Opening statement:  “Well I’m thrilled to be able to stand here and tell you that we’ve selected Steven Jackson, as you’re well aware of.  I’m dumbfounded.  It adds a great deal of fire power to the offense.  We’ve got, obviously Marshall (Faulk) and Lamar (Gordon), and we’ve got a good situation with the running back position.  This is an opportunity to add great value to this football team that we did not anticipate.  Obviously, he was a guy that we had stacked way at the top of our draft, and we decided that as he started to get closer and closer, we got more and more excited.  It’s the first time in all my years with the Rams that the whole draft room broke out in applause.  It’s a thrill, it really is.  We’re very excited about having him.  This is unsuspected, but it’s something that we all have goosebumps over, to add this type of talent to our offense.”

On what the Rams gave up to move up two spots to select Jackson:  “Our fourth (round) pick.  You can’t trade that compensatory.”

More on thought process:  “We didn’t know for sure if Cincinnati would pick him, but as he was moving down the board, we had all kinds of different scenarios, and the closer it got, the more our eyes got larger.  We just didn’t want to miss him at this point.  He was just too close to have something happen with Green Bay, have somebody come in.  We just didn’t know.  Everybody’s very, very thrilled and excited, and I think everybody in this room probably is as well.”

On what you liked so much about Jackson:  “Of course, when everyone describes their first round draft pick, there’s all these superlatives, but when you watch him on tape, he’s really a complete back for this league.  He’s a physical back with speed.  He’s got that jump-cut.  He’s a terrific receiver out of the backfield, and he’s a very willing pass-blocker.  All the things that we ask a running back to do, you would have to grade this individual with high marks, in terms of being able to fit into our offense.”

More on pick:  “Realistically, as he got closer down around six, seven, and five (selections away), as soon as Dallas made that move, we got really excited.  We really felt like Dallas would select him at that point.  I can’t explain to you how it happened, or why it happened, but you’re looking at a very happy head coach right now.”

On whether there might have been some sort of issues as a reason that Jackson was still available at 24:  “No, not to my knowledge.  Jay’s (Zygmunt) made this comment, and running backs do fall in the draft traditionally.  So everybody has a need immediately, defensive tackles usually go quickly, defensive ends, all the quarterbacks and wide receivers had the chance to push him down.  I think everybody has a need, with the terrific talent at the quarterback position, with those four guys going, and all the wide receivers.  We were fortunate from that aspect, otherwise we certainly wouldn’t be looking at Steven Jackson.”

More on Jackson’s ability and that he can turn the corner quickly:  “Yes he can.  He can do all those things.  Like I said, you stand up here and you start raving about a young man, he hasn’t even played in the NFL yet, but the potential is certainly there.  What a talented young man, and he’s proven all those things throughout the years he’s been at Oregon State, which is the reason that they were able to win.”

On Jackson’s receiving ability:  “I think he has unusual receiving ability, and I think that he was different from most of the other backs in this draft from that respect.  That in itself is not enough, the running skills.  We’ve got to stabilize the running back position, and to do that is huge for our organization at this point.”