By Nick Wagoner
Staff Writer

It is a rare occasion in the NFL Draft when a player from a position of need is available at a spot where he should probably go. When a team takes a player at a position of need, many times that pick is considered a reach.

The Rams made four picks on the first day of the NFL Draft, fixing their needs as much as possible. Two of those picks hit that perfect synergy between need and value while the other two were considered question marks.

That isn’t to say that St. Louis had an unsuccessful day. In fact, the Rams emerged with a group of players they coveted. Headlining the group is Florida State offensive tackle Alex Barron.

Many considered Barron to be the best offensive tackle in the draft and St. Louis had him ranked among its top 10 players overall. Taking Barron at No. 19 might someday be considered a steal if he lives up to the comparisons that are often thrown around about him.

“He is a terrific left tackle; he has the athleticism to do that,” coach Mike Martz said. “He is as close to Orlando Pace without being Orlando Pace in terms of that type of natural athleticism.”

Of course, Pace has the left tackle job nailed down, but Barron is a likely candidate to step in immediately and start on the right side. 

With its second pick in the draft, No. 50 overall, St. Louis chose a player from a small school with big potential. Cornerback Ronald Bartell of Howard was the choice and he comes to the Rams with little reputation, but many physical skills.

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. called the selection a reach, even going as far as to compare Bartell to former second-round choice Jacoby Shepard. Shepard never panned out and was released within a couple of years of arriving in St. Louis.

Bartell is not that type of player, though. While Shepard struggled to retain information and failed with the mental aspect of the game, Bartell has no problems in that area. Bartell posted a 35 on the Wonderlic test, which quizzes players on their ability to retain information in a short period of time.

In addition to his intelligence, Bartell also boasts some impressive physical skills. He checks in at 6-foot-1, 208 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds.

Bartell will give the Rams another option to compete with Michael Hawthorne and DeJuan Groce for the nickel back job and could also play safety if needed. At the least, he will get some opportunities to play special teams.
No matter where he lines up, Martz loves his versatility.

“We feel good about his ability to stay outside,” Martz said. “I feel certain he can go inside and play a significant free safety. We have seen him in that capacity. Big guys like this that can run that fast you really like to see what they can do on the outside. At worst, I think you could use him in the nickel package and in the slot.”

After taking a small gamble on Bartell, St. Louis opted to go with more of a sure thing with its first pick in the third round (No. 66 overall). Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe of Stanford was the choice at that spot.

Atogwe, who is more commonly referred to as “O.J.,” had a superb college career for the Cardinal. In 44 games, he had 241 tackles, seven fumble recoveries, 11 forced fumbles and nine interceptions.

Atogwe was thought highly of on many boards because most teams were unable to find any legitimate weaknesses. The biggest knock on Atogwe seemed to be his size (5’10), but his playmaking skills were enough to land him in St. Louis.

With Adam Archuleta as the only true safety under contract, the Rams’ need for a safety was one of its greatest. Once again, St. Louis was able to snare a top-rated player at his position at a good spot. 

Archuleta is recovering from a back injury by going to treatment in Los Angeles, making the need for safeties that much greater. Since there is no real difference between the safety positions in the Rams defense, Atogwe could compete for a starting spot on either side. The safety spots are referred to as left and right, rather than free and strong. 

Martz said Atogwe was the perfect example of a team getting help at a position it needs while also getting a player who was worth it in the spot he was chosen.

“One of those rare opportunities where value meets needs,” Martz said. “Obviously, when you look at our secondary over the years, this has been a position we have been very thin at. We have tried to move guys in to compensate.”

Just when it looked like the Rams would throw all straight fastballs in the first day, they decided to work in a curveball. Offensive lineman Richie Incognito, who hasn’t played football since 2003 and had a number of questions surrounding him off the field, was the choice with the team’s second pick of the third round (No. 81 overall). 

“I think what happens on the first day everybody is trying to select somebody for an immediate need,” Martz said. “We have met some needs with two defensive backs and a right tackle and I think we all feel good about where we are. We feel very good about the depth at this point. The first three picks really eased our trepidation about those two positions…now you can do this. You can bring him along and I think in time this is going to be one terrific offensive lineman.”

There is no doubt about Incognito’s talent. He was first-team All Big 12 Conference as a sophomore left tackle for Nebraska one year after earning second team All Big 12 honors as a freshman.

That kind of performance would usually be the beginning of a career that could lead to being a first-round choice, but Incognito’s problems off the field denied him that opportunity.

After being suspended for violating team rules, Incognito was excused from the Cornhuskers’ program just before the beginning of his junior season. He attempted to transfer to Oregon, but was kicked out of that program just one week into his time there for failing to meet team requirements.

Compounding the problems for Incognito’s draft status was his penchant for being too emotional. Incognito made a reputation for getting into fights when he let his emotion get the better of him.

In spite of many of those problems, a number of teams thought highly enough of him to consider selecting him early in the draft. That is, until he injured his knee at his Pro Day within weeks of the draft.

That injury scared off more teams, but not St. Louis, which made no secret of its preference for Incognito. Incognito will have his surgery done by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala. on Thursday and is expected to miss three or four months. 

On the positive side, it would be difficult to find a more physical, tough player than Incognito in the entire draft. One Rams’ scout referred to Incognito as a female dog (in a good way) because of the way he relentlessly competes on the field.

Martz said there is no doubt about Incognito’s desire to succeed.

“Sitting out a year and having some of the problems that he had and of course the injury probably put his value down somewhat in the draft, but when you put the tape on and you look at him…this is a guy we are very excited about,”

Martz said. “He will captivate you. He is very, very physical and very athletic offensive lineman. He is very tenacious. He plays with an attitude. He doesn’t block, he tries to hurt you. I kind of like that.”