With the draft quickly approaching the Rams have a lot of decisions to make before that first round begins. Will they cave into the temptation of picking from the abundance of quality receivers that are out there in the first round, knowing that some day soon, they will have to replace the rock steady Bruce, or will they wait for that decision next draft season and go with what has been for so long our glaring weakness...the defense? The decision can only be theirs, and theirs alone but this fan thinks they should fight the temptations and stick with what is so glaringly wrong with our defense.

Around the league there have been a few names thrown out there that the Rams are apparently interested in on the defensive side of the ball and I've decided to include their names here and some points of interest about each of them and let you decide or discuss among yourselves as fans whom you think would be the best choice for the Rams at their #1 13th pick overall. You can take your discussion or opinions over to our forum at Planet Rams Forum

Thanks!

Adam Carriker
6'6"
292 lbs
Defensive End
Nebraska

Positives: Has a well-built frame with long arms, good chest muscle definition, tight waist, good bubble and decent thickness in his thighs and calves … Lacks sudden explosiveness, but shows the initial quickness, balance and body control to charge hard in his backside pursuit … Keeps his pads down nicely for a player of his size, allowing him to gain position and hold his base well vs. double teams … Has the functional change-of-direction agility to work his way down the line … Demonstrates a punishing hand punch and excellent overall strength to easily handle multiple blockers, stack and control … Plants his foot into the ground to anchor at the point of attack and is quite effective at shooting the gaps when working in-line … Leader by example type, but the staff says he will not only play with pain, but simply refuses to come off the field when hurt … Has a strong work ethic and is a good program type who does not hesitate to mentor the younger players … Just adequate coming off the line, but uses his long arm reach and strength to gain advantage out of his stance … Might be a better fit for tackle due to his lack of edge quickness, but he has the strength and size to destroy interior blockers on contact and bull rush with consistency … Shows valid instincts and great vision to quickly locate and run to the ball … Aware of blocking schemes and does a good job of locking out blockers and locating the ball at the X's … Solid wrap-up tackler whose strength lets him quickly disengage from blocks … Has the lower-body power in his anchor to neutralize double-team action, consistently stacking while holding ground … Has enough speed to slip off some blocks and uses his hands well to keep the opponent off his body … His arm strength lets him consistently gain separation, stuff and shed … Also has the feet to adjust on the move … Shows good desire and effort in his lateral pursuit (more on short-area play than going long distances) … Does a nice job of neutralizing the outside run and forcing it back inside … His long arms let him engulf ball carriers, showing good strike form to wrap, secure and take down … Presses the corner well and uses his strength to compensate for adequate speed in attempts to pressure the pocket … Gives a good second effort in attempts to disengage … Lacks the extra burst to close on the quarterback, but will collide and push blockers back into the pocket … Has enough functional quickness to pursue from the backside.

Negatives: More of a power-oriented pass rusher than an explosive edge rusher, making him a better candidate to play one-gap as a defensive tackle … Has a strong hand punch, but needs to recoil and set quicker when engaging blockers … Also must keep his hands active; he lacks ideal chop-and-rip moves when trying to disengage … Lacks an array of moves as a pass rusher and is more of a "meat and potatoes" type who prefers to punish the blocker rather than try to avoid … Might be at maximum growth potential; the added bulk on his frame in 2006 impeded his explosion off the snap.

Victor Abiamiri
6'5"
271 lbs"
Defensive End
Notre Dame

Positives: Has a well-built frame with good upper body thickness in his chest and arms … Has a firm midsection, good bubble, muscular thighs and thick calves with room on his frame to add at least another 10 pounds of bulk with no loss in quickness … Plays through pain and is a tough competitor who shows good urgency closing on the ball … Collision-type tackler with the speed to get a quick jump off the snap to slip past the lethargic tackle when playing off the edge … Has the change of direction and agility to make plays along the perimeter and neutralize the cutback lanes … Avid weight lifter who does the little extras in the training room (sometimes that power doesn't translate to the field, though) … Disruptive pass rusher with the sharp burst coming out of his stance to gain advantage on blockers … Rolls his hips and uses his hands forcefully to shed … Able to shoot the gaps inside coming off the ball, if given a free lane, and is a good one-gap type who gains leverage by playing with his arms extended … Has good stack strength to lock out and control blockers on the move … Shows the outside lateral slide to contain the ball carrier … Makes plays from the backside and is adequate at using a cross-face action with his hands when engaging blockers to slip off blocks … Not big enough to split the double-team coverage, but competes with good intensity and won't give up on the play … Quick to flatten and shows good chase speed in long pursuit … When he maintains proper hand position, he shows impressive power behind his strikes … Has good forward body lean and shoulder dip coming off the edge, keeping his feet and hands active to defeat the offensive tackles while penetrating … Has the quickness to consistently pressure the pocket and works hard to create pressure on the quarterback, showing good urgency when closing … When he shoots his hands, he has that strong punch to shock and jolt … Has shown steady improvement as a wrap-up tackler, generating good pop on contact.

