Lots of Possibilities, but Not a Single Rumor

Only seven browsing days left before the National Football League draft and still not a single Ram rumor worth noting. No whispers of another scouting trip to Saskatchewan or Ottawa, or wherever they found Mike Schad, a No. 1 choice in 1986 and a lineup no-show ever since. No plans for another raid of tiny Winston-Salem State, home of Donald Evans, the defensive end the Rams took with their first pick in last year’s draft, only to move him to fullback by season’s end.

No nothing.

Here are the Rams, with more first- and second-round selections--Nos. 14, 20, 35, 46 and 47 overall--than you can shake a contract at, and yet, Dullsville. Snore City. Ring a helmet phone to wake me. Wednesday night bingo at the local rectory is more exciting.

It’s Eric Dickerson’s fault, of course. Had he never mentioned that Coach John Robinson should run 47 Gap, none of this would have ever happened. The Indianapolis Colts would probably still own their 14th and 47th picks, the Buffalo Bills their 20th. Meanwhile, the Rams would have been left without a first-round choice, creating all sorts of draft possibilities.

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Then we would have found out that the guy was really a security guard at a Sri Lankan 7-Eleven, that Robinson and his wife noticed him during an off-season vacation, that the guy wouldn’t know a trap block from a trap door. Sort of like Schad back in 1986. Anyway it would have made for great fun.

Instead, the Rams traded Dickerson to the Colts in exchange for running back Greg Bell and draft choices galore. Six months later, Jack Faulkner, Ram administrator of football operations, is still raving about the booty.

“That was the greatest trade of all times in getting those draft choices,” he said. And in a way, he’s right. Almost 11% of the first 47 picks belong to the Rams, almost 8% of the first 91. These are numbers from which you can rebuild a team. Or ruin one.

And as best as anyone can predict, the Rams apparently plan to treat next Sunday and Monday’s NFL shopping trip in New York with a straight face, meaning no last-minute deals.

“This would only be my opinion,” Faulkner said, “but I wouldn’t trade any of those picks. In my opinion, once we acquired those extra choices, that gave us a windfall. That’s five good football players. We need players.”

The Rams need something, most noticeably a winning record. Last year’s 6-9 season was a sight not to see, what with the player strike, the whining ensemble of Dickerson and cornerback LeRoy Irvin, the often inconsistent and sometimes embarrassing play of the Rams. So it’s no wonder that Robinson’s draft list includes room for a running back, a defensive lineman, a defensive back, a wide receiver and an inside linebacker. Mediocrity played no favorites last year with the Rams.

Look at it from Robinson’s vantage point: Charles White may have won the league rushing title last year, but he’s also 30, and his position lends itself to injury. The Ram pass rush was, for all intents and purposes, missing in action. Irvin is demanding a trade again, and safeties Johnnie Johnson and Nolan Cromwell are occasionally showing their age, so the secondary could use some help. Receiver Ron Brown is considering another try at the Olympics, which is either a negotiating ploy or the best route he has run since he joined the Rams. And what team can ever have enough linebackers, especially one that is toying with the idea of using five instead of four in the lineup?

This is, as Robinson has been fond of saying lately, “an unparalleled opportunity.” The Rams have these five top picks this year and another batch of them--two No. 1s and three No. 2s--next year.

With opportunity come decisions and temptations. Do you put a package together that allows you to, say, pick second overall? Do you use some or all of the picks to acquire a superstar or a collection of established players? Do you trade down, stockpiling even more for the 1989 draft? Do you go ahead and use the high picks, knowing full well that some messy and protracted contract talks and possible holdouts await?

Your quiz answers: No. No. No. Yes.

If this were 1987, with Cornelius Bennett or Jerome Brown or Alonzo Highsmith or Shane Conlan available, then you start packaging. But this is the identical twins draft: Everything looks the same.

“This is the year that nobody seems to know what they’re going to do and when,” said an NFC player personnel director. “There’s not much difference between the first and 25th guy.”

His advice to the Rams? Stay put.

As for the established player option, Robinson probably would prefer something from scratch. His coaching style is based on emotion, something a rookie rather than a veteran is going to accept without question. Anyway, Robinson had his fill of team strife last season.

Trading down would be a mistake. This year’s draft isn’t that murky. The Rams need starters now, not a year from now.

But what to do about this lack of good draft gossip? How about this one: Trade two of the Ram No. 1 picks for, ta-da, Dickerson. Now there’s a rumor. Pass it along.