This rain is really making me think about going No. 1
Over the last month we have seen Ndamukong Suh’s stock rise from a top-10 pick to a common selection to go number one overall to the Rams. But the Rams taking a DT with the first overall pick is almost as smart as taking a safety or a corner. There is no doubting that Suh might be the sexiest DT to come out in years but he does not warrant a 1st overall pick to a team that has a much bigger need at QB. The Rams must take a QB in this draft and that QB must be Jimmy Clausen.
There is no doubt that I have been on the Clausen bandwagon for longer than just about anybody else, but none of this should matter. There are so many reasons that the Rams would be insane to not take a QB with the pick and if they do take Ndamukong Suh they might be dooming the franchise for the next three to five years.
There are very few people that understand positional value when it comes to the NFL Draft. I learn more and more every day but it all starts with one basic rule:
To build a team you must have a QB, someone to block for your QB (left tackle), and someone to attack the other team’s QB (defensive end).
Don’t believe me? Look at the 2010 franchise tag numbers and the three most expensive positions are? A quarterback, offensive lineman and defensive end. Defensive tackle by the way is 8th.
Most people think that the Rams would be better off going with a “safer” position like DT to set a power on defense. But last year the team went the safe route on Jason Smith by skipping Mark Sanchez. In 2008 they went the safe route on Chris Long instead of reaching on Matt Ryan, and in 2007 the team took the great Adam Carriker instead of taking Brady Quinn. All three of these players were said to be safe picks that wouldn’t be able to bust, but the fact of the matter is that Adam Carriker and Chris Long haven’t shown an ounce of their potential, and Jason Smith smells like the same brand of player. When it comes down to it the Rams cannot keep listening to the safety dance. They cannot keep skipping the QB position in the draft with the thought that Marc Bulger still has some gas in the tank. Bulger might still have a little gas in the tank but the problem is that he has the gas tank of a Ford Pinto (one hit away from burning up). The Rams cannot put off the position for another year.
The only logical pick to take is QB but why can’t they take a QB later and Suh with the first pick? The simple fact is that the defensive tackle class is a lot deeper than the QB class this year. In fact after you get past Clausen and Bradford the scouts are going to pretty much have to pick the name of a spread QB with a ton of potential out of a hat to draft a QB. At the same time there are five or six defensive tackles that could go in the first round, and potentially 15 of the first 100 picks will be a DT.
The rams must take a QB early because there isn’t going to be a pro-ready one in the 2nd or 3rd (outside of maybe Tim Tebow). If you look at the 2010 draft then you will see that three of the team’s biggest needs are a QB, DT, and a WR. So given those three situations would you rather end up with:
- A) Jimmy Clausen, Jared Odrick, and Mardy Gilyard
- B) Ndamukong Suh, Tim Tebow, and Mardy Gilyard
- B) Ndamukong Suh, Golden Tate, and Tony Pike
You might be a fan of Suh but if the Rams want to start winning games next season then they are best to take option A.
What about the Rams signing Michael Vick to a contract and taking Suh with the 1st pick? This is definitely an option but the fact of the matter is that Michael Vick isn’t a good QB anymore. Vick has never been a great QB statistically but he did nothing but win games for Atlanta. But if Vick wants to succeed in the league again then he is going to have to wind up in a place with a great OL, a ton of receiver talent, and a defense that can keep him in any game.
The NFC West might have the most obscure and collectively weak QB crop in the league history right now. Ok, so maybe league history is pushing it but Matt Leinart and Alex Smith are not good QB’s let alone great QBs. And then there are the AARP members in Matt Hassellbeck and Marc Bulger. In fact over the last three seasons those four “starters” have averaged 10 games a season, a QB rating of 71, one TD and one INT per game. But why does this all matter?
If the Rams skip a QB and go for a DT like Ndamukong Suh then they open up the flood gates to allow their division an elite potential to grab one or( in a small turn of events) both of the top QBs in the draft. If the Rams let a QB go early then there is more than a good chance that either Jimmy Clausen or Sam Bradford will make them remember it for the next 10 years in Seattle. There are also rumors out that the Redskins would pass on Jimmy Clausen at 4 but that they would not pass on Sam Bradford. The Rams must take a QB and they must take Clausen because if they take Bradford they realistically risk letting Clausen fall to the Seahawks.
One interesting thing I keep hearing is that a player like Jimmy Clausen doesn’t have the marketing and sales power that Suh would have, but that is completely wrong. Last season 12 of the top-20 jerseys sold were QBs, and overall there was only one person that played defense. Clausen is a quarterback from the most popular fan base in college football. He has the potential to gain a full marketing contract from Adidas and the team has new owners that will likely want a new team.
The Rams need to take a QB while the Iron is hot with Marc Bulger. Ok, maybe with Bulger the phrase should be strike while the Iron is rusting but still there. They must grab a QB early in this draft so that they can let him sit and develop. When Bulger gets hurt in the 5th game they can put Clausen in and see what he can do. This upcoming draft is going to be an interesting one for all of the teams but the Rams have an even more interesting decision to make. It seems like the common NFL fan has come to a consensus that Suh should be the pick. But if you look at it from a value, strategic, marketing and team side, you will see that the Rams must take Jimmy Clausen.
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I totally agree with this. They would be foolish not to take Clausen and I think over the coming months you will see analysts start to aknowledge that. The biggest difference maker on a team is the QB, and they need a franchise QB bad - way worst than a DT. And when you get past the sports talk idiots and the ND haters and just watch his tape, it’s pretty tough to deny that Clausen is the best under-center and all-around QB in this draft. Plus I like that he has dealt with adversity at ND because high draft picks don’t exactly go to elite teams
Definitely! I think that people either hate ND because it is ND or they hate Clausen because of Brady Quinn. But Clausen was the most impressive QB last year (both technically and statistically) and it isn’t his fault that his defense and run game couldn’t produce.
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