Negatives: Gives up a lot of bulk vs. double teams and struggles to shed, as the bigger blockers can contain him when meeting head on … Lacks the size to anchor at the point of attack vs. multiple blockers and is more effective using his burst coming off the edge rather than trying to bull rush in-line … Has enough speed to handle tight ends in the short area, but lacks experience in pass coverage and seems more comfortable attacking the quarterback off the edge than jamming tight ends at the line of scrimmage … Needs to play at a lower pad level, as he leaves his chest open for the blockers to grab and lock on when he gets too tall in his stance … Plays with a good motor, but needs to show better ball recognition skills (struggles to locate the ball in a crowd) … Plays with pain, but has a history of patellar tendonitis that warrants further medical review … Seems to be slow at times anticipating movement or making key reads … Needs to add more bulk to combat the bigger tackles at the next level … Can beat blocks off the line of scrimmage with quickness, but needs to generate more moves and keep his hands active in attempts to disengage … Has the range to make plays on the move, but will sometimes over-run and break down late working in space.

Jamaal Anderson
6'6"
279 lbs
Defensive End
Arkansas

Positives: Has good arm length and reach, showing a tight abdomen and a frame that can carry at least another 10 pounds of bulk with no loss in quickness … Possesses that rare speed that lets him consistently explode past a lethargic offensive tackle … Demonstrates good knee bend and loose hips to redirect … When he stays low in his pads, he can generate leverage and keep his balance on the move … Changes direction well and has the lateral range to give a good chase in backside pursuit … Intelligent athlete who does well in school, having earned Honor Roll recognition at Arkansas … Has a natural feel for the game and is very good at jumping the play … Shows a nose for the ball, evident by the high amount of pressures he generates … Might lack brute strength, but he gets most of his pressures and sacks on second effort … Very good handling stunts because of his determination to make the play … Self-starter who doesn't need structure in the training room … Learned the proper technique of opening his hips and dipping his shoulders to get a strong push in his initial thrust … Has the sudden initial step off the ball to beat the offensive tackle off the edge … Lacks the lower body thickness to split double teams, but possesses the change of direction flexibility to drop his weight and re-direct when the gaps are plugged … When he keeps his hands active, his long arm reach allows him to defeat the combo block and re-route in backside pursuit … Demonstrates the ability to dip his shoulder to reach, grab and jerk the blocker off his stance … Uses his body lean well to slip off the offensive tackle's inside shoulder … Disruptive force in the Leonard Little (Rams) mold when he is utilized on stunts … Has the nimble feet and lateral range to flow to the ball with ease and can close in the short area with good explosion … Possesses the speed to chase down plays in backside pursuit and the change of direction agility to make plays outside the box … Has started to develop a better concept of gaining position, staying low in his pads and maintaining leverage in order to make the wrap-up tackle … When he drops his weight and plays with leverage, he can prevent the blockers from washing him out when working in-line … When he keeps his center of gravity low, it lets him get into the rush lane and push back the lead blocker to clog the holes … You can see on film that he has a good feel for blocking schemes … Might take wide angles at times, but he has the flexibility and balance to come back down under … Despite his lack of hand usage, he sees the field well and is quick to spot even the slightest of creases in order to shoot the gaps … His spin moves and quickness let him easily defeat the slower offensive tackles when working off the edge … Quick to find the ball in a crowd and is alert to offensive adjustments at the pre-snap … Can still be fooled a bit by play-action or misdirection, but he generally has a natural feel for the flow of the ball.

Negatives: Can be sudden in his initial movement, but lacks the overall strength, especially in his lower body, to escape from the blocker once the opponent latches on to him … Shows a good flow to the ball working down the line and has made very good strides in improving his footwork, but will still take a wide angle to the quarterback at times … Is efficient at using his arms in defeating reach blocks, but must develop more consistency with his hand thrust to jolt offensive linemen coming out of their stance … When he tries to take a wide path into the backfield, it leaves him susceptible to screen and draw plays to his side … If he can improve his upper body power and shoot his hands more, he would be more effective at beating double teams … Relies on quickness more than brute strength to penetrate inside and plays with good leverage and strength, but they will be negated when he fails to use his arms to combat blocks … Needs to stay lower in his pads to get through trash, but when he gets too erect in his stance, blockers can get underneath him and attack his legs … Good collision tackler, but will sometimes revert to grabbing and making arm tackles … Will sometimes over-pursue on the play, as he prefers to slip and avoid blockers rather than attacking them when coming off the edge (more combative working in-line).

