Rams' 5th-round pick #139: Dustin Fry, C, Clemson

(4/29/07)

Dustin Fry 6'2.5" 314 5.41

PFW top 3 available: Tarell Brown, Brandon Siler, Ben Patrick.
Fry is their #9 center; 5 others available. Not ranked in top 150 players.
Two-time South Carolina state wrestling champion & state shot-put champ
as a junior. Two-year starter. Started all 12 games in 2005, recording 72.5
knockdown blocks and a team-high 15 "intimidation blocks."

Very strong with "blacksmith arms." Good weight-room strength. Plays with power.
Good short-area explosion. Makes all line calls. Great awareness recognizing stunts
and picking up blitz. Smart, experienced and very durable... Not very athletic,
lunges in pass protection. On the ground too much. Robotic movement, awkward
and mechanical... May not look pretty getting the job done and is most effective
in a phonebooth. Could develop into a solid backup swingman but most teams
would want more athleticism at center.

Gosselin top 3: Antonio Johnson, David Clowney, Michael Coe.
We're pretty much done with Gosselin for the draft he went 86 or 87 for the
first 100. PFW went 78 or 79.

War Room top 3: Aundrae Allison, Rufus Alexander, Tony Franklin. Top center
was Enoka Lucas. Did not list Fry on its board. Sporting News also did not
mention Fry among its offensive line prospects.

scout.com ranked Fry as a late 7th-rounder. All-conference as a senior.
Powerful lifter with 655-lb squat. Explosive, wide-bodied, works best in
confined spaces. Wide base. Always looks for someone to hit. Keeps head
on a swivel and works well with teammates. Solid position blocker... Does
not translate his weight room numbers onto the field and rarely opens holes
in the middle of the line. Not effective in space... Has the mentality and the
attitude to make it as a backup in the NFL.

This pick seems to be a hedge against the possibility of Andy McCollum not coming
back, or Brett Romberg failing to play as well as he did last year. Fry is smart and
strong, and there's good reason to believe the Rams can coach him up. They may
have overpaid; none of my guides indicate Fry is higher than a 7th-round pick, but
I can see good potential in the pick.
Thumbs slightly up.