SB Nation St. Louis - 2011 NFL Draft Grades: Rams Earn High Marks For Robert Quinnhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49009/stl-fave.png2011-05-06T08:15:21-05:00http://stlouis.sbnation.com/rss/stream/19048332011-05-06T08:15:21-05:002011-05-06T08:15:21-05:00Robert Quinn Stories Worry, Inspire, Excite Following 2011 NFL Draft
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/udxen_CkerNq9S-Cf1G8gw1rd5g=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828135/large_stlouis.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Being one of the steals of the 2011 NFL Draft would have been enough for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams">St. Louis Rams</a> when they took <span>Robert Quinn</span> 14th overall, but since then he's made an impression as much for the stories that have come out about him as his talent. There was the <a href="http://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-rams/2011/4/29/2141244/robert-quinn-st-louis-rams">agent scandal and the high school brain tumor</a> that loomed large in the immediate aftermath of his pick and complicated the usual NFL Draft grades, and now there's Bryan Burwell's story about Quinn's <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bryan-burwell/article_ce90d711-257c-5069-b542-b81958ea74b8.html">connection with another athlete</a>, a high schooler who suffered from a malignant brain tumor.</p>
<p>Quinn is one of the strangest players to evaluate in recent memory, and certainly the toughest player to fault for being suspended a year that I can remember. I obviously did not play college football, but it has to be a strange feeling to watch the money pour into your institution while you don't get any of it—to play not because college was one of a number of options you weighed but because what are ostensibly learning institutions have become the NFL's <i>de facto </i>minor leagues. I can blame him for breaking the NCAA's rules, but I can't blame him for thinking the NCAA is a corrupt and frankly creepy institution. </p>
<p>Quinn's story about his relationship with Lavelle Sloan—and, by extension, about his own tumor—is finally vastly more heartening than the scandal is discouraging. Character-wise, four pillars-wise, I'd rather draft a player who shows this kind of humanity with Quinn's regulatory problems than another player with a clean record. </p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-rams/2011/5/6/2156935/robert-quinn-2011-nfl-draft-ramsDan Moore2011-05-05T09:01:06-05:002011-05-05T09:01:06-05:00St. Louis Rams Wide Receiver Situation In Flux Following 2011 NFL Draft
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/udxen_CkerNq9S-Cf1G8gw1rd5g=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828135/large_stlouis.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/5754/mardy-gilyard">Mardy Gilyard</a> and Laurent Robinson could be among this year's St. Louis Rams wide receiver casualties after the team selected two in the 2011 NFL Draft, according to <a href="http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2011/5/4/2154079/which-rams-receivers-are-most-likely-to-lose-their-roster-spots" target="_blank">Turf Show Times</a>. With <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/15435/austin-pettis">Austin Pettis</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/15170/greg-salas">Greg Salas</a> in the fold, and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/15566/donnie-avery">Donnie Avery</a> and Mark Clayton returning from season-ending injuries, the Rams' receiving corps is likely to look exceedingly different than the one <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/8315/sam-bradford">Sam Bradford</a> looked out on at the end of the 2010 season. Which is a good thing. Laurent Robinson is one receiver Rams fans won't miss, but in addition to him they could also find themselves without Gilyard, a fourth-round pick in 2010, or Brandon Gibson, who finished second on the team in receiving yards last season. </p>
<p>The only player from last year's squad certain to return in 2010 is <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/8744/danny-amendola">Danny Amendola</a>, who caught 85 balls as the only constant in the Rams' receiving last season. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/8162/danario-alexander">Danario Alexander</a>, who was outstanding on the few occasions he was healthy in his rookie season, is likely to get a roster spot if he's ambulatory. But Gibson's skills duplicate the two draft picks, and Gilyard's inability to learn last year's playbook has left him buried on the depth chart, and if he wants to return to the surface he'll have to start digging now. </p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-rams/2011/5/5/2154943/st-louis-rams-nfl-draft-2011Dan Moore2011-05-04T11:00:44-05:002011-05-04T11:00:44-05:00Undrafted Free Agent Signings: St. Louis Rams In NFL Lockout Limbo
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/udxen_CkerNq9S-Cf1G8gw1rd5g=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828135/large_stlouis.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams">St. Louis Rams</a>' two most-effective wide receivers in 2010, faint though that praise might be, were undrafted free agent signings. Danario Alexander's knee made him damaged goods when NFL Draft picks would normally have been lined up at his beck and call; <span>Danny Amendola</span> was exactly the kind of player who does not get drafted and eventually sticks with a team like the Rams. But the NFL Lockout has delayed the college free agent season, leaving that class of player in the lurch until the players and owners can come to some kind of agreement. </p>
