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Mock drafts will be all the rage from now until draft day on April 25th at Radio City Music Hall. All 32 teams will convene to make their selections in an attempt to build their respective franchises for the future. Here at Rant Sports, we couldn’t resist getting in on the mock draft action so we put together a panel of writers to conduct our own collaborative mock effort.
For the St. Louis Rams, this draft boasts plenty of optimism as the holders of two precious first round picks. There are a host of needs that the team could choose to address with these two choices, but in our mock draft, things went just the way the Rams hope they will during the real deal. Here is what transpired during the first 15 picks prior to my choice on behalf of St. Louis at 16th overall in round one.
1. Kansas City Chiefs: Jesus Flores – Luke Joeckel
2. Jacksonville Jaguars: Joey Farbo – Geno Smith
3. Oakland Raiders: Joshua Walfish – Sharrif Floyd
4. Philadelphia Eagles: Connor Muldowney – Dee Milliner
5. Detroit Lions: Connor Muldowney – Eric Fisher
6. Cleveland Browns: Ryan Ruiz – Chance Warmack
7. Arizona Cardinals: Bob Kaupang – Matt Barkley
8. Buffalo Bills: Scott DelleFave – Cordarrelle Patterson
9. New York Jets: Jon Presser – Dion Jordan
10. Tennessee Titans: Anthony Denmark – Ezekiel Ansah
11. San Diego Chargers: Kenny Gardner – Lane Johnson
12. Miami Dolphins: Stephen Conway – Xavier Rhodes
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ben Grimaldi – Desmond Trufant
14. Carolina Panthers: Jeff Everette – Sheldon Richardson
15. New Orleans Saints: Alejandro Aviles – Barkevious Mingo
16. St. Louis Rams: ???????
After very little deliberation, this was a no-brainer for the Rams to select Tavon Austin, wide receiver out of West Virginia. His explosiveness coupled with the versatility that many have compared to Percy Harvin makes him a dynamic weapon that the Rams could desperately use at the receiver position.
The Rams lost both Danny Amendola and Brandon Gibson in free agency which left the receiving corps somewhat depleted. Although they signed tight end Jared Cook to offset those losses, the team still needs that shifty playmaker to keep opposing defenses on their heels. Austin would provide that element, and he can take the pigskin to the house on any given play.
This was the first choice for the Rams in our collaborative mock draft here at Rant Sports, but the team still has one more pick to go in round one. Be sure to check back and see who was taken with that selection as well as find out the reasoning behind all of the other picks in our mock draft.
At No. 17, the Pittsburgh Steelers select…
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