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It was tough to peg just what kind of a strategy the St. Louis Rams would employ during the 2013 NFL Draft leading up to the festivities. Now in hindsight, it would be safe to say their approach was one of targeting key players at positions of need and sparing no cost in the process. While that can be seen as potentially dangerous in some cases, on the surface, the Rams and General Manager Les Snead hit the ball out of the park.
Days one and two saw several vital additions to a young and growing roster, but day three saw several key areas of depth fulfilled and needs further reinforced as well. The first pick on the third day of the draft was the versatile offensive lineman Barrett Jones from Alabama. Seriously, it would be easier to name the positions that Jones can’t play as opposed to the ones that he can. The list is enormous in terms of where he can help this team, and after an injured plagued 2012 season in the trenches, that will certainly benefit these Rams next season. Getting Jones in the fourth round is the equivalent of thievery in my opinion, and he could very well push for a starting guard position in year one.
Later on in round five, the Rams found a cornerback to help flesh out the depth chart and compete for snaps in nickel and dime sets in Brandon McGee. After a difficult senior campaign with the Miami Hurricanes, McGee rebounded after some impressive practice performances at the East-West Shrine Game. At 5’11” 193lbs. he has the ideal physique for a corner at the next level, and his quick feet will certainly serve him well covering the dynamic weapons in the NFL on a weekly basis.
The Rams decided to condense their final two picks into one by moving back up into round five to select running back Zac Stacy from Vanderbilt. Stacy wasn’t talked about much during the draft buildup, but at 5’8” 216lbs. he has the build to bowl would-be tacklers over and power his way for the extra yard. He was a two-time 1,000-yard rusher in the SEC which says quite a bit about his ability, but doing that behind the abomination that was the Vandy offensive line says even more about him. Some believe Stacy could end up being the steal of the draft for the Rams in their running back by committee formula.
With seven new additions to the roster in 2013 via the draft, the competition will be amped up even further for spots on the depth chart. This team should see some serious improvement in the upcoming season and they still have one more year with multiple first round picks thanks to the Robert Griffin III trade. It may not be a secret anymore, but this Rams team is going to be playoff contenders in the 2013 season.
Anthony Blake is a Senior Writer/Copy Editor for Rant Sports. You Can Follow Him on Twitter, on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google.
