In my last entry at the start of the NFL Scouting Combine, I estimated which ten players seemed to be the most likely targets for the Rams and their 2 first-round selections.  A lot has happened since then;  the Rams have no starting safeties, Jake Long and Jared Cook were signed, and both starting WR from last year (Amendola and Gibson) left in free agency.  Those changes, as well as some of the players’ Combine and Pro Day performances, have shaken up my rankings. 

Dropping off the list: Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia; Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame; Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford; Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma

I still believe that Jones will be an impact player in the NFL, but he seems to be a better fit for a 3-4 defense. Also, with the Jared Cook signing, it would seem extremely unlikely that the Rams take a TE in the first round.

With the Jake Long signing, both tackle spots are filled considering that Rodger Saffold has zero leverage on the Rams to force a trade.  Plus, it seems increasingly unlikely that Johnson will escape the top 15 picks.

With those players dropping off, here are the ten players most likely to be selected by the Rams in this month’s draft.  Those players noted with an asterisk have been to Rams Park for pre-draft visits, which interestingly enough is all of the players who are not guards or safeties; strange considering their need to fill those positions.

#10 – Eddie Lacy*, RB, Alabama

While I would gladly take Lacy if he fell to the Rams in the 2^nd round, the needs at safety, wide receiver, outside linebacker, and offensive guard make him a luxury pick in the first round.  Even with his so-so workouts, we know that Jeff Fisher likes workhorse running backs so Lacy should merit at least some consideration with the 22^nd pick.

#9 - Keenan Allen*, WR, California

Allen drops a few spots but stays on the list because, despite his lingering leg issues and slow Pro Day 40 time, he could still very well be the best WR available in the draft.  He also seems increasingly likely to be available when the Rams pick at 22.

#8 – D.J. Fluker*, OT, Alabama

While he would not be a likely candidate if I were calling the shots for the Rams, they could still look his way considering the injury histories of Jake Long and Rodger Saffold.  While Fluker does not have the feet to play left tackle, Saffold could move there if Long were to get hurt, and Fluker would be an upgrade as a run-blocker should Saffold miss time.

One of my favorite stories in Rams lore was in a week nine loss against the Lions during the 1999 Super Bowl season.

The loss was nothing special, one of three on the season, but Kurt Warner’s story from that day echoes in my head as this St. Louis team experiences a changing of the guard.

Following a touchdown pass, Warner said Marshall Faulk walked up to him on the bench and circled his heart with his hands, a ceremonial passing of the torch.

“He was kind of handing the reins over and saying ‘you’re our guy’,” Warner said in the NFL Network “America’s Game” episode on the ’99 Rams.

Just this offseason, gone is the longest tenured Ram and unquestioned soul of the team, Steven Jackson. Gone is the resilient security blanket of Danny Amendola.

The reins have been handed over.

If I had to describe Steven Jackson to someone who never saw him play.. This is the clip I would show youtu.be/UK2A7cd5Wy8 #Warrior #Heart

— seattlerams (@seattlerams) March 14, 2013

Steven Jackson is no longer a Ram. The next time he crashes through a crowd of would-be tacklers, the paint he trades with those unlucky defenders will no longer be flecked with blue and gold. The next time he posterizes an A-gap rusher, the quarterback he protects will no longer be Sam Bradford. 

The next time the lights dim in the Edward Jones Dome and the Rams players line up to race out of the tunnel, the dreadlocked beast wearing #39 will no longer be leading the charge. 

While the pre-draft offseason is always a kindler of hopes and optimism, the losses of Steven Jackson and (to a slightly lesser extent) Danny Amendola leave huge craters that must be filled. Both were emblematic of the Rams, personnifying the team's heart as well as its flaws. Neither scored enough, neither won enough, but neither ever left anything on the field. 

It's difficult to encapsulate the legacy that he leaves behind here in Saint Louis, but it's fair to say that the Rams will have a significantly different identity when they step on the field in 2013. Perhaps Sam Bradford will manage a breakthrough with more offensive weight placed on his shoulders. Or, perhaps the young offense will fail to gel and cede  the team's full identity to Jeff Fisher's cadre of punishers on defense. 

Until Bradford and the offense rise or fall in his absence, Jackson's legacy in St Louis won't be fully defined. But Mike Sando might have come closest so far: 

Jackson represented what was right with a too frequently dysfunctional Rams culture over most of the past decade. He also provided a high-profile link to a painful era in Rams history. Every victory he enjoyed came in the context of the pain that had come before.

Now, Jackson has the opportunity to pile on victories with a loaded offense in Atlanta. Each victory he enjoys there, perhaps even a championship, will be measured here in St Louis by the context of what comes next for the Rams. 

There’s a new chef in town.

By acquiring former Titan TE Jared Cook on the first day of free agency, the Rams may have very well signed the most versatile and able-bodied weapon available.  Les Snead has stressed getting weapons for Sam Bradford, but he also mentioned that the only way to measure production is on the field.  New Patriot Danny Amendola and new Seahawk Percy Harvin have loads of talent, but how many games will they actually play? In Cook, the Rams acquired both raw ability and durability.

Rams fans desperately yearn for the glory days of the Greatest Show on Turf and its high-octane offense, but there is a new recipe cooking in the mound city.  In a league dependent on creating offensive mismatches, Cook will bring some much-needed flavor. Perhaps this improving offense will not have to depend on the leg of Greg Zuerlein to generate points.  There aren’t many linebackers who can keep up with Cook’s 4.49 speed, and there aren’t many defensive backs who want to tackle his 6’5”, 240+ lb. frame.   I’m not saying Cook is the red zone threat that we desperately need, but he will definitely help Sam and the rest of the offense get there. 

