Wagoner: Three fits for Rams in the NFL draft

Three fits for Rams in the NFL draft

Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/28116/three-fits-for-rams-in-the-nfl-draft

As they settle into their new digs in Oxnard, Calif., this week, the Los Angeles Rams are set to begin their annual draft meetings. Over the course of the next few weeks, the Rams coaching staff and personnel types will gather to set the team’s board, remove players from it and come up with a general consensus on what direction they want to go in.

Late last week, ESPN and Scouts Inc.’s Steve Muench offered three suggestions for the Rams and the rest of the NFC West. The idea of the exercise wasn’t so much to try to project the draft but to give an idea of players who would be a good fit for each team based on its schemes and needs.

For the Rams, Muench believes Cal quarterback Jared Goff would be a strong fit on the draft’s first day. Muench pointed to Goff’s size, accuracy, mobility and quick release as reasons he would make a lot of sense for the Rams if he falls to No. 15 in the first round.

Beyond Goff, Muench sees Cincinnati receiver Chris Moore and Middle Tennessee State safety Kevin Byard as good fits for Days 2 and 3 of the draft, respectively. Moore projects as a wideout with good physical tools and upside while Byard is an intriguing small-school prospect with a knack for making plays, posting 19 interceptions in his college career.

From a positional standpoint, it’s hard to argue with the Rams drafting any of those players based on their needs. Byard is interesting to me as a possible fourth-round pick (he probably won’t last until the Rams’ next pick in the sixth round) and the Rams have had success with running back Benny Cunningham, another former Middle Tennessee State prospect.