Would you draft Tavon?

Patterson would have been the better choice.

In total – unadulterated hindsight there would be no way that I would draft Tavon Austin at the 8 spot. I really thought he was going to add a higher element of explosiveness than we’ve seen to date. He could come on – we’ll see. It seems to me that his quickness isn’t as big of an asset in the pro game as it was in college. And, his diminutive size has me cringing for his safety and his ball security every time he’s got the ball in any kind of traffic. He’s exciting when he does break one but the penalties have really cost the Rams and Tavon. Most opposing safeties look like they have 50, 60 lbs of muscle on him and are just as fast and are looking to plaster his ass back to Morgantown.

Seems to me that the top 8 picks from the 2013 draft still have a lot of question marks by their names. Cooper hasn’t started yet after a lost rookie season. Ansah and Mingo have had the most impact I would think. Eric Fisher was moved to LT this season after redshirting at G last year and I think has been decent. Jordan looks like a bust so far. Everybody laughed when Dallas drafted the Center Fredericks at 31 but who’s laughing now? Rams could have used a decent young center to replace Wells.

I’d say Hopkins at 27 has been the best WR so far from the first round. Patterson has flashed some but has been inconsistent as well.

I don’t know who or what I would have done even now but the Rams had a dire need for a saftety then and I still like Vacarro. I’m still rooting for Tavon to become the explosive weapon I thought he would – we’ll see.

1 1 Kansas City Chiefs Eric Fisher OT Central Michigan MAC [9]
1 2 Jacksonville Jaguars Luke Joeckel OT Texas A&M SEC
1 3 Miami Dolphins Dion Jordan DE Oregon Pac-12 from Oakland [R1 – 1]
1 4 Philadelphia Eagles Lane Johnson OT Oklahoma Big 12
1 5 Detroit Lions Ezekiel Ansah DE BYU Ind.
1 6 Cleveland Browns Barkevious Mingo DE LSU SEC
1 7 Arizona Cardinals Jonathan Cooper G North Carolina ACC
1 8 St. Louis Rams Tavon Austin WR West Virginia Big 12 from Buffalo [R1 – 2]
1 9 New York Jets Dee Milliner CB Alabama SEC
1 10 Tennessee Titans Chance Warmack G Alabama SEC
1 11 San Diego Chargers D. J. Fluker OT Alabama SEC
1 12 Oakland Raiders D. J. Hayden CB Houston C-USA from Miami [R1 – 3]
1 13 New York Jets Sheldon Richardson DT Missouri SEC from Tampa Bay [R1 – 4]
1 14 Carolina Panthers Star Lotulelei DT Utah Pac-12
1 15 New Orleans Saints Kenny Vaccaro S Texas Big 12
1 16 Buffalo Bills EJ Manuel QB Florida State ACC from St. Louis [R1 – 5]
1 17 Pittsburgh Steelers Jarvis Jones LB Georgia SEC
1 18 San Francisco 49ers Eric Reid† S LSU SEC from Dallas [R1 – 6]
1 19 New York Giants Justin Pugh OT Syracuse Big East
1 20 Chicago Bears Kyle Long† G Oregon Pac-12
1 21 Cincinnati Bengals Tyler Eifert TE Notre Dame Ind.
1 22 Atlanta Falcons Desmond Trufant CB Washington Pac-12 from Washington via St. Louis [R1 – 7]
1 23 Minnesota Vikings Sharrif Floyd DT Florida SEC
1 24 Indianapolis Colts Björn Werner DE Florida State ACC
1 25 Minnesota Vikings Xavier Rhodes CB Florida State ACC from Seattle [R1 – 8]
1 26 Green Bay Packers Datone Jones DE UCLA Pac-12
1 27 Houston Texans DeAndre Hopkins WR Clemson ACC
1 28 Denver Broncos Sylvester Williams DT North Carolina ACC
1 29 Minnesota Vikings Cordarrelle Patterson† WR Tennessee SEC from New England [R1 – 9]
1 30 St. Louis Rams Alec Ogletree LB Georgia SEC from Atlanta [R1 – 10]
1 31 Dallas Cowboys Travis Frederick C Wisconsin Big Ten from San Francisco [R1 – 11]
1 32 Baltimore Ravens Matt Elam S Florida SEC

I would not trade up him for him. Either then, or now.

Drafting him didn’t bother me. However, trading up for him wasn’t the best idea. The Rams still had a lot of weak spots on the team.

Bad teams should never trade up.

undecided. frankly i’m surprised he hasn’t been better this season. i’m wondering if schottenheimer is using him correctly or if the qb problem has affected his play. maybe under hill things change a bit?

No. I didn’t want a such a diminutive WR picked in the 1st round in 2103, and nothing has happened to change my mind about that. Having said that, I was hoping for Patterson and he hasn’t lit the world on fire either.

He always seemed like Desmond Howard type….historically, fast shrimps Don’t do well. So far he hasn’t been as good as Deamond Howard.

He is exactly what I was afraid he was going to be.

I don’t think he warranted trading up to #8, so I guess…no.

And I don’t buy that Schottenheimer is responsible for “not getting him in space.”

That just applies to every player. Get them in space, and they can make a big play.

Meanwhile, the real gamebreakers make big plays on routine plays. You didn’t have to get Faulk in space, or Ellard, or Bruce, or Dickerson, or whoever. You just gave them the ball. You don’t trade up to #8 for a guy whose only job is going to be to make 1.25 Big Plays a game on 4.7 touches.

Agamemnon wrote:

What I said before the draft. One of them would be there at #16. I would draft Patterson before Tavon. I liked them both. Nothing has changed for me.

Yes, yes and yes.

I didn’t like the trade up then and I don’t like it now. Could have had Patterson and kept the draft pick.