With that pesky Super Bowl out-of-the-way, the 2012 NFL Draft is now the star of the show until April. Every team is preparing their draft board and trying to find that impact player in the first round to change the course of their franchise, and the St. Louis Rams are no exception. In fact, with the No. 2 overall pick, the Rams will almost undoubtedly have a shot at a player who will go on to do great things in the league. In the latest 2012 NFL Mock Draft from SB Nation, Ryan Van Bibber is projecting the Rams to go with USC offense at tackle Matt Kalil:
2. St. Louis Rams, Matt Kalil, OT, USC
Head coach Jeff Fisher and his offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer both made it pretty clear that pass protection is a top priority for rejuvenating quarterback Sam Bradford and the Rams offense. Drafting Kalil gives them an elite pass blocker ready to go on day one. The Rams could still trade this pick, but with Washington looking like a suitor for Peyton Manning, Miami making eyes at Matt Flynn and Cleveland possibly having second thoughts about giving up draft picks, St. Louis may not have much of a market for their pick.
As for Oklahoma State Cowboys wide receiver Justin Blackmon, the other prospect heavily linked to St. Louis via the draft, he falls to No. 6 overall with the Washington Redskins. As an interesting note, the Rams keep their pick in this iteration, while the Minnesota Vikings trade the No. 3 pick to the Seattle Seahawks for the rights to draft Robert Griffin III.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. 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.