Amobi Okoye
6'2"
287 lbs
Defensive Tackle
Louisville

Positives: Has a shorter than ideal frame, but shows adequate muscle tone, dropping more than 25 pounds of "baby fat" from the start of the 2006 season until arriving at Senior Bowl practices in January … Has the low center of gravity and lower body strength needed to man the nose guard or three-technique position … Plays until the whistle and it is rare to see him throttle down … Has made good strides in finishing on the play and has developed into a quick read-and-react type … Has the short-area explosion to slip past the center shooting the gaps … Keeps his feet on the move and uses his long arm reach effectively to prevent blockers from locking him up … Takes the plays from the chalkboard to the field with no problems … Very combative with his hands when taking on double-team action … Though short, he has the wide framed with a thick chest, loose hips and big thighs to hold ground firmly at the point of attack … Has sudden movements to get on the edge of a blocker, demonstrating natural hand strength and proper position to shed with ease … Very instinctive, reacting quickly to running schemes, as he is a quick twitch type, known to gain immediate advantage off the snap with his explosion … Plays with his head up and has developed a good feel to react quickly to block pressure … Knifes through the line with good urgency and has the natural strength to maintain leverage … His low center of gravity makes it tough for a blocker to move him out, and he shows good quickness in the gaps to disrupt the pocket (needs to finish better once he gets into the backfield, though) … Easily defeats the isolated blocker with strength and all-out effort … Is best when he gets on the center's head, as it allows him to burst quickly into the backfield to push the pocket … Adequate at flushing the quarterback out, but needs to be quicker when closing … Stacks the run at the point of attack, coming off the snap with a low, powerful leg drive … His low center of gravity allows him to gain leverage and opponents must use double-team blocking in order to contain him, as his hand usage usually knocks the blockers off stride … Does a good job of bending his knees and opening his hips to stack blocks and split the double team … Very active with his hands, working them across the face to defeat blockers … Takes good angles to the ball playing off the line, and is most effective when utilized to clog the inside rush lanes rather than pursue the passer.

Negatives: Shorter than ideal, causing problems when he fails to keep his hands active trying to fill the rush lanes and the center gets assistance in blocking him out (susceptible to cut blocks) … Can push the pocket, but seems to lack the closing burst needed to get to the quarterback consistently (needs to finish better) … His size could be a problem in a one-gap system … While he delivers punishing hand swipes in closed quarters, he can get reckless while operating in space … Does not possess sustained speed to pursue long distances, working better in the short area … Lost bulk to improve his stamina, but needs to put some back on to compete against the bigger blockers at the pro level … Very good in run containment, but he lacks pass rush moves despite eight sacks as a senior … Can move laterally with some effectiveness, but will struggle to redirect and is slow to recover when taking a wide loop in backside pursuit … Can push the pocket and has good initial quickness, but lacks the sudden speed to close on the quarterback … Even though he is known to clog the middle, only two of his 55 tackles in 2006 came inside the red zone.

Alan Branch
6'6"
331 lbs
Defensive Tackle/Nose Tackle
Michigan

Positives: Has a thick chest, big back, broad shoulders and very big arms and hands. He has a good bubble, wide hips, thick thighs and calves … Tall, physical and powerful athlete with very good flexibility for a player of his size … Has good change-of-direction agility and moves well in the open … Can be explosive coming off the snap when he remains focused, and is a good pursuit player with nimble feet working down the line … Has an instinctive feel for the ball, but needs to keep his head in the game in order to have success … Can simply dominate the line of scrimmage and force teams to abandon their interior ground game because of his ability to occupy space and handle multiple blockers … Shows very good determination working down the line and likes the physical aspect of playing in the trenches … Can be sudden and create advantage that he will retain … Shows good change of direction agility and recovers quickly coming off the ground … Uses his hands well to get a good push off the defender and shocks blockers back with his strength and forceful hand jolt … Can split double teams consistently with leverage. He is quick to recover and create a pile … Is almost always double teamed, but once he sets his anchor, he is impossible to move out … Knows his job is to occupy multiple blockers, yet with his defensive end experience he could be quite effective playing end in a 3-4 alignment, bringing to mind New England's Ty Warren … Has the quick lateral initial step and strength to string plays wide and shows good body control when changing direction … Plays with good leverage and flexibility, knowing how to use his size and long arms to engulf the ball carrier … Will collide and wrap with good force and can be a decent striker in tight quarters if he chooses to use his hands more often … The team held opponents to 43.38 yards per game rushing in 2006, thanks largely to Branch's ability to not only tie up multiple blockers, but to also engulf the ball carrier … Plays with very good leverage and when he keeps his pad level down, Branch can hold the point … Gets such a strong push off the snap, offensive linemen are quickly neutralized and the inside rush lanes get clogged … Has a good concept for taking angles and gets a good push when he sees the lane … Seemed more acceptable to sitting back in run containment in 2006, but this player can really get to a quarterback when he cuts it loose … Has a good feel for the offensive scheme and can react and get back in the play if he over-pursues … Shows good vision to locate the ball moving laterally,

