The St. Louis Rams pulled a suprise by taking 21-year old DE Robert Quinn with the 14th overall pick of the NFL Draft last night.  Quinn was ruled inelgible last season due to a investigation into him getting improper benefits at North Carolina.  Quinn played in 25 games (24 starts) in his two years with the Tar Heels and he had 86 tackles, 25.5 tackles for a loss, 13 sacks, batted down 4 passes and he forced 8 fumbles.  Quinn is 6’4″, 270 pounds and he runs a 4.7 40, which is pretty impressive for a big man.  If the Rams decide to use him as a DE, I like this pick for them.  If they try him at outside linebacker, I think he’s going to be a bust because he doesn’t play well in traffic.

The Rams drafted their franchise QB in 2010 (Sam Bradford) and now it’s time to get him some help.  The Rams are going to load up on offense next weekend.  Here’s who I had them taking in my mock draft:

1st round (#14 overall) – Torrey Smith, WR, Maryland

2nd round (#47 overall) – Bruce Carter, OLB, North Carolina

3rd round (#78 overall) – DeMarco Murray, RB, Oklahoma

4th round (#112 overall) – Tandon Doss, WR, Indiana

5th round (#155 overall) – Eric Hagg, S, Nebraska

7th round (#216 overall) – Armon Binns, WR, Cincinnati

7th round (#228 overall) – Jermale Hines, S, Ohio State

This would be a monster haul for the Rams as Torrey Smith is the biggest homerun hitter at WR in this draft.  Bruce Carter would also  likely be a starter from Day #1 for the Rams.  Murray, Doss and Binns would give Bradford even more quality weapons on offense.

The St. Louis Rams did an outstanding job early in the NFL Draft last April.  They had a quick turnaround that came out of the blue because of the new QB.  Here is a look at how the rookies did in 2010:

Sam Bradford:  The Rams took QB Sam Bradford with the #1 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma.  Bradford played in 16 games (all starts) for the Rams last year and he completed 354 of 590 passes (60%) for 3,512 yards with 18 TD passes and 15 INTs (76.5 QB Rating).  Bradford also carried the ball 27 times for 63 yards (2.3 ypc) with 1 TD run last year.  Bradford was outstanding last year and he’s just going to get better if the Rams get him some WRs to throw to.

Rodger Saffold:  The Rams took OT Rodger Saffold in the 2nd round (#33 overall) out of Indiana last April.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Rams last year and he did a great job of blocking Sam Bradford’s blindside.  It was genius for the Rams to draft a LT in the second round to protect the franchise QB.  Saffold and Bradford might get to go to Pro Bowls together in the near future.

Jerome Murphy:  The Rams took CB Jerome Murphy in the 3rd round (#65 overall) out of South Florida.  Murphy played in 14 games (0 starts) for the Rams last year and he had 30 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, defensed 3 passes, had 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery.  Murphy could work his way into the starting lineup for the Rams in the near future if he continues to improve as he has a nice upside.

Mardy Gilyard:  The Rams took WR Mardy Gilyard in the 4th round (#99 overall) out of Cincinnati.  Gilyard played in 11 games (2 starts) for the Rams last year and he caught 6 passes for 63 yards (10.5 avg).  He also returned 16 kickoffs for 356 yards (22.3 avg) last year for the Rams.  Gilyard will need to get more dedicated to his craft before the Rams are going to start playing him more.

Michael Hoomanawanui:  The Rams selected TE Michael Hoomanawanui in the 5th round (#132 overall) out of Illinois.  He played in 8 games (3 starts) for the Rams last year and he caught 13 passes for 146 yards (11.2 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Hoomanawanui just needs to stay healthy to be a nice weapon for Sam Bradford and the Rams in the passing game.

Hall Davis:  The Rams took DE Hall Davis in the 5th round (#149 overall) out of Louisiana-Lafayette.  He didn’t get into any games for the Rams before being dealt to the Redskins.  The Redskins cut him and he was picked up by the Titans.  He played in 1 game for the Titans and he didn’t have any tackles. 

Fendi Onobun:  The Rams took TE Fendi Onobun in the 6th round (#170 overall) out of Houston.  Onobun played in 3 games (0 starts) for the Rams last year and he caught 2 passes for 15 yards (7.5 avg).  He was injured around the middle of the year and spent the rest of his rookie year on I.R.

Eugene Sims:  DE Eugene Sims came to the Rams in the 6th round (#189 overall) out of West Texas A&M.  Sims played in 9 games (0 starts) for the Rams last year and he had 8 tackles and he defensed 1 pass.  His upside is likely as a role player and little more.

Marquis Johnson:  The Rams took CB Marquis Johnson in the 7th round (#211 overall) out of Alabama.  Johnson played in 2 games (0 starts) for the Rams last year and he had 2 tackles.  Johnson finished his rookie year on the Injured Reserve List.  He is going to have to really step up this summer if he wants to win a roster spot with the Rams in 2011.

George Selvie:  The Rams took DE George Selvie in the 7th round (#226 overall) out of South Florida.  Selvie played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Rams last year and he had 21 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks.  Getting Selvie in the 7th round is going to look like a steal for the Rams down the road as he knows how to get after the QB.

Josh Hull:  The Rams took inside linebacker Josh Hull in the 7th round (#254 overall) out of Penn State.  Hull played in 1 game (0 starts) for the Rams last year and he had 1 tackle and 2 forced fumbles.  He got hurt early in the year but he made a good first impression with the Rams.

GRADE FOR 2010:  A

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A+