Isn't the parody in the NFL wonderful? Just a season after selecting first overall in the 2010 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams nearly won the NFC West. Granted the NFC West was one of the worst divisions in NFL history last season, but either way the Rams were an improved ball club this past season.
2011 NFL Draft Team Needs: St. Louis Rams
The main reason for St. Louis's turn around was the play of rookie signal caller Sam Bradford. Bradford transitioned smoothly to the NFL throwing for over 3,500 yards and 18 touchdowns as a rookie. Now the Rams must shift their attention to surrounding their franchise quarterback with some weapons. The Rams have a decent stable of young receivers, but need to provide Sam Bradford with a legitimate number one threat for his arsenal.
St. Louis also still has multiple holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball. The interior of the defensive line is suspect, and the departure of O.J. Atogwe leaves voids at both safety postions. The Rams could also be looking at a linebacker in the middle rounds after the struggles they had on the weak side in 2010.
The construction of this roster is a long way from finished, but the Rams are on the right track in terms of building a winner.
1. Wide Receiver - Quick, name the top two receivers for the St. Louis Rams in 2010. Brandon Gibson and Danny Amendola don't exactly come to mind when thinking of legitimate number on receivers, but that is what Sam Bradford was working with last season. No St. Louis receiver amassed 700 receiving yards and the leader in receiving touchdowns had just three. The Rams have to support their franchise investment by surrounding him with some weapons. St. Louis will be holding its collective breathe for Julio Jones to be available with the 14th overall pick. If he is, it's a no brainer.
2. Safety - Between the mediocre play at strong safety in 2010 and the departure of O.J. Atogwe, St. Louis is in dire need of talent at the safety position. The combination of James Butler and Craig Dahl is not going to cut it moving forward. The 2011 NFL Draft does not have many talented first round safety prospects, but the middle rounds offer some decent value for teams needing help in the secondary.
3. Interior Line - On both sides of the ball the St. Louis Rams have issues in the middle of the line of scrimmage. On offense, Adam Golberg was atrocious at guard in 2010. The Rams will upgrade him at some point during the draft. Meanwhile, the defensive tackle position is unsettled next to Fred Robbins. Gary Gibson has struggled because he is simply undersized. Adding another big body in the middle would surely help this defense.
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