Mock draft crunching (2/28)

Rams projections from some of the mock drafts that have come out since the combine:

NFLDraftcountdown
2 - Jake Long
33 - Calais Campbell

Draftdaddy
2 - Vernon Gholston


Walterfootball
2 - Vernon Gholston
33 - Gosder Cherilus
65 - Andre Caldwell
97 - Eric Young (G, Tennessee)

Drafttek (Yes, they mock ALL SEVEN rounds)
2 - Jake Long
34 - Early Doucet
66 - Curtis Lofton
98 - Chevis Jackson
130 - Titus Brown (DE, Mississippi State)
162 - Erik Ainge
171 - Thomas Brown (RB, Georgia)
207 - James McClinton (DT, Kansas)

* Miami takes Chris Long in all four mocks.

* I'm not sure about taking Gholston over Jake Long. The advantage the Rams would have in taking Gholston first is that the second round selection at offensive line shapes up to be far better than the selection at defensive line. In the first two mocks, the Rams would still have their pick between Sam Baker, Anthony Collins and Carl Nicks in the 2nd round after taking Gholston first. In fact, NFLDraftcountdown's scenario potentially works out to: Gholston first, James Hardy second, Collins 3rd. I would be jumping up and down if that happened.

* I'd be jumping even higher in Walterfootball's scenario, because I am a big proponent of drafting Cherilus, and Caldwell is a virtual steal at 65. I'd tweak it to pick Steve Justice of Wake Forest or a safety at #97, but I still love it. I would like to come away from the draft with a starting center.

* Drafttek's the only one numbering the picks correctly, by the way. The Giants' first-round pick is #32. The Patriots forfeited #31. The Rams' 2nd round pick is #34, not #33. Drafttek varies by more in later rounds because the Ravens and Chargers used supplemental draft picks last year.

* My draft in the Drafttek scenario:
2 - Jake Long
34 - Quentin Groves
66 - Steve Slaton
98 - John Sullivan
130 - Will Franklin
162 - Erik Ainge
171 - Jeremy Zuttah
207 - Pig Brown

*** 2/34 could just as easily be Gholston and Cherilus.
*** At 66, I don't understand why Drafttek takes Lofton, although he could very well be the best player left on the board. I chose between Slaton and Eddie Royal and went with Slaton's "upside". Many of the other possible picks at 66 just looked like bad values. Maybe that's ultimately the best place to pick a safety, or even another o-lineman.
*** My mock's strong on offensive line but could do better at WR and safety, I admit. But I really want to come away with a center. Sacrificing the center, I could have gone with Marcus Griffin in the 3rd and Jordy Nelson in the 4th.


I'll try to stay abreast of these mocks as they adjust and adjust my projected Rams picks as appropriate. Just from today's analysis alone I'm getting a stronger feeling that drafting Gholston is the way for the Rams to go.