2011 NFL Mock Draft intrigue has reached a fever pitch with the actual 2011 NFL Draft starting this Thursday, and in SB Nation’s new mock draft the St. Louis Rams have gone back to their long-time default option Illinois DT Corey Liuget. With Julio Jones off the board at No. 13 to the New England Patriots in this particular mock, the Rams found themselves looking, as always, for defensive help.
Other options in the post-Jones role include Missouri defensive end Aldon Smith, but Smith found himself off the board before Jones here—he went 11th overall to the Houston Texans.
Mock drafters Brian Galliford and Dan Kadar built some trades into this edition of their 2011 NFL Mock Draft, but the Rams didn’t figure in any of them; they saw the Arizona Cardinals trading down to allow the Dallas Cowboys a shot at Patrick Peterson, and New England trading just ahead of the Rams with the Detroit Lions to cruelly snag Julio Jones, but didn’t put enough stock in the rumors about the Rams trading up to see it happen.