While the St. Louis Rams ar ein a good position at the 10th-overall selection in the first-round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Thursday night could provide a difficult litmus test for GM Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher.
Snead and Fisher were reportedly extremely high on outside linebacker Khalil Mack in last year's draft but, went with tackle Greg Robinson instead due to his filling a position of much greater need.
A similar situation could be set to play out later this week.
"Sources say that they like some of the right tackle and offensive line prospects, but the Rams also love wide receiver DeVante Parker. In fact, St. Louis is one of the teams that feels there isn't much of a difference between Parker and West Virginia's Kevin White," Charlie Campbell of Walter Football reports.
"As much as the Rams covet Parker, they also realize that help is sorely needed along their offensive line. Fisher and Snead, per Campbell, have not yet ruled out the possibility of adding one of the NFL Draft's premier maulers at No. 10."
It seems recent draft misses at both wide receiver and offensive line have the Rams headed right back to the well.
At receiver, Tavon Austin has been a major disappointment. He's struggled to prove that he can overcome his small stature and produce at the NFL level, having yet to break 500-yards receiving in his two-year NFL career. Kenny Britt and Brian Quick are highly talented, if inconsistent, players and Stedman Bailey is a highly consistent, if only moderately talented receiver.
Parker, 6-foot-3, 209-pounds, is an elite receiver when the ball is in the air. He plays with phenomenal body control and consistently uses his height and wingspan to his advantage. He struggles with drops and blocking, but his innate talent is impossible to ignore.
As for the offensive line, last year's first-round pick, Greg Robinson, struggled with his pass-blocking through nearly the entirety of his season. He's a talented player - maybe not second-overall pick talented, but still talented - and has a chance to develop further, but the Rams remain on the lookout for a bookend.
"Sources with the Rams say the four offensive linemen in play for their pick are Iowa's Brandon Scherff, Stanford's Andrus Peat, Miami's Ereck Flowers, and LSU's La'el Collins. The feeling I get is the Rams like Scherff and Peat the most among that group, but you never know for certain this time of year," writes Campbell.
While the Rams draft plans seem pretty unclear at the moment, what is glaringly obvious is that Snead and Fisher will be faced with a fairly monumental decision that could either further cement or begin to alter the tenor of their St. Louis tenure.
"It sounds like the Rams are in for a bit of a gut-wrenching decision with the 10th pick between Parker and one of those blockers. "
