The Rams selected Nebraska defensive tackle Adam Carriker in the first round of the 2007 draft. They’re now in position to take another defensive tackle from Nebraska, and that’s fine with Carriker.
“Yeah, bring in [Ndamukong] Suh,” Carriker recently said, per the Associated Press. “I mean, why not? If they feel he’s the best player. Whoever they bring in, they know what they’re doing.”
But “they” haven’t really known what they’re doing lately, given a 1-15 record in 2009, a 2-14 mark in 2008, and a 3-13 record in 2007.
At that pace, 0-16 is right around the corner.
Though Suh widely is regarded (at least for now) as the top player on the draft board, the Rams need plenty of help at other positions -- including quarterback. So they could hold an auction for the Suh pick, trade down several spots, take Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen, pay less money (unless a rookie wage scale is imposed), and land some extra choices.
Or, as Chris Mortensen of ESPN pointed out over the weekend, they could swing a deal for Eagles quarterback Mike Vick, who most likely will be traded within the first five days of the 2010 league year, when he’s due to receive a $1.5 million roster bonus. That would make quarterback less of a priority in round one, allowing the Rams to land Suh.