Rams have a draft to remember in 2013

           Entering the 2013 NFL Draft, the St. Louis Rams knew that they had to address their needs at WR, LB, and S. Mission accomplished as the Rams had one of the best drafts in recent memory. Here are the reasons why:

            Round 1 (Pick 8) From Bills: WR Tavon Austin, West Virginia

The Rams were going to get Tavon Austin in this year’s draft; there was no doubt about it. From the NFL Combine to his private workouts, Austin blew away GM Les Snead and Head Coach Jeff Fisher with his ability to be a playmaker, exactly what this team needs. But were the Rams going to trade up into the top 10 as Austin was moving up draft boards on Draft Night? Snead and company pulled the trigger and traded their 16^th, 46^th 78^th, and 222^nd picks to the Bills for their 8^th and 71^st picks. It seemed like the Rams were going to give up a lot at first but in my mind it was just right. Austin is going to be an instant impact in St. Louis and already has his biggest fan in QB Sam Bradford, who will be given his most explosive WR since entering the league in 2010. Austin can do everything on the offensive side of the ball. He can line up at the slot receiver spot, the running back position, and is an explosive punt and kick returner.  Austin will be making flashy plays for years to come.

            Round 1 (Pick 30) From Falcons: LB Alec Ogletree, Georgia

            When the Rams were up again at 22, there wasn’t a player that they really wanted so they traded their 22^nd and 2015 7^th round picks with the Falcons in exchange for their 30^th, 92^nd, and 198^th picks. The Rams were able to get a top 15-talent guy with the 30^th pick in LB Alec Ogletree. Ogletree fell to the Rams because teams were concerned with his off the field issues. But the Rams aren’t afraid of guys with off the field issues as Fisher drafted CB Janoris Jenkins last year and he turned out to be a great contributor. Ogletree is 6’2” and weighs 242 pounds but the guy is fast. He has a great motor and doesn’t give up on plays and always finds ways to get into the backfield. He is also a great tackler. He will fit great alongside LB’s James Laurinaitis and Jo-Lonn Dunbar.

            Third Round picks (71, 92): S T.J. McDonald, USC and WR Stedman Bailey, West Virginia

            The Rams didn’t have a second round pick as a result of the Bills trade but did have two picks in the third. After losing S Craig Dahl in the offseason, the Rams needed to address the safety position and got a good safety if he is in the right system in USC S T.J. McDonald. I watched a lot of this guy at USC and there were lots of plays were he was non-existent but there were also lots of plays were he made the big play. The Rams have a good system for McDonald to be productive. He is a big, physical presence at 6’2” and is a big hitter but was flagged numerous times in college for leaning with his head. He is a good tackler as he led the Trojans with 112 tackles last year. Side note, his father Tim McDonald was a 6-time Pro Bowler and won a Super Bowl in 1993 with the San Francisco 49ers. The Rams then drafted WR Stedman Bailey with the 92^nd pick. Bailey went to West Virginia also and like Austin, is a playmaker. Here are his numbers last year: 113 catches for 1,627 yards and 25 touchdowns. No that is not a mistake. Bailey led the NCAA with 25 receiving touchdowns! Bailey was a reliable option for QB Geno Smith at WVU and will likely be the same for Bradford. The duo of him and Austin already has Ram fans bringing up the name: “Greatest Show on Turf part 2.” Lets not get carried away but it could happen. The fact that the Rams were able to get Bailey this late and had already drafted Austin will really help the receiving core because Bailey knows what he has to do to get open and to get opposing defenders away from Austin. He is not the fastest guy but will be reliable for Bradford and is good at picking up first downs.

            If you add the Rimington Award winner in Alabama OG Barrett Jones, who was a first round pick a couple of months ago but fell to the 4^th because of injuries, then the Rams did really good in the draft. I wish the Rams would have addressed the running back position better but the front office must know something that the fans don’t because they traded both of their sixth round picks for a fifth round pick in order to draft Vanderbilt RB Zac Stacy. Overall I would give the Rams an A- this year as they definitely addressed their needs and will look to make a playoff appearance in 2013 for the first time since 2004.

            images were used from espn.go.com, footballperspective.com, and stlouisrams.com

The Biggest Winner and Loser of the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft

           With the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft officially over, here is my reaction with my biggest winner and biggest loser:

            Biggest Winner: Minnesota Vikings

            I picked the Vikings by a narrow margin over the St. Louis Rams because not only did the Vikings get the best players available at the time of their picks, but also were able to get a top 5 talent with the 22^nd pick without up trading for him. DT Sharrif Floyd was expected to go in the top 5 but fell dramatically to the Vikings. But it’s a great fit for the First Team All-American as Floyd will add strength and quickness to a team that needed another defensive tackle. Floyd has the ability to become the next Kevin Williams, who will be entering his 11^th year with the team next year. Getting CB Xavier Rhodes with the 25^th pick will help their pass defense that ranked in the bottom third in pass defense and touchdowns last year. Rhodes is a big, physical corner who loves to press opposing wide receivers. The Vikings then traded up to the 29^th pick in order to draft WR Cordarrellle Patterson.  Patterson will look to replace Percy Harvin, who was traded to the Seattle Seahawks. Patterson was the 2^nd best WR available at the time and can be a game changer.

