Draft 1987 : Rams : Needs Hard to Fill Without a First-Round Pick
Ram Coach John Robinson, as is the custom, will rise in the wee hours of Tuesday morning and try his best to keep his eyelids open during the grueling hours of the NFL’s one-day only draft marathon.
Formality here, though, should not be confused with anxiety.
In his mind, the Rams got the player they wanted in a special “draft” last September, when they, as Robinson put it, “moved up and took (quarterback) Jim Everett” from the Houston Oilers.
The deal cost the Rams two players, Kent Hill and William Fuller, and their first-round draft choices this season and next.
It left them with everything for a future, but perhaps nothing for Tuesday.
The Rams will not pick until midway through the second round, after 46 college players have been chosen in what has been labeled a mediocre draft.
“The guys you know will all be gone before we pick,” Robinson said.
That isn’t to say that the Rams are without needs or without hope.
They have nine selections overall, and will get a crack at four of the first 91 players available.
The team is desperately seeking a menacing and mobile defensive end-outside linebacker who will apply some pressure to a quarterback and remove some from its own defensive secondary. Of course, what team isn’t? The Rams had only 39 sacks last season, 24 fewer than the league-leading Raiders.
But unless the Rams are willing to give up, say, Everett, or work some miracle deal involving disgruntled tailback Barry Redden, they’re not going to be able to trade up for the likes of Alabama’s Cornelius Bennett or Washington’s Reggie Rogers.
“After the first 10 picks, I’m not sure there’s a reason to trade up,” Robinson said.
Robinson is hoping that a few potential pass rushers, such as Alex Gordon of Cincinnati, Rick Graf of Wisconsin, or Karl Wilson of Louisiana State might slip into the second round.
It isn’t likely, though, so the Rams are going to do what they can. Robinson says that he will not draft a mediocre defensive lineman just because the team is lacking pass rushers.
He also is not interested in drafting a quarterback or an offensive lineman, positions of relative strength.
So the Rams are likely to take the best player remaining at wide receiver, tight end, cornerback or perhaps even at inside linebacker.
Wide Receiver: The Rams could use help here, since they still aren’t sure about the speedy Ron Brown, who managed only 25 receptions for 396 yards last season. And there’s still the uncertainty of re-signing free agent Henry Ellard. Some of the possibilities in the draft include Scott Schwedes of Syracuse or perhaps Charles Lockett of Cal State Long Beach.
Tight end: Tony Hunter’s lingering shin injury and David Hill’s age--he’s 33--may give the Rams reason to look for help. The team may take a chance on a project player such as Michigan’s Paul Jokisch. He’s 6-6 and 225, a former basketball player who played tight end in college.
Cornerback: The Rams are looking for some support for their two Pro Bowl cornerbacks, LeRoy Irvin and Jerry Gray. The chances of a good cornerback being available, though, aren’t good.
Inside Linebacker: If Jim Collins and Steve Busick can recover from serious shoulder and knee injuries, respectively, the Rams won’t need help. But Busick couldn’t play if the season started today and Collins will be trying to return after missing an entire season with a nerve injury in his shoulder.
