The St. Louis Rams selected CB Janoris Jenkins out of North Alabama with the 39th overall pick (2nd round) of the 2012 NFL Draft.  Jenkins is a great athlete and a rock solid corner, but he has gotten into trouble and it cost him being a first round pick.  That being said, he is a good cover man and very willing to support against the run.  Jenkins played in 12 games (all starts) for North Alabama last year and he had 53 tackles, broke up 4 passes, had 2 interceptions and he recovered 2 fumbles.  Jenkins played in 51 games (48 starts) in his four years at North Alabama & Florida in which he had 174 tackles, broke up 29 passes, had 10 interceptions, forced 2 fumbles and he recovered 2 fumbles.  Jenkins will team with Cortland Finnegan to give the Rams a very nice set of corners for the next few years.  I love this pick for the Rams.

The Rams selected WR Brian Quick out of Appalachian State with the 33rd overall pick (1st pick of the 2nd round) of the 2012 NFL Draft.  Quick is a big guy at 6’3″, 209 pounds and he wins jump balls.  He runs a 4.5 40, so he’s fast enough to get down the field.  He makes the tough catch, but drops some easy ones.  It will be interesting to see how he handles the big difference he will be facing competition wise.  Quick played in 12 games (all starts) for Appalachian State last year and he caught 71 passes for 1,096 yards (15.4 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  He played in 53 games (41 starts) in his four years in college and he caught 202 passes for 3,418 yards (16.9 avg) with 31 TD grabs.  This was a good pickup for the Rams as Quick will give Sam Bradford a nice downfield weapon in 2012 and beyond.

The Rams dealt down from the #6 spot in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft with the Dallas Cowboys and it return they got the #14 overall pick (1st round) and the #45 overall pick (2nd round).  With the 14th overall pick in the first round, the Rams picked DT Michael Brockers out of LSU.  Brockers is 6’6″, 300 pounds and he can be force on the inside of the D for the Rams.  Brockers played in 14 games (all starts) for LSU last year and he had 54 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, batted down 2 passes and he forced 1 fumble.   He played in 27 games (15 starts) in his two years at LSU and he had 79 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, 2 sack, 2 batted down passes and 2 forced fumble.  The Rams are hoping that Brockers can demand the double team and allow the linebackers to flow to the ball.  This was a nice pick for the Rams.

The Rams have signed 26-year old WR Danny Amendola to a 1-year deal.  He played in only 1 game for the Rams last year (due to injury) and he caught 5 passes for 45 yards (9.0 avg).  Amendola has now played in 31 games in his first 3 years for the Rams and he has caught 133 passes for 1,060 yards (8.0 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  He also has carried the ball 10 times for 79 yards (7.9 ypc) for the Rams.  Amendola also helps out on special teams as he has returned 72 punts for 812 yards (11.3 avg) and 116 kickoffs for 2,760 yards (23.8 avg) for the Rams.  This was a good move for the Rams as Amendola has been a nice safety net over the middle of the field for QB Sam Bradford.

The Rams are likely going to add some big time impact players in Jeff Fisher’s first draft as the new head coach.  Here is who I saw the Rams getting in my mock 2012 NFL Draft:

1. (6) Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

2. (33) Stephen Hill, WR, Georgia Tech

2. (39) Zach Brown, OLB, North Carolina

3. (65) Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson

4. (96) Nate Potter, OT, Boise State

6. (171) Brandon Taylor, SS, LSU

7. (209) Andrew Tiller, OG, Syracuse

7. (252) Darron Thomas, QB, Oregon

The Rams have re-signed 28-year old QB Kellen Clemens to a 1-year deal.  Clemens played in 3 games (3 starts) for the Rams last year and he completed 48 of 91 passes (52.7%) for 546 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT (73.8 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 6 times for 37 yards (6.2 ypc) with 1 TD run last year.  Clemens has now played in 12 games (8 starts) in his first six years with the Rams and he has completed 195 of 375 passes (52%) for 2,232 yards with 7 TD passes and 12 INTs (63.1 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 52 times for 165 yards (3.2 ypc) with 3 TD runs so far in his career.  Clemens is now 4-8 (33.3%) as a starting QB in his NFL career so far.  I think the Rams should have aimed a little bit higher for a #2 QB.

New head coach Jeff Fisher has decided to dive head first into free agency this off-season.  The Rams have signed 10 new free agents and they have only re-signed two players.  It’s out with the old and in with the new for the Rams in 2012.  Here is a look at the new guys for 2012:

Offensively:  The biggest move the Rams have made offensively is that they stole the Packers’ starting center in Scott Wells.  He will improve the Rams’ O-Line in 2012.  The Rams have also signed G/T Quinn Ojinnaka and OT Robert Turner, but they are both backup types.  The Rams also signed WR Steve Smith and he could make an impact for them if he’s truly healthy.  TE Matthew Mulligan is a pretty solid run blocker and he will be a welcome addition to the Rams in 2012.  The Rams have re-signed FB Brit Miller and QB Tom Brandstater.

Defensively:  The Rams have decided to be aggressive in their hunt to improve the D and they have done a good job so far.  CB Cortland Finnegan was the Rams’ best pickup and he will start from Day #1 and improve the secondary big time.  DEs Kendall Langford and William Hayes will be counted on to help give the pass rush a boost in 2012.  LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar will help the Rams improve their defense some against the run in 2012.  The Rams have also brought in DT Trevor Laws to help out on the interior of the D-Line in 2012.

GRADE SO FAR THIS OFF-SEASON:  B+

The Rams have signed 26-year old DT Trevor Laws.  Laws played in 14 games for the Eagles last year and he had 20 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 56 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has 57 tackles, 5 sacks, 7 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 6 passes defensed and 1 interception.  This was a good signing for the Rams as Laws will give them depth on the interior of the D-Line in 2012.

The Rams have signed 26-year old DE William Hayes to a 1-year deal.  Hayes played in 10 games for the Titans last year and he had 16 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks.  Hayes has now played in 48 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has 112 tackles, 8 sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, 4 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass defensed.  You knew it was going to only be a matter of time before Coach Fisher signed one of his old players from the Titans.

The Rams have re-signed 27-year old QB Tom Brandstater to a 1-year deal.  He played in 1 game (0 starts) for the Rams as a rookie last year and he threw two incomplete passes.  Brandstater will likely be the Rams’ #3 QB in 2012.  I think it was smart of the Rams to bring Brandstater back.