Don't let the 6-10 record fool you. The St. Louis Rams are on the cusp of being a quality football team.
Sure, the franchise posted its eighth consecutive season under .500. But take a look at the roster. The front seven is loaded with talented young players taken early in the draft. Chris Long, Aaron Donald, Robert Quinn, Alec Ogletree, etc. The Rams ranked 13th in the NFL in sacks with 40 this past season, a number that could rise with better health from Long and continued development from Donald. The offense doesn't look so bad either. Running back Tre Mason emerged as a playmaker, while receivers Stedman Bailey and Brian Quick inspired flickers of hope.
All that's really missing is a quarterback, and St. Louis may get one in the upcoming NFL draft.
"The Rams are in perhaps better shape than any other team in the NFL to make a significant move up the draft board," ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates wrote. "St. Louis is loaded with young talent due in part to the trade it made with Washington that landed the Redskins RGIII, but quarterback is a glaring need."
The Rams hold the tenth pick in the draft. That may be too low for one of the top two QB prospects, but perhaps not the other.
"As we move toward the scouting combine, we'll get a better idea of how teams value the top two quarterbacks - Florida State's Jameis Winston and Oregon's Marcus Mariota," ESPN Rams reporter Nick Wagoner wrote. "There already appears to be some emerging doubts about Mariota, so perhaps it's not as out of the question he could slip to the Rams at No. 10 as it once appeared."
St. Louis took down the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks this season, so you know there is some fight in them. All head coach Jeff Fisher may need to take the next step is a competent quarterback. Will he get it in this year's draft? It seems possible.