            Biggest Loser: Buffalo Bills

            This one is not a surprise. The Bills traded their 8^th pick to the Rams in exchange for the Rams 16^th pick. The Bills were going to draft a quarterback in the first round and everyone thought it would be either Geno Smith or Matt Barkley. But the Bulls shocked the NFL world when they took E.J. Manuel out of Florida St. Manuel was a two-year starter at Florida St. and threw for 3,392 yards and 23 touchdowns last year. The Bills could have drafted Manuel in the second or even the third round had they waited but they decided to jump the gun and draft him. Manuel has an ideal quarterback size at 6’5” and has a strong arm but was inconsistent the past couple of years. Considering the Bills could have taken Floyd or LB Jarvis Jones, I believe the Bills made a mistake with drafting Manuel in the first round.

           image was used from nfl.com   

The "steal" of the 2013 NFL Draft

        One of my favorite parts of the NFL Draft is finding a player who will be drafted in the third round or later and turn out to be a star. Last year it was running back Alfred Morris, drafted in the 6^th round by the Washington Redskins. Morris finished the 2012 season second in the NFL with 1,613 rushing yards and second in the league with 13 rushing touchdowns. I am not saying that this player will be a star in 2013 but I believe he will be a Pro Bowler in years to come. Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor reminds me a lot of 49ers running back Frank Gore. Taylor and Gore are both 5’9” and weight almost exactly the same at around 215 pounds. Also Taylor’s running style compares a lot to the 4-time Pro Bowler Gore.

            Stepfan appeared in every game in his freshman year but only ran for 303 yards because he was backing up Toby Gerhart, who would go on to finish second in the Heisman voting. Throughout his next three years at Stanford, Taylor became one of the most consistent running backs in college football and durable, never missing a game in his four years with the Cardinal. Taylor rushed for 1,137 yards his sophomore season, 1,330 his junior year, and finished 10^th in the nation last year with 1,530 yards. In his three BCS bowl appearances, Taylor ran for 379 yards and three touchdowns. His 4,300 career rushing yards set the all-time career record at Stanford and his 45 career touchdowns are also a school record. He also had 21 games with over 100 rushing yards, a school record.

            I have seen Taylor being taken in mock drafts anywhere from the third round to the sixth. If he is taken anywhere between the third and the sixth, it will be a steal for the team that gets him. Taylor is not going to flash you with his running style but he finds ways to get open holes. Whether he waits for an open hole or runs over opposing defenders, Taylor has the tools to have a long illustrious career in the NFL. He is not afraid of contact and one of his weaknesses is that he cuts off blockers in order to hit an opposing defender. He also excels in the screen game and is a good pass blocker. Taylor also does what any running back should do and that is fight for the extra yard.

            Gore was taken in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft and became the 49ers starting running back in his second season. Another interesting note is that Gore and Taylor ran the same 40-yard dash time, 4.59 in their pro days. A couple of teams that I can see Taylor fitting with are the Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, and the New York Giants.

            Stepfan Taylor along with 253 other players will be getting drafted this weekend. Although he will most likely not be a starter in his rookie year, he will become one of the NFL’s most reliable running backs in the years to come.

            image was used from stanforddaily.com

Series and player to watch in the first round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs

            The NBA Playoffs start tomorrow so I thought it was a good idea to write about the most intriguing series and what player will face the most pressure.

Series to Watch: #2 San Antonio Spurs vs. #7 Los Angeles Lakers

            Most people thought we were going to see the  Lakers/Spurs matchup in the Western Conference Finals not the first round. But if anybody expected the Lakers to have as many injuries as they did, then this first round matchup seemed likely. The Spurs and the Lakers have created quite the rivalry in this last 10+ years, combining for 8 of the last 13 NBA Titles. It is weird to say that the Lakers are the clear underdog as they are without their MVP, Kobe Bryant. Steve Nash has also missed the last 9 games but the Lakers are playing their best basketball of the season having gone 28-12 in their 40 games. The Spurs were in control of the #1 seed all season long until they lost 7 of their last 10, allowing the Oklahoma City Thunder to gain home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference Playoffs. Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are both dealing with injuries entering the playoffs. Can Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol keep the momentum going and upset the Spurs, or will Tim Duncan and company have no problem with the Lakers?

Player to Watch : New York Knicks F Carmelo Anthony

            For the first time in three years, all eyes will on a player not named LeBron James. Although James will still have a lot of pressure on him, Carmelo Anthony will be under the most pressure in the 2013 NBA Playoffs. The Knicks had their best season since 2000, also the last time they made the Eastern Conference Playoffs and “Melo” was the main reason why. Anthony won the NBA scoring title this year and his 28.7 points per game, is his highest point total per game since 2006-07. Anthony had five 40- point game and one 50 -point game. Anthony is playing his best basketball of the season as he averaged almost 37 points per game in the month of April and shot 53% from the field. Expectations are high in New York as Knicks fans are expecting a finals appearance. Can Anthony live up to the pressure or will the Knicks fail to make the Eastern Conference Finals for the 13^th straight season?

images were used from sportsillustrated.cnn.com and nydailynews.com