Mark Ingram and Nick Saban spent a long, long time on the ESPN SadCam

The first 32 picks are always unpredictable -- not an empty phrase, these picks are literally impossible to predict from top to bottom. (ESPN reportedly offered a cool $30 mil to anyone who could do it ... but you'd have a better chance of being next year's #1 pick.) That's what makes this one of the great weekends in all of sport.

Here's part two of our draft-day blow-by-blow, mining our epic live-blog and extended conversations from last night. (Part one can be found here.)

17. New England Patriots: Nate Solder, OT, Colorado

A loud "NO!!!" from a man sitting behind us wearing a Pats Adam Viniateri jersey. Apparently he wanted Ingram here. Though as Brennan says: "Nate Solder is the happiest man alive right now to protect Tom Brady. Castonzo falling is kind of a story though." Meanwhile, thoughts of grabbing a new backup QB for the Ram in the back of the draft percolate. Says Todd: "Feeley was brought in to run the West Coast. Might not look too good running McD's offense." No, but Kyle Orton might...

18. San Diego Chargers: DT Corey Liuget

Some appreciative claps for Liuget as his name is announced. Says Maurice: "There's been a few picks so far that aren't scheme fits..." At least Liuget has the ability to get to the quarterback, which makes him a usable player at 3-4 DE. However, says Brennan: "Not the nose tackle they were looking for."

19. New York Giants: Prince Amukamara, CB, Nebraska

Reaction to this pick was somewhat muted by a prodigious 9-run rally from down 4-1 to up 10-4 by the Cardinals baseball team, playing on most of the TVs that weren't hosting the draft. Lance Berkman is an animal. Meanwhile, the dwindling Amukamara-to-the-Rams contingent had one final moment on the soapbox to bemoan this pick.

20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa

Lots of cheering for the Webster Groves kid who made it into the first round after suffering a lot of characterization as a guy who could fall. (Meanwhile, the SadCam tries desperately to find Da'Quan Bowers.) We know one thing for sure: @ottoman89 just became a Bucs fan. Says our friend @Bucco40, "Everyone should be a Bucs fan!"

Commissioner Roger Goodell and new Carolina quarterback Cam Newton. Photo from Zimbio.com. Not pictured: boos.

The first 32 picks are always unpredictable -- not an empty phrase, these picks are literally impossible to predict from top to bottom. (ESPN reportedly offered a cool $30 mil to anyone who could do it ... but you'd have a better chance of being next year's #1 pick.) That's what makes this one of the great weekends in all of sport.

Here's part one of our draft-day blow-by-blow, mining our epic live-blog and extended conversations from last night.

1. Carolina Panthers: Cam Newton, QB, Auburn

Not a huge surprise, though the contract negotiations between Newton and Jerry Richardson would make for epic television. Tim asks: "I wonder what Jimmy Clausen is doing right now?" As it turns out, he was tweeting his congratulations. Possibly while on a boat with T-Pain and a mermaid.

2. Denver Broncos: Von Miller, LB, Texas A&M

Okay, this was surprising. Granted, Schefter had been reporting that this was 90% of a done deal, but smart money had been on Marcell Dareus here. From Pro Football Focus: "So the Miller to Denver love today wasn't a smokescreen. Now the onus is on Denver to use him correctly."

3. Buffalo Bills: Marcell Dareus, DT, Alabama

Says Tim: "All of my Bills friends were dying for Dareus. Congrats to them. Dareus is so versatile, perfect fit." Adds Derek: "And Ryan Fitzpatrick keeps his job for one more year." Kind of a shame Newton didn't fall to the Bills, really. That could have been special. Do they go Kaepernick in the 2nd?

4. Cincinnati Bengals: A.J. Green, WR, Georgia

Debatable. NFP's Wes Bunting loved it: "Best pick in the draft so far goes to the #Bengals...they get the best player in the draft at four in AJ Green & fill a huge need..." Granted, AJ Green is virtually bust-proof, but that will be put to the test with the roster disaster brewing in Cincinnati. Next year's #1 overall pick?

5. Arizona Cardinals: Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU

Tim calls this pick "The Bradford Effect." Clearly a "best player available" pick in my mind, but a luxury for Arizona considering the staggering depth of needs on the O-line, defensive middle, and (ahem) at quarterback. No way they address even half their needs in this draft. Should have traded out. Meanwhile, Blaine Gabbert makes his first appearance on the ESPN SadCam....

