14. St. Louis Rams: Aldon Smith, DE, Missouri

By Will of Rams Herd
  
The Rams will find themselves in a very tough value spot if both elite receivers are off the board and none of the falling elite defensive prospects (Fairley, Bowers, Quinn in various mocks) drop to 14. Sitting on top of a huge depth of second-tier defensive line talent, getting value for the pick is the first priority. In an ideal world, the Rams would trade down here, but since trades aren’t allowed, I’m going to go with the player with the highest ceiling and hope that Spagnuolo’s coaching and further growth into his young frame turns him into the next Justin Tuck or Demarcus Ware.
 
However, this was not a slam-dunk decision. 3-technique defensive tackle is a more immediate need, and Corey Liuget is a popular pick for that reason. I just don’t see a high-enough ceiling to justify a top-15 pick. Cameron Jordan’s ability to disrupt from the DE or DT spot made him a very intriguing option, and was almost my pick here. However, I worry he would be miscast in the Rams’ 4-3 front. There are notable risks with Aldon Smith as well, but as the decision to draft OT Jason Smith shows, the Rams aren’t afraid to draft on potential, if they think that potential is sky-high.