<p>At <a href="http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Lockout-could-be-blessing-for-undrafted-free-agents.html" target="_blank">National Football Post</a> Jack Bechta argues that the lockout might actually be an advantage for 2011's undrafted free agent signings. They'll come into the situation with more knowledge, and with teams that have had more time to assess their own needs for the coming season. That might lead to fewer early cuts for the players unlucky enough to miss being Mr. Irrelevant, and some more reasonable expectations for production from those same players for the teams. </p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-rams/2011/5/4/2152940/undrafted-free-agent-signings-2011Dan Moore2011-05-04T08:00:56-05:002011-05-04T08:00:56-05:002011 NFL Draft: Saints Like Running Backs, Al Davis Likes Brains
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/udxen_CkerNq9S-Cf1G8gw1rd5g=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828135/large_stlouis.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>At the eerily consistent <a href="http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2011/5/3/2151469/2011-nfl-draft-declarations-statements-from-around-the-league#storyjump" target="_blank">Turf Show Times</a>, a 2011 NFL Draft recap in the form of statements made, ostensibly, by each team. For instance: The New Orleans Saints explaining their love for "runnin backs don hyah" in a startlingly perfect dialect that sings the virtues of ol Reggie, Chris Ibory, and, you guessed it, Mike Bell. A statement from the Oakland Raiders on—well, on Al Davis eating brains. The Rams intone on Josh McDaniels's extremely aggressive, extremely idiosyncratic plans for his newly expanded litter of flawed pass-catchers.</p>
<p>That's what I enjoyed about the Rams' draft, if nothing else: The Lance Kendricks, Austin Pettis, Greg Salas run made a clear statement—to the effect that Josh McDaniels has his ideas about offense, and the Rams are, at least this year, ready to accede to them entirely. Sometimes that doesn't work perfectly—were teams really clamoring for Lance Kendricks?—but after a year of watching the permanently indecisive, tentative Pat Shurmur offense I like the team's new-found single-mindedness.</p>
<p>I hope, even, that it extends to when they're allowed to practice...</p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-rams/2011/5/4/2152932/2011-nfl-draft-new-orleans-saintsDan Moore2011-05-03T08:30:35-05:002011-05-03T08:30:35-05:00NFL Draft Grades: St. Louis Rams Sought Mikel Leshoure In Draft Trade
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/udxen_CkerNq9S-Cf1G8gw1rd5g=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828135/large_stlouis.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>Okay, we've graded the practical part of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams">St. Louis Rams</a>' performance in the 2011 NFL Draft, now it's time for the theoretical NFL Draft grades to be handed out: What would you have given the Rams if they'd traded up for <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/36298/mikel-leshoure">Mikel Leshoure</a> in the second round? With Billy Devaney suggesting the Rams had attempted to trade up for a running back, TST has <a href="http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2011/5/2/2150196/nfl-trade-rumors-rams-tried-to-move-up-for-a-running-back-in-the-draft" target="_blank">connected the dots</a> and suggested that was the trade they were most likely to make. </p>
<p>I wasn't a big fan of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/7567/lance-kendricks">Lance Kendricks</a> pick in the second round, so I can't say I would have complained about Leshoure, who would give the Rams a plausible reason to limit <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/14202/steven-jackson">Steven Jackson</a>'s carries to a level unlikely to rattle his pieces loose. But if the amount of trading chits necessary was enough to scare Devaney off, I can't imagine it would be worthwhile in the long run to trade up for him. </p>
<p>So for holding to their principle of actually drafting players with their picks—a valid one given the number of holes they needed to fill—I've got to hold the Rams' grade steady. Leshoure's an exciting player, but so are the players they actually drafted. </p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-rams/2011/5/3/2150812/nfl-draft-grades-st-louis-ramsDan Moore2011-05-02T11:00:49-05:002011-05-02T11:00:49-05:002011 Undrafted Free Agent Signings: Rams Could Look Running Back
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/udxen_CkerNq9S-Cf1G8gw1rd5g=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828135/large_stlouis.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>The 2011 NFL Draft is over, and Steven Jackson is still pegged to get the vast majority of rushing opportunities in the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams">St. Louis Rams</a>' offense. Whether that's by the design or the result of the Rams' thinking on the running back as a position or the individual players available is anybody's guess, but with college free agents lining up to be picked there remain some options for St. Louis once free agency actually opens up. </p>
