My Google Reader homepage brought my attention to a story on the Rams, of course from ESPN, stating that the leading cause of their futility has been their poor draft choices over the last 9 years. The writer informs us that only one first round pick of STL has made a Pro Bowl during that span of time. While it is pretty obvious that a lack of Pro Bowl spot doesn't mean you aren't good, I wanted to explore this idea in a little more depth. Let's find out if Sam Bradford is going to join a very sad group of players.
2000: Trung Candidate (RB; Arizona): Playing only from 2000-2003, and finishing his career with just 7 TDs on 1,095 rushing yards, this clearly wasn't a great pick. 1.6 percent on his touches ended in a fumble.
Ruling: Bust.
2001: Damione Lewis (DT; Miami), Adam Archuleta (DB; ASU), Ryan Pickett (DT; Ohio State): In '01, we had 3 chances to get it right with a first round pick. Damione Lewis currently has 244 tackles, 22.5 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles in his career, which saw him spend time in STL, Carolina, and recently getting picked up by the Pats. Maybe not a super star, but a fairly decent pick. Archuleta, on the other hand, probably can be considered a super star around Ram Nation. 530 tackles, 18 sacks, and 4 picks are the numbers he boasts, and he was a staple of the Rams secondary from '01-'05. He then skipped around to Washington, Chicago, and Oakland, before landing in the UFL in 2009. I'll always stand by this pick. Finally, Pickett has had a fine NFL career, landing a 4 year, $14 million contract from the Packers in 2005. He's still a member of Green Bay, after playing '01-'05 in STL, and his 422 tackles stand up pretty well.
Ruling: Decent.
2002: Robert Thomas (LB; UCLA): After 2 years with the Rams, Thomas was relegated to the journeyman role, and failed to go beyond the Redskins practice squad in 2009.
Ruling: Bust.
2003: Jimmy Kennedy (DT; Penn State) Kennedy has been tossed around since his 3 years in Blue & Gold as a nose tackle, and currently holds a backup spot in Minnesota.
Ruling: Bust.
2004: Steven Jackson (RB; Oregon State).
Ruling: Superb pick.
2005: Alex Barron (OT; FSU): Despite starting 58 of the 60 games he's been in since coming to the NFL, Barron has been known as the false start king around Ram Nation, and we're still waiting to see if he's got anything worth rooting for.
Ruling: Maybe still to early to tell, but pretty much a bust.
2006: Tye Hill (CB; Clemson): After posting the fastest 40 time at the combine, Hill came out like gangbusters in his rookie year. After getting 50 tackles and 3 picks as a rook, he finished the next 2 seasons on the injured reserve, and was traded to Atlanta for a 7th round pick. He was later cut, and signed by the Titans recently.
Ruling: Awesome pick for one season. Bust after that.
2007: Adam Carriker (DE; Nebraska): Took over at nose tackle for the Rams, and was voted team rookie of the year. He missed the entire 2009 season due to injury, but he hopes to pick up where he left of in the upcoming year.
Ruling: Too soon to tell, but seems like a decent choice.
2008: Chris Long (DE; Virginia): His first sack was on Eli Manning and his first 2 sack game was against the Pats. Beautiful. He was voted the AP All-Rookie, and in his Sophomore campaign he finished second on the team in sacks and first in tackles for a D-lineman.
Ruling: Quality pick.
2009: Jason Smith (OT; Baylor): 6 year, $33 million? It's a pretty major contract for an OT who started 5 games in his rookie year. The jury is way, way out on Smith.
Ruling: Infinitely too early to tell, but at least he's from Baylor and not Rice.
Final score:
Quality: 2
Decent: 5
Busts: 5
So, you be the judge. Are the Rams recent failures able to be blamed on poor draft picks? Or, is it just bad coaching, poor ownership, and idiotic decisions at the QB and WR positions?
Welcome to hell, Mr. Bradford.
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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