EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Now that the NFL scouting combine is over, it's a popular time of the year for analysts and pundits to release a fresh batch of mock drafts.
ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay did just that Thursday afternoon when he unveiled mock draft version 3.0. For the St. Louis Rams, McShay stuck to the same position as his second version but changed the player.
Eschewing the commonly mocked offensive lineman to the Rams that has dotted most mock drafts, McShay sent a wide receiver to St. Louis for the second consecutive time. This time, though, he has the Rams using the No. 10 overall pick on Alabama's Amari Cooper rather than West Virginia's Kevin White.
White was one of the stars of the combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds and confirming his size to complement his speed. McShay had White going 10th to the Rams in his second mock draft but has White going No. 4 to the Oakland Raiders this time around.
Clearly, the Rams have more pressing needs than wide receiver, namely at quarterback and on the offensive line. In McShay's mock draft, the only offensive lineman to go before the Rams pick is offensive tackle Brandon Scherff and top quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston are also gone.
Rams general manager Les Snead has repeatedly said the worst thing the team could do is reach for a need in the draft. So while offensive line or quarterbacks might be more pressing needs, it would be silly for the Rams to take one at the expense of a much higher-rated player at a different position.
That could change if veteran Kenny Britt departs in free agency, however. If Britt were to leave, a wide receiver would become less of a want and more of a need. In this scenario, Cooper would be a steal for the Rams.
It's my belief that Cooper was the best player in college football last year, and he's done nothing but hammer home his status as a prospect by running a solid 40 (4.42) and measuring in just below his listed height of 6-foot-1.
The addition of Britt and the development of Brian Quick were good signs for the Rams receiving corps, but an argument can still be made that they need a true No. 1 receiver. If one of those, in this case Cooper, slides to No. 10, and he's clearly the best player on the board, it'd be hard to argue with the Rams making such a move.
And repeating myself from the last McShay mock, the Rams aren't in position to force a pick based on need if there are other potential difference-makers available. Drafting defensive tackle Aaron Donald last year is a prime example of taking the best player and allowing him to make a difference right away.
In this scenario from McShay and factoring in that trades could happen but aren't mocked, Cooper would make sense for the same reasons taking Donald did a year ago.