<p>Turf Show Times <a href="http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2011/5/1/2147208/undrafted-free-agents-names-could-fill-rams-unmet-needs-whenever-the#storyjump" target="_blank">offers a list</a> of possible running backs, including Graig Cooper, Derrick Locke, and Noel Devine. <span>Kenneth Darby</span>, the primary backup in 2010, was a seventh-rounder in the 2007 NFL Draft, a <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bucsnation.com/">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> project; <span>Keith Toston</span>, the only other running back to pick up at least 10 carried in 2010, was undrafted out of Oklahoma.</p>
<p>Those aren't, perhaps, the most sparkling endorsements for running back bargain-hunting, but there's always <span>Willie Parker</span> and <span>Priest Holmes</span>—and Lawrence Philips, perhaps—on the other side of the ledger. Nobody the Rams sign off the street is likely to take over for Steven Jackson someday, but he might take up some slack for Jackson in 2011. </p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-rams/2011/5/2/2148397/undrafted-free-agent-signings-2011Dan Moore2011-05-02T09:15:20-05:002011-05-02T09:15:20-05:00NFL Draft Grades: St. Louis Rams Add Red Zone Targets
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/udxen_CkerNq9S-Cf1G8gw1rd5g=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828135/large_stlouis.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>One of the most frustrating things about watching the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams">St. Louis Rams</a> in 2010 was seeing just what they'd in the red zone and near a first down, where the offensive line seemed to spontaneously combust around <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/14202/steven-jackson">Steven Jackson</a> and the defensive backs would descend on <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/8744/danny-amendola">Danny Amendola</a>, the only guy around with decent hands. The Rams definitely attempted to address that in the 2011 NFL Draft three times, and their NFL Draft grades will mostly reflect how well that worked. TST <a href="http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2011/5/1/2147762/rams-2011-draft-picks-did-the-rams-improve-their-red-zone-offense" target="_blank">has a great look at this</a>, offering the logic on the picks without necessarily making a judgment. </p>
<p>This could mean good things for <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/8315/sam-bradford">Sam Bradford</a>'s touchdown totals, if not his yards-per-attempt totals; none of these receivers are going to free themselves up downfield or outrun a cornerback into the open field, but that's not their job. (Hopefully, come training camp <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/15566/donnie-avery">Donnie Avery</a> realizes it's his job.) </p>
<p>The Rams come into this season with a lot of offensive uncertainty still on the books, but the same would be true if they'd gotten <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/35164/julio-jones">Julio Jones</a>—in this case it's just been diffused into more players with a chance to impress or disappoint. </p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-rams/2011/5/2/2148848/nfl-draft-grades-st-louis-rams-add-red-zone-targetsDan Moore2011-05-02T07:45:16-05:002011-05-02T07:45:16-05:00NFL Draft Grades: Julio Jones's Price Too High For St. Louis Rams
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/udxen_CkerNq9S-Cf1G8gw1rd5g=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828135/large_stlouis.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams">St. Louis Rams</a> were connected to Julio Jones for most of the 2011 NFL Draft seasons, but as NFL Draft grades come out it's become clear that not everyone is happy that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/atlanta-falcons">Atlanta Falcons</a> swooped in and actually drafted him. The Falcons not only raided this year's top draft picks, they did it next year, too—that's a bet on Julio Jones paying immediate dividends, in such a way that the Falcons won't be able to draft his equivalent in 2012. </p>
<p>So if I were to grade the Rams' actual draft—Robert Quinn, Lance Kendricks, some 2012 picks—compared to the Julio Jones shadow-draft, I'd have to give the real Rams the benefit of the doubt here. Robert Quinn isn't going to put points on the board, but he'll help stabilize a defense that was often left on the field just a little too much to hold the offense's meager leads. </p>
<p>Jones would have been great, but Quinn <i>is </i>great, and he came at no cost to the Rams' future draft picks. This kind of pick might have made sense for the Falcons, close as they are to a Super Bowl of their own, but I can't give it much more than a <b>C+</b>—it's a very risky bet. </p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-rams/2011/5/2/2148507/nfl-draft-grades-julio-joness-price-too-high-for-st-louis-ramsDan Moore