The St. Louis Rams got themselves some players last April in the NFL Draft.  Inside linebacker James Laurinaitis was the Rams’ 2nd round pick (#35 overall) out of Ohio State and he had a excellent rookie season.  He played in all 16 games for the Rams last season and he finished up with 120 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, defensed 5 passes and he had 2 interceptions.  He was the best pick the Rams had last season and he will be a building block for the Rams’ D for years to come.  The Rams selected LT Jason Smith out of Baylor in the first round (#2 overall) last April.  He showed well in his limited playing time as he played in 8 games (5 starts) while battling with injuries most of the year.  If he can just stay healthy the Rams have another keeper in him.  3rd rounder (#66 overall) Bradley Fletcher was having a decent year until injury finished it.  The young corner played in 7 games in which he made 23 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and he defensed 1 pass.  The Rams selected DT Darell Scott out of Clemson in the 4th round (#103 overall).  He played in 11 games for the Rams last year and he made 18 tackles including three tackles for a loss.  WR Brooks Foster was taken in the fifth round (#160 overall) for the Rams last April and he didn’t make it onto the field last year for them.  In the 6th round (#196 overall) the Rams selected QB Keith Null out of West Texas A&M.  They wanted to bring him along slow but he was forced into action late in the year when Marc Bulger and Kyle Boller went down to injury.  He played in 4 games for the Rams last season and he completed 73 of 119 passes (61.3%) for 566 yards with 3 TD passes and 9 INTs (49.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 5 times for 6 yards (1.2 ypc) last year.  It’s hard to judge Null on his rookie season because he didn’t have much help.  RB Chris Ogbonnaya was the Rams’ last pick in the draft in the 7th round (#211 overall) out of Texas.  He got some P.T. at the end of the year due to injuries at RB for the Rams and he didn’t look too bad.  He played in 2 games for the Rams last season and he carried the ball 11 times for 50 yards (4.5 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 19 yards.

GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON:  B-

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A-

If Marc Bulger decides to retire then the Rams should completely start over at QB for the 2010 season.  32-year old Marc Bulger got really beat up this year.  He played in 9 games for the Rams this season and he completed 140 of 247 passes (56.7%) for 1,469 yards with 5 TD passes and 6 INTs (70.7 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 8 times for 22 yards (2.8 ypc) this year.  Bulger has now played in 96 games in his NFL career and he has completed 1,969 of 3,171 passes (62.1%) for 22,814 yards with 122 TD passes and 93 INTs (84.4 QB Rating).  Bulger has also carried the ball 118 times for 300 yards (2.5 ypc) with 8 TD runs in his career.  I think all of the physical beatings the last couple of years that Bulger has taken has taken away some of his fire to play the game.  I hope he retires for his own health.

28-year old Kyle Boller has a big time right arm but little else.  He played in 7 games for the Rams this season and he completed 98 of 176 passes (55.7%) for 899 yards with 3 TD passes and 6 INTs (61.2 QB Rating).  Boller also carried the ball 13 times for 76 yards (5.8 ypc) this year.  Boller has now played in 60 games in his NFL career and he has completed 844 of 1,487 passes (56.8%) for 8,745 yards with 48 TD passes and 50 INTs (70.6 QB Rating).  Boller has also carried the ball 160 times for 516 yards (3.2 ypc) with 2 TD runs in his career.  The Rams should let Boller go and try to sign a better QB to back up Marc Bulger or the new starter in 2010.

24-year old rookie Keith Null was thrown into the fire last season and the results weren’t too good.  He played in 4 games for the Rams this season and he completed 73 of 119 passes (61.3%) for 566 yards with 3 TD passes and 9 INTs (49.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 5 times for 6 yards (1.2 ypc).  Null probably has a chance of sticking with the Rams but only as the #3 QB in 2010.

The Rams got totally abused in this game by the 49ers.  Rookie QB Keith Null got the start and he completed 7 of 17 passes for 57 yards before he had to leave the game in the third quarter with a concussion.  Kyle Boller finished up the game and he was awful completing 4 of 11 passes for 23 yards.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 13 yards in this game.  Steven Jackson gutted it out and played yesterday carrying the ball 20 times for 63 yards (3.2 ypc).  Donnie Avery led the way in the passing game for the Rams with 2 receptions for 23 yards (11.5 avg).   The Rams finished up with 109 total yards on offense (87 rushing, 22 passing) in this game.

Safety Craig Dahl was busy yesterday for the Rams on D with 5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and 1 sack.  DE James Hall also had a solid game with 5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  Rookie LB James Laurinaitis finished  the season strong with 5 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  The Niners finished up with 329 total yards (125 rushing, 204 passing) in this game.  The Rams locked up the first pick in the NFL Draft this April with a 1-15 record.

The Rams are probably already looking forward to next season as tomorrow is not a good match-up for them.  The Niners clobbered the Rams earlier this season in San Francisco 35-0 and there is little reason to think that tomorrow’s result will be much better.  The Rams are hoping that Steven Jackson will return tomorrow but even if he does the Niners are only allowing 97.7 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry this season.  Keith Null and Kyle Boller split reps in practice which leads me to think the Rams will try to start Boller who would give them the best chance to compete tomorrow.

The Rams would probably like to go all out to stop Frank Gore and dare Alex Smith to beat them.  Of course that could backfire with Vernon Davis, Josh Morgan and Michael Crabtree lining up against their secondary.  This just is not a good match-up for the Rams’ defense.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 27, RAMS 7

26-year old RB Steven Jackson has earned his way to the Pro Bowl.  He has played in 14 games for the Rams so far this season and he has carried the ball 304 times for 1,353 yards (4.5 ypc) with 4 TD runs.  Jackson has also caught 51 passes for 322 yards (6.3 avg).  The amazing thing about Jackson this season is the Rams didn’t have much of a passing game which meant that teams were gearing up to stop him and he still got his yards.