6. Atlanta Falcons (via CLE): Julio Jones, WR, Alabama

Jaws dropped. A stunning deal. Clearly, Atlanta wasn't content to wait for Ryan Broyles or Justin Blackmon in 2012, and needed an elite complement to Roddy White... but wow, what a package of picks they gave up. This was the deal Arizona needed to make, honestly. What a win for Cleveland. And a part of me is now a Falcons fan...

7. San Francisco 49ers: Aldon Smith, DE/OLB, Missouri

This didn't help our floor-bruised jaws any. Clearly he's a special talent, but I hadn't seen Aldon mocked higher than #11 to the Texans. Fits a pattern, though, says Brennan: "Two picks that could effect Bradford's development. Peterson to the Cardinals and Smith to the 49ers." Aldon becomes the first non-SEC player to be picked, and Prince Amukamara is officially "falling" right now. Meanwhile, Blaine Gabbert tries to grimace out a smile on the ESPN SadCam. It looks more like he smells a fart.

8. Tennessee Titans: Jake Locker, QB, Washington

Blaine Gabbert has just been leapfrogged. So has Al Davis, as Titans owner Bud Adams is now officially The Crazy Old Guy of the NFL Draft. Says Brennan: "Locker could easily be the second coming of Kyle Boller." I think a Vince Young comparison is not out of the question, either -- both are far better runners than throwers, though at least VY had some college success to bank on.

The first round of the draft is a wrap, and UNC's Robert Quinn is the newest St. Louis Ram.  There were definitely some surprises, reaches, and drops in the first round. With that said, I'd like to take a look at some key prospects the Rams could possibly target with their second round pick, that would provide value while filling a need as well.  

DE - Da'Quan Bowers
Yes, I know we took a defensive end in the first round, but we all know Spags loves his pass rushers, and Bowers is officially in full free-fall.  Not even a month ago, several mock drafts had him going as high as number one overall, but concerns over health in his knee have him tumbling.    Could the Rams double-dip at DE?  I doubt it, but it would be an intriguing pick, despite his possible injury status. Think of it like this; let's say Bowers = Julius Peppers, but injury cuts his career down to five years.  Would you not spend a second round pick on 5 years of Julius Peppers?

DT - Stephen Paea
Paea could step in and immediately contribute at the defensive tackle position for the Rams.  Gary Gibson was OK last year, and Fred Robbins is getting long in the tooth, so some depth is needed at this position.  Paea offers great explosion and solid strength.  He's a little short for what you would like out of a one-gap or three-technique defensive tackle, but makes up for that with a relentless motor.  Spags would enjoy having the flexibility that Paea and Quinn would bring to the defensive line.

RB - Mikel Leshoure
As everyone knows, the Rams need a running back.  There should be plenty opportunities for the Rams to get one at some point in this draft, but my choice would be Leshoure, whom I believe could end up being the best running back in the draft five years down the road.  Many think we need strictly a change of pace back.
 I slightly disagree. If you were to read the reports about him, he'd actually remind you a lot of Steven Jackson in not only size, but running style.   What Leshoure would allow the Rams to do is relieve Jackson of some of his early down carries, allowing him to play more on third-down/passing downs.  Leshoure, like Jackson, brings a good combo of power and size. He's a good interior runner who is hard to tackle, and always falls forward.  He could provide relief to Jackson, and also be the back of the future.

CB - Brandon Harris
Harris was a borderline first round prospect, so he would be a solid pick if he lasted to the Rams in the second round.  He lacks the size that Spags looks for in his cornerbacks, but I wonder if his talent exceeds that in Spags eyes.  Harris has shown the ability to be a solid to shutdown cover corner while at The U.  He has excellent burst, and also has the speed to recover.  He is also a willing tackler.  I wonder if the Rams like Aaron Williams of Texas better because of his size, but to me, Harris is the better cornerback prospect.  

OLB - Martez Wilson
Outside linebacker is also a noted need for the Rams.  Wilson would be able to step right in at either OLB position, and provide some speed to the linebacking corps (4.45 -40).  He is fluid in the hips, which should make him sufficient in coverage, but his speed also helps him get to the quarterback on blitzes.  He's also a solid tackler and a good run defender.  If drafted, I would put him at the weakside position.  He'd be able to roam the field with Laurinaitis and be a tackling machine, while also collecting a few sacks a year.  