Not that anyone reads it, but we have a brief writer's guide here at RamsHerd. Right at the top, it says:

We aren’t a magazine or a newspaper, but we can follow a basic journalistic code:

• be unique
• check your facts
• check your spelling
• and don’t rip people off.

That was my attempt at setting some kind of standard to stave off the worst of online bloggerly behavior, and to let the (mostly) young and (mostly) inexperienced writers that volunteer their fingers here know that I actually expect something of the old code from them.

Honestly, I feel like I shouldn't even have to say stuff like this. But let's face it, the internet has succeeded in almost totally destroying the believability of the written word.

Oh, as a publishing engine, it can't be topped. More people can publish more words in less time than at any time in human history. (That isn't a compliment, internet.) But as a "knowledge engine," it both sucks and blows.

As online readers, we are surrounded by verbal garbage, as commentary and veiled advertisement supplant fact-gathering and reporting as the primary function of media. Increasingly, our job as readers isn't to consume, it's to reject. We have to weigh on a constant basis the credibility of each source that provides each bit  of new information. And our own credibility is judged on a constant basis with each utterance, each post, each tweet and retweet. 

This is the central conflict that fueled my colleague Paul's diatribe yesterday on Twitter and "the death of journalism." It's an enduringly valid point, especially in the fact-starved run-up to the NFL Draft. 

But we, as a site, got a key part of it wrong. 

I have written several articles about the wide receivers available in the draft.  In each, I have suggested that several of the options will be available for the Rams in the second round at pick 46.  That suggestion was made without a review of the other teams drafting and was primarily based on the esoteric idea that a specific player has a specific value (mid 2^nd round pick).  In reality, need often skews the previously suggested “value” of a player.  Therefore, I decided to look at the draft order and see how many wide receivers might disappear before pick 46. 

To my utter amazement and surprise, I forgot about the Jets.  If there is any team that needs a wide receiver more than the Rams, it is the Jets.  They have already failed at drafting a quarterback early in the draft, and this crop of QBs fails to impress.  I would give away my first born if they draft a quarterback at pick 9.  I also feel secure is stating the Jets will take one wide receiver with either pick 9 or pick 39.  One down.

Miami needs a wide receiver, but I have difficulty believing they will take one with pick 12.  If Cordarelle Patterson is available, they might stretch for him at 12.  If they go defense with pick 12, then I say Miami is a 2-1 pick to take a wide receiver in the second round at pick 42.  Two down.

The Rams come up at Pick 16 and 22.  We all know that they could go wide receiver.  At the same time, they are just as likely to go with a safety, a tackle, a guard or a tight end based on the best player available theory.  Between pick 16 and 22 are Dallas, the Giants, Chicago, and Cincinnati.  I don’t see them taking a wide receiver. 

Forgetting any specific team, I have to believe that one of the very good teams between pick 22 and 32 will take Tavon Austin.  He is simply too talented for a team with a legit number 1 receiver to pass up.    In particular, I am looking at New England coveting Tavon Austin.  Three Down.

Round 2

Round 2 is even more disconcerting as a Rams fan.  Jacksonville could use a receiver, but they already have Cecil Shorts, Justin Blackmon and many other needs.  Kansas City just traded away the 34^th pick to San Francisco.  They have very few needs and they have a ton of picks.  I seem them going with a BPA pick, and that could very well be DeAndre Hopkins and/or Justin Hunter.  However, for now, I will assume they take another position.

The Rams are safe with Philadelphia, Detroit, Cincinnati and Arizona at picks 35 through 38.  We also already addressed the Jets at pick 39 above.  After 39, things get interesting.  Tennessee, Buffalo, Miami, Tampa Bay, Carolina and San Diego all could theoretically take a wide receiver.  Miami was accounted for above.  Tampa Bay just invested big money in Vincent Jackson, but one is never enough.  San Diego picked up the oft injured Danario Alexander last year and actually used him.  Clearly, they should look for depth. Buffalo has Steve Johnson as their number 1: enough said.  Carolina has an elderly Steve Smith and little else.  I feel safe in saying that two will disappear at picks 40 through 45.  Five Down. 

In reality, things never go according to the draft order.  If the Rams do not take a wide receiver with picks 16 and 22, then any team behind them has to know they will take one with pick 46.  Given, the chance of a trade up, San Francisco as a wild card, and other team needs, I will suggest that 6 wide receivers could be gone by the time the Rams pick at 46.

Take away your favorite 6 and see what is left.  On my list, I am left with Da’Rick Rogers, Markus Wheaton, and Terrance Williams.  Are you comfortable with those options?

Jim Thomas just reported that Steven Jackson has elected to test free agency, saying goodbye to a guaranteed $7 million from the Rams in hopes of one more contract as a starting RB ... and to potentially increase his chances of a deep playoff run. 

The open question is which contending team might look at this veteran RB and see him as "the missing piece," particularly in a passer-dominated league. Thomas brings up the Atlanta Falcons right away, as they desperately need to upgrade over Michael Turner, but mentions them only as one of several likely suitors. 

The RamsHerd writers weigh in on Jackson's value: where do you see him playing in 2013? (If not in St Louis, will you root for him there?)