Negatives: Would be even quicker if he dropped some bulk, but he uses his frame well to get leverage and defeat blocks … Learns plays with minimal reps, but is more comfortable with practice reps rather than learning plays in the classroom (better when plays are explained rather than when having to digest the playbook) … When he gets lazy or runs out of gas, he will push and lean and is prone to disappearing from the action for long stretches … When he gets too high in his stance, he might have a strong hand punch, but fails to use them effectively to defeat the low blocks and will then get taken off his feet … Has those naturally strong hands that simply obliterate his opponent, but he needs to shoot them more often and be quicker to reset vs. counter moves and also must use them more to protect his legs from cut blocks … Might get a little out of control at times, but has a quick burst to recover and level the passer … Will lose sight of the ball at times when he has to handle double teams (sometimes gets too caught up in destroying the blockers and forgets about the ball).

Brandon Mebane
6'1"
305 lbs
Defensive Tackle
California

Positives: Has a stout, squat frame with good upper body thickness, especially in the chest, broad shoulders, big bubble, thick thighs and calves, with long, muscular arms and large, strong hands … Has the sudden burst and low center of gravity to fire off the snap and consistently neutralize double-team action … Plays on his feet with great balance, anchoring firmly at the point of attack … Still needs to improve his hand usage, but when he shoots and connects with his punch, he easily pushes the blocker back on his heels … Very intense player who competes on instincts, but does need to locate the ball quicker … Low in his stance, exploding off the snap to generate sudden movement into the backfield and uses his arm swipes like clubs when defeating single blocks … Leader by example type, but teammates will listen when he gets vocal … Gives a great effort in attempts to gain penetration off the snap, as he shows good body control fighting through trash and the short-area quickness to get into the gaps … Can explode through contact and does a good job of fighting off pressure vs. combo blocks … Once he locates the ball, he closes with good urgency … Feels and fights pressure with aggression, quickly penetrating to pursue, flush out and wrap up the quarterback … Holds his ground firmly at the point of attack and shows the lateral slide to make plays on the perimeter … Hits low and hard coming off the ball and has the leg drive and hip snap to maintain leverage to stack and control … Splits and redirects well when he doesn't expose his chest, and while he lacks the sustained speed to give long chase, he has the functional lateral agility to work his way down the line … Doesn't always use his hands well to neutralize blocks, but has the brute strength to dominate, if he gets a piece of his man, as he shows the hand strength to lock on, drag and jerk the opponent down … Plays on his feet and generates the hip explosion to drive through the pile, and even when blockers get into his chest, he won't be contained for long … When knocked down, he bounces back quickly and does a good job of preventing the blockers from scooping him … Needs to improve his wrap-up tackling technique, but is a good collision/drag down tackler … Has the strength to lock the opponent up and will punish when his punches land … Gives an intense effort on every play and constantly tries to disrupt the flow in the opponent's backfield … Destroys interior blockers with his strong straight-line charge, using his quick swim moves to dominate on the bull rush … Flashes a quick spin move and is improving his counter moves, but it is his hand strength rather than moves that help him control blocks and disengage … Relentless and intent on getting to the quarterback, but is only effective in the short area (close, but no cigar when taking a wide loop to the pocket and is more effective slanting or taking angles) … Does a very good job of inverting single blocks.

Negatives: Lacks the ideal height you look for in two-gap scheme, as taller blockers are able to use their long reach to fend off some of his shots … Needs more than a few reps to retain plays (good once he gets those reps, though) … May be better suited for a one-gap scheme due to his size, but he does have the lower body power needed to be effective in the two-gap … While he penetrates to flush out the quarterback, he does not extend his arms properly to get his share of sacks … Can defeat combo blocks, but needs to keep his hands active and develop more moves (relies on his punch rather than getting placement) … Generally plays with a low center of gravity, but when he gets tall in his stance moving laterally, blockers can drive him away from the ball … Shows good urgency closing on the ball, but when he takes a wide loop to the pocket, he lacks the burst to close … Needs to finish plays with better consistency (will struggle to disengage).

GO RAMS!!!

~Lovemyram~