THE NFL DRAFT : Rams : They’ll Try to Pick Way Back to Top
Sunday morning, in a grown men’s game of games, we will find out how the Rams really stand up to pressure.
In franchise terms, this is third down and a mile.
It remains to be seen whether the Rams will play their most important National Football League draft like John Elway in the drive against Cleveland or like Dieter Brock in the dive against Chicago.
“The higher you pick, the more the pressure,” Coach John Robinson said. “The more expensive the pick, the more the pressure.”
The Rams, you may remember, traded a running back of note last year for enough draft choices and chances to fill next fall’s all-rookie team, and the next year’s, as well.
Sunday’s NFL draft marks the first interest payment on the Rams’ trade of today--Eric Dickerson--for a better tomorrow. So far, the trade has yielded one 6-9 regular season and a subsequent increase in ticket prices.
Naturally, some have suggested that handing the Rams so many draft choices--two first-round picks and three second-rounders both this year and next--is not unlike tossing the keys to your Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow to a 6-year-old.
A nice prize, but can the Rams even reach the steering wheel?
This, after two seasons in which they selected as first choices one lumbering tackle name Michael Schad from the College of the Royal Mounties--Queens University, Canada, actually--and defensive end Donald Evans of Winston-Salem State, players who have whiled away their Ram days sitting on their signing bonuses and learning new positions.
Yes, the Rams have scored big in other rounds and other years, plucking a gem out of the second round two years ago in guard Tom Newberry, a veritable unknown from Wisconsin LaCrosse.
There is also Duval Love, a 10th-rounder from UCLA who will move in for retired Dennis Harrah this season, and starting cornerback Jerry Gray, a 1985 first-round choice who has emerged as a star. Safety Vince Newsome was a fourth-round pick, linebacker Kevin Greene a fifth-round selection.
But everyone remembers Schad and Evans.
Despite those lapses, the rest of the league is no doubt green with envy of the Rams, who rid themselves of Dickerson and will get 10 of the top 110 college players the next two years.
What the Rams have to work with Sunday and Monday are 13 selections overall, including the 14th and 20th picks in Round 1.
In all, the Rams will have 5 of the first 47 choices.
“Last year, we had one pick in the second round,” Robinson said, referring to defensive end Evans, No. 47 in the draft. “This year by that time, we’ll have picked five times.”
And lest the Rams be fooled again, Robinson has set aside those combine scouting reports and joined the frequent flyer club, racking up invaluable triple mileage points as well as hands-on analysis of many potential top choices.
The Rams, who seem to have aged suddenly, need help in several areas but will almost certainly take a running back first, probably Pittsburgh’s Mound of Round, fullback Craig (Ironhead) Heyward, if he’s still on the board.
The consensus is that the draft is rich in wide receivers and running backs but poor in defensive linemen and rushing linemen. The Rams need help in all areas, especially on defense, but may not get it all this year.
Offense is a different story. Robinson thinks he has compiled a list of six quality running backs, all of relatively equal caliber and all of whom will be successful, he says. Granted, there is no Dickerson or Curt Warner in the field, but these aren’t six Joe Dudeks either.
Robinson’s super six, in no particular order of preference, are Gaston Green of UCLA, Lorenzo White of Michigan State, Thurman Thomas of Oklahoma State, John Stephens of Louisiana’s Northwestern State, Brad Muster of Stanford and Heyward.
Robinson was scheduled to fly north to see Muster today and has also visited and tested Thomas, Stephens and Heyward. In fact, he has seen Heyward three times, which should suggest which way Robinson is leaning.
He doesn’t even hide his affection for Heyward, who at 5 feet 11 inches and 260 to 280 pounds, is built like a fullback. Robinson, though, doesn’t consider him a plow horse.
“He can really run,” the coach said. “He’s a powerful runner and has excellent size. From what I can judge, he’s not a bull guy or a fullback in the classic sense.”
Heyward, though, is apparently quite a character, known for drastic fluctuations in weight and verbosity, hardly the type you’d think Robinson would covet in the wake of Dickerson and LeRoy Irvin.
Robinson, though, says that generalizations are unfair.
“He’s a very personable guy,” the coach said. “It’s really lousy of someone to knock someone before the draft. We’d check (character) out on everybody, sure. But I don’t want to comment on that. I’d like to have a big, fast, stable player. And no agent.”
Heyward is a punishing runner with tremendous strength. He gained more than 100 yards in each game he played last season and finished with 1,655 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Funny, but just about the only guy who doesn’t think much of Heyward is Dickerson, who ripped him during a recent TV appearance. Dickerson said Heyward was far too slow for the NFL.
So who’s wrong, Dickerson or Robinson? Both are considered experts in the field. Maybe it’s just Dickerson trying to get in one last shot?
Of course, the Rams can’t pick Heyward if he’s not there, which leaves them with the rest of the field to choose from. And not a bad field at that.
A brief look:
--Green: The UCLA star is a classic tailback with sprinter’s speed, a far cry and about 100 pounds lighter than Heyward. But Robinson refuses to distinguish tailback from fullback in his system. A back is a back is a back in Robinson’s offense, and he will be asked to carry the load. So, the knock on Green’s durability comes into play here, though you’ve heard how Robinson feels about knocking before the draft.
--White: This would seem a match made in Trojan heaven, a clone of Robinson’s own Charles White, a back who isn’t that big or that fast but one who once carried the ball 56 times in a college game. The thing is, White will likely be gone when the Rams pick.
--Muster: He’s listed as a coach’s dream--a tough, talented player with great character and work habits. He’s coming off an injury-plagued career at Stanford but was rated by many as the best big back in the country before his senior year.
--Thomas: This is another speedster in the Gaston Green mold, who injured a knee before his junior year and wears a brace. Still, he rushed for 1,613 yards as a senior.
--Stephens: He’s not only a tough runner but has speed and moves as well, although he played in only seven games as a senior after a knee injury.
Let it be known that Charles White, the incumbent NFL rushing leader, has earned his job back in 1988. Still, White’s age, 30, and recent drug problems make securing a back for the future essential.
The Rams were going after another wide receiver before Ron Brown retired Tuesday to give the track circuit another run. Robinson and most others think this is the year to get one. The Rams don’t figure to have a shot at any of the big three--Tim Brown of Notre Dame, Sterling Sharpe of South Carolina or Michael Irvin of Miami--but should be able to draft an instant starter, perhaps Tennessee’s Anthony Miller or Arizona State’s Aaron Cox.
After that, the Rams have to go to work.
“The defensive line (quality) drops fast once you get out of the first round,” Robinson said.
Of course, the Rams won’t quibble if they get out of town with a great back, a great receiver and some solid guys on defense. Remember, there are five top picks next year.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Robinson said. “Sunday’s going to be wild.”
