocked Quinn to a 3-4 defense in Houston at 11, said the following about Quinn:  “A gifted natural pass-rusher…A physical specimen, Wade Phillips can find a way to use Quinn in his scheme, and DeMarcus Ware will be what he has in mind when he gets Quinn into camp.” That’s a pretty good comparison. 

We look at other options for the Cardinals, after the break.

Character is at the forefront of the debate for many of this years potential draft picks. This obviously brings to mind the “Four Pillars” and the Rams' approach to whom they pick to join their family. Some teams take this seriously; Rams, other teams do not; Bengals. As evidenced by many of their choices in the draft and Free Agency. How much should a player’s character or off-field actions impact his draft status? Will posted a strong article on the subject earlier this week.

The first time I really remember the “Four Pillars” resonating with me was back in 2009. The 2^nd round of the NFL Draft had just begun and both Ray Maualuga and James Laurinaitis were still out there. Laurinaitis was the steady, solid LB racking up the awards in the Big 10.  Maualuga, I mean wow, Maualuga was the hard hitting, flashy guy from USC.  Take Maualuga, it’s the obvious pick… Well the Rams didn’t.  Devaney and his “Pillars” went the safe route with Laurinaitis. A lot of fans, myself included didn’t understand how he could pass up hard-hitting and flashy (read: can’t-miss) for steady and solid (read: boring). Well it turns out better synonyms would be flashy (character issues) steady and solid (leadership & talent). On that day the 'Four-Pillars' won out and so did the Rams.  Here is a great article by Mike Sando about the Rams smart decision.

2009 Decision

Does Everyone Remember This One?

Corey Liuget on the NFL Network set. More photos here.

The MockThree draft is kicking off next week, and each team will be represented not just by a single twitterer or blogger, but by a WAR ROOM of pseudo-cognoscenti. Our Rams draft room is headed by Tyson Langland of Pro Football Focus, and includes Van from TurfShowTimes, myself, and relative newcomer Tim Shields (@Shields3L). We got together today to put together our draft board, and one player we discussed quite a bit was Illinois DT Corey Liuget.

Ironically, while we were talking him up, he was being interviewed by Bernie Miklasz on St Louis' ESPN 101. We have the archive of the audio here.

The interview touched on a lot of topics, from the draft (he'll be in Radio City Music Hall) to speculation on where he might go (he doesn't pay attention to mock drafts, which is good, because they're going batshit crazy right now) to the lockout (he's cautiously optimistic) to his youth in south Florida (looking up to the likes of Warren Sapp).

He has obviously been through the interview mill dozens of times before today. But his rapport with Miklasz in their first conversation was comfortable and easy, almost as though he "fit" here. And he ended with a nice little pull quote: "Got my fingers crossed for Number 14."

miklasz
So, @RamsHerd what did you think of Corey Liuget? Seems like a personable young man. I think he wants to be here. Rams like him a lot.

I think Rams fans could like him a lot, too.