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2012 NFL Mock Draft: Peter Schrager Says St. Louis Rams To Pick WR Justin Blackmon

Early predictions for the 2012 NFL Draft suggest the Rams may select Justin Blackmon, the speedy receiver from Oklahoma St.

The 2011 NFL season has only a scant six games remaining, so as the college football year ties up and the pros finish out the regular season, the 2012 NFL Draft begins to come into clearer focus.

Teams have begun to separate into general areas of strength, giving draft experts and analysts their first shots at the possible draft order for next year's big day. So far the standings, sorted by record and then point differentials, looks like this:

Possible
Draft Position
Team W L W-L% Pts Opp
Pts
Diff
1 Indianapolis Colts 0 10 .000 131 300 -169
2 St. Louis Rams 2 7 .222 113 223 -110
3 Minnesota Vikings 2 7 .222 179 244 -65
4 Carolina Panthers 2 7 .222 190 237 -47
5 Miami Dolphins 2 7 .222 158 178 -20
6 Seattle Seahawks 3 6 .333 144 202 -58
7 Cleveland Browns 3 6 .333 131 183 -52
8 Jacksonville Jaguars 3 6 .333 115 166 -51
9 Washington Redskins 3 6 .333 136 178 -42
10 Arizona Cardinals 3 6 .333 183 213 -30
11 Philadelphia Eagles 3 6 .333 220 203 17
12 Kansas City Chiefs 4 5 .444 141 218 -77
13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 5 .444 156 233 -77
14 Denver Broncos 4 5 .444 188 234 -46
15 San Diego Chargers 4 5 .444 216 228 -12
16 Oakland Raiders 5 4 .556 208 233 -25
17 Buffalo Bills 5 4 .556 229 218 11
18 Tennessee Titans 5 4 .556 186 172 14
19 New York Jets 5 4 .556 215 200 15
20 Atlanta Falcons 5 4 .556 212 196 16
21 Dallas Cowboys 5 4 .556 223 182 41
22 New York Giants 6 3 .667 218 211 7
23 Cincinnati Bengals 6 3 .667 212 164 48
24 Chicago Bears 6 3 .667 237 187 50
25 New England Patriots 6 3 .667 259 200 59
26 Detroit Lions 6 3 .667 252 184 68
27 Baltimore Ravens 6 3 .667 225 152 73
28 Pittsburgh Steelers 7 3 .700 220 179 41
29 New Orleans Saints 7 3 .700 313 228 85
30 Houston Texans 7 3 .700 273 166 107
31 San Francisco 49ers 8 1 .889 233 138 95
32 Green Bay Packers 9 0 1.000 320 186 134

Peter Schrager, one of the first draft gurus to come out with his 2012 draft predictions, thinks the Rams will bolster their offense with an OSU junior who has a nose for the endzone:

2. St. Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State: It would take a few days to wipe the smile off Sam Bradford’s face if the Rams land Blackmon. Yes, St. Louis spent a few later round picks on receivers Greg Salas and Austin Pettis last year, but neither guy is an elite talent like Blackmon. For Bradford to fully develop, he needs a go-to, game-breaker on the outside. That guy’s Blackmon.

The Rams presently have Brandon Lloyd, who led the NFL in receiving yards in 2010, but who also turns 31 next July. Lloyd has over 500 receiving yards this year in his time with both the Denver Broncos and the Rams, by far leading all other Rams receivers. The next closest is the injured Danario Alexander with a shade under 300.

Moreover, Greg Salas, who was seeing more playing time and more success as the season went along, is now on the IR with a broken tibula. The Rams clearly do not have a need at running back or quarterback, so if they want the biggest and fastest impact on their offense, they may not find much better than Blackmon at number two.

According to Dan Kadar of Mocking the Draft:

[Blackmon] showed in 2010 that he's perhaps the most consistent superstar in college football. Had more than 100 yards receiving and at least one touchdown in every game last season. His efforts earned him the Biletnikoff Award.

Interestingly, Schrager -- who must make his own prediction for the end-of-season standings -- appears to agree with the current standings above that suggest the Rams will have the second pick in the draft.

Justin Blackmon, who stands only at 6'1", has over 1100 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns through 11 games with the Oklahoma St. Cowboys and last year finished the season with over 1700 yards and 20 touchdowns.

For more on the Rams, check out Turf Show Times, SB Nation's St. Louis Rams blog. For more details on the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft, be sure to drop by Mocking the Draft.