The 2011 NFL Draft begins tonight, with or without the NFL Lockout, and the St. Louis Rams will choose 14th overall, ending months of speculation about whether or not they'll be able to upgrade their weak wide receiver corps with Julio Jones. The first round begins at 7:00 CDT on ESPN, when the Carolina Panthers decide between Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert, or Jimmy Clausen and the draft field, but pre-draft coverage will be going all day, for those among us who haven't had enough pre-draft coverage already.
On Friday rounds two and three will be aired starting at 5:00, while the draft concludes Saturday afternoon, with rounds four through seven. The whole thing will be aired on ESPN and the NFL Network, from Cam Newton to Mr. Irrelevant.
The St. Louis Rams have been linked to a number of players, most recently Illinois DT Corey Liuget; the early assumption that they would go with wide receiver Julio Jones was challenged after Jones shot up draft boards following an outstanding performance at the 2011 NFL Combine.