The St. Louis Rams took 22-year old WR Austin Pettis out of Boise State with the 78th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Pettis is a big target at 6’2″, 205 but he’s a tad slow as he runs a 4.62 40.  Pettis is a possession receiver who has a great set of hands as he doesn’t drop many passes.  Pettis played in 13 games (11 starts) for Boise State last season and he caught 71 passes for 951 yards (13.4 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  He played in 52 games (33 starts) in his four years with the Broncos and he caught 229 passes for 2,838 yards (12.4 avg) with 39 TD grabs.  Pettis will give Sam Bradford another big target to aim for in the passing game in 2011 and beyond.

The Rams picked 23-year old TE Lance Kendricks out of Wisconsin with the 47th overall pick (2nd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Kendricks will give Sam Bradford a big target over the middle of the field in 2011 and beyond as he stands 6’3″, 240 pounds and he runs a 4.8 40.  He gets into his routes quickly and gets upfield.  He’s good at catching the ball away from his body and he’s good on jump balls.  Despite not being the heaviest TE around, he is a willing blocker in the running game.  Kendricks played in 13 games (11 starts) for Wisconsin last year and he caught 43 passes for 663 yards (15.4 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  He played in 34 games (20 starts) in his four years with the Badgers and he caught 78 passes for 1,160 yards (14.9 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  This was a solid pick for the Rams who needed to get more weapons for Sam Bradford.

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+

The Rams did a good job last April in the NFL Draft and 23-year old CB Jerome Murphy is putting together a solid rookie season.  Murphy was taken in the 3rd round (#65 overall) out of South Florida last April.  He has played in 11 games for the Rams so far this year and he has 27 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 3 passes defensed, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery.  Murphy has the look of a starter in the near future as he has made his share of big plays for the Rams’ D so far this year.

The Rams are now 6-6 on the season which has them tied for first place in the NFC West just one year after being 1-15.  What is the biggest reason for the turnaround?  23-year old rookie QB Sam Bradford!  In his last 7 games, Bradford has completed 153 of 239 passes (64%) for 1,494 yards with 11 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He has also carried the ball 20 times for 46 yards (2.3 ypc) in those games.  The Rams are 4-3 in their last seven games and they easily could have won two of those games that they lost as they lost by a combined 4 points to the Buccaneers & 49ers on the road.  Bradford has now played in 12 games for the Rams this year and he has completed 268 of 442 passes (60.6%) for 2,653 yards with 17 TD passes and 10 INTs (81.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 23 times for 56 yards (2.4 ypc) so far this year.  The scary thing for the NFC West is that Bradford doesn’t even have any impact receivers and he’s putting up solid numbers.  He has a HUGE upside!

The Rams have placed 24-year old rookie TE Fendi Onobun on the Injured Reserve List as his season is now over due to a bulging disc in his lower back.  Onobun played in 3 games for the Rams this year and he caught 2 passes for 15 yards (7.5 avg).  The Rams hope that he’ll be ready to go in 2011.

The Rams have placed rookie 7th round pick Josh Hull on the Injured Reserve List with a torn ACL.  This is a shame as the rookie linebacker from Penn State made a impact in his NFL debut.  He had 1 tackle and he forced 2 fumbles against the Cardinals last Sunday.  Here’s to hoping he recovers well enough to give it another go with the Rams in 2011.

The Rams have picked ILB Josh Hull with the 254th overall pick (7th round) of the NFL Draft.  Hull is 6’3″, 236 pounds and he runs a 4.9 40.  Hull can make all of the tackles between the tackles but he doesn’t have much more range than that.  He will likely have to earn a spot on the special teams to make the Rams’ roster this year.  Hull played in 13 games for Penn State last season in which he had 116 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, he broke up 2 passes and he had 2 interceptions.  Hull played in 52 games in his four years in college in which he made 216 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, he broke up 6 passes and he had 3 interceptions.  It never hurts to draft a linebacker from Penn State this late in the draft.