If all five of these prospects were on the board when the Rams come on the clock, my pick would be between Brandon Harris and Mikel Leshoure.  I would lean towards Harris because the draft appears to be deeper at RB than CB.  

 

The Rams had to be jumping for joy every time a quarterback's name was called -- four times in the first 12 picks -- in the opening hour of the 2011 draft. Because every time we heard names like Locker and Ponder and Gabbert, it meant that a top-tier defensive talent was going to fall. And with both Robert Quinn and Nick Fairley available and only one team ahead of the Rams, it made their decision all too easy.

Brian Stull (@StullySTL)
Rams received calls to move up an down, but chose to stay pat as Quinn and others on their board still available.

In Quinn, the Rams receive a top-five player as ranked on New Era Scouting's big board, among many others. Among other honors, they tab Quinn as the "best potential" among this year's defensive ends, the "best in five years," and the "first Pro Bowler." With Spagnuolo and Ken Flajole pointing the way, that could happen sooner than anyone expected. Analysis after the break:

Derek Pease (SportsByWeeze)
Just making sure I've got this rt... according to reports #Rams might go DT, DE, RB, TE, G or WR in the 1st. Glad we cleared that up #luvrumors

The first ever RamsHerd liveblog (powered by CoverItLive) opens up at 6:30 CST, half an hour before the clock starts on the Carolina Panthers. Join Derek, Maurice, Tim, Brennan and myself as we chat up the big event in Radio City. Also, all the news you can handle on the Royal Wedding!

At the stroke of seven tonight, the Carolina Panthers will be on the clock and all the insanity of the last few months, all the speculation, all the debate will fall silent for a brief anticipatory moment.

Until they make their pick, that is. Then, all hell will break loose.

The glorious chaos of the NFL Draft -- the real one, not all these mocks that we've been banging our heads on -- begins tonight and we will be front row center (in front of the flat-screen tv) for it. The draft now stretches for three days, but analyzing and exploring the new shape of the team will fill up the next several months, for coaches and writers alike.

Thirteen very good players will come off the board before the Rams' draft slot comes up, and there are guaranteed to be some Tyson Alualu-sized surprises in there. There might also be some Ryan Leaf-sized busts. You just never know. Obviously the draft is stacked at defensive line, and there are enticing wildcards at quarterback. And there are three known elites that could conceivably fill a need for any team in the league: AJ Green, Julio Jones, and Patrick Peterson. The top of this draft can unfold in myriad ways. With so much uncertainty, the RamsHerd braintrust gathered and made some draft predictions. Here's what we came up with for round one:

Who Will the Rams Select in the First Round of the 2011 NFL Draft?

Remember when Judge Nelson ended the lockout on Monday? Yeah, well that was just another step in the game of legal football, so we thought. Her decision tonight though, on the eve of the draft, changes the game.

The league insisted that they would not reopen for business until they had taken their shot at getting a legal stay of the Judge's decision -- basically arguing that it made no sense to play by her rules alone when they have their own case in another court, before the National Labor Review Board. The Judge heard the NFL's request, and shot it down in a terse 20-page statement, essentially pooh-poohing any chance of their second case succeeding. She then fired a shot across the bow:

Daniel Kaplan, Sports Business Journal (@dkaplanSBJ)
If NFL does not start free agency tomorrow, players counsel Quinn e-mailed me: "They could face contempt for being in blatant violation of a Court Order."

Of course, the owners are the ones with the lockout war chest. They may find it cheaper in the long run to pay the penalties of being in contempt now than to re-open their doors to the players without resettling payroll to an acceptable level. (But not if one of those penalties blooms into an antitrust suit -- the owners still have to be very careful.) And let's not forget, they still have a legal card or two up their sleeve:

Albert Breer, NFL.com (@albertbreer)
NFL statement: "We are filing tonight a request with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals for a stay of the preliminary injunction pending our appeal. We believe there are strong legal and practical reasons that support a stay and that the Court of Appeals should have an opportunity to address the important legal issues that will be presented. We have asked the Court of Appeals to consider on an expedited basis both our request for a stay and the appeal itself. We are evaluating the District Court's decision and will advise our clubs in the morning on how to proceed."

But the possibilities abound... could free agency start tomorrow? Could players be traded on draft day? Does the Rams' draft board change? Let's explore: