No. 2 St. Louis Rams: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
Jan 1, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (7) holds up the championship trophy as the South Carolina Gamecocks beat the Wisconsin Badgers 34-24 in the Capital One Bowl at Florida Citrus Bowl. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports
Either the St. Louis Rams draft Clowney at No. 2 or someone trades up to take him (e.g. Atlanta Falcons). Rams general manager Les Snead loves to stockpile first-round picks. It’s just a matter of whether any quarterback-needy or pass-rush needy team would sacrifice multiple picks to take one of these players who aren’t labeled as “sure things.”
People often compare Clowney to Jevon Kearse, a defensive end who blossomed under Jeff Fisher’s tenure with the Tennessee Titans. While Sammy Watkins is tempting, would they draft a wide receiver in the top eight for the second consecutive season? Last season, they traded up for Tavon Austin.
Another possibility is offensive line, however, it’s worth noting that a Jeff Fisher team has never used a first-round pick on an offensive lineman. The Titans always found quality lineman after Round 1. Would St. Louis draft one at No. 2 when they could still draft a versatile tackle / guard like Zack Martin at No. 13? Even No. 13 may be higher than Fisher would prefer, let alone No. 2.
That OL trend doesn’t mean much as it’s a different general manager. Regardless, expect the Rams to beef up their defense in an attempt to catch up with the NFC West’s Joneses.