The St. Louis Rams love themselves some defensive linemen. Head coach Jeff Fisher has amassed a unit filled to the brim with former first-round picks. In fact, in Fisher's two decades as an NFL coach, he's built a track record of highly valuing pass-rushing skills from the defensive line. That's why fans shouldn't be caught off guard if the Rams end up selecting yet another pass-rusher with the tenth overall pick in next month's NFL draft.
"It would not be inconceivable to take another defensive end," Fisher said. "We like defensive ends and tackles. It's not out of the realm of possibilities."
Since Fisher took over in 2012, St. Louis has used a first-round pick on a defensive lineman in two of the past three drafts -- Michael Brockers (2012) and Aaron Donald (2014). From 1994 to 2010, when Fisher was head coach of the Texans and Titans, his teams used 12 first- or second-round picks on an end or tackle for the defense. To Fisher, you can never have too many pass-rushers. Kind of like bacon.
The Rams are set at defensive end for 2015, but Fisher could be looking beyond that in this draft. Robert Quinn is the best of a talented bunch that includes Chris Long, William Hayes and Eugene Sims and he's signed through 2019. But the futures of the rest of the squad are uncertain. Long is signed through 2016 but has a salary cap hit of $14.25 million that year. He'll need a superb season this year after he missed most of 2014 with an injury to justify that price.
Hayes and Sims are both set to hit the open market after this season. Each player is solid, but Hayes has dealt with nagging injuries and Sims is not worth a lucrative extension.
Considering all that plus the fact that Fisher's scheme depends on a pass-rush from the front four, it wouldn't be so crazy to see St. Louis take a defensive end in the draft. Adding to that theory is the deep crop of talented pass-rusher in this year's draft class.
Nebraska's Randy Gregory, Florida's Dante Fowler Jr., Missouri's Shane Ray and Clemson's Vic Beasley are all top-ten prospects. USC's Leonard Williams is the best of the bunch, though he isn't expected to last past the first three picks. Although the team has some needs on the offensive side of the ball (especially along the line), Fisher believes his team is talented enough that they can draft the best player available.
"There's flexibility," Fisher said. "There's no doubt we're going to get an outstanding player at 10. It depends on who's there, as always. If somebody sees value and it works for us, we could back out and still get an outstanding player."