By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

Anytime a NFL team finds itself picking second in the draft it is going to have its fair share of needs to fill. The Rams were no different entering the 2008 NFL Draft and after seven rounds and eight picks, they filled a good portion of them.

The Rams set out to plug the holes that paved the way to a 3-13 season. Armed with the second pick in the draft and eight more selections, the Rams wanted to hit on two key areas on day one. On Sunday, they used their remaining picks to wheel and deal twice and grab players that can add depth at other areas of need.

Of course, it all begins with the second pick in the draft, Virginia defensive end Chris Long.

The Rams got just 5.5 sacks from the end position in 2007. Leonard Little, the team’s best pass rusher, missed most of last season because of a toe injury and is returning from offseason surgery. James Hall was released and re-signed.

Long will instantly start at right defensive end, opposite Little with Adam Carriker continuing to work toward taking over the three technique tackle position.

Long played almost exclusively as a two-gap defensive end in Virginia’s 3-4 defense and still posted 14 sacks as a senior. In the Rams defense, Long will get more one on one opportunities, something the Rams think will only benefit him.

“He played a lot of, almost defensive tackle type at Virginia, and he played really good there,” Executive V.P. of Player Personnel Billy Devaney said. “But I think the way we plan to utilize him in space more, he’ll be able to show what kind of athlete he is, how good he is coming off the ball and what a good pass rusher he is. He’ll be good against the run. We look at him as a three-down player. There’s no doubt in our mind that he’s first, second and third-down, and we expect big things out of him as a pass rusher.”

With Long in the fold, the Rams turned their second round attention to finding a wide receiver to help fill the void created by Isaac Bruce’s departure.

After a first round in which nary a receiver was chosen, the Rams found themselves on the clock at No. 33 with every wide out in the draft available. With eight offensive linemen gone in the first round, it made receiver the clear cut position of choice.

The Rams had made it known before the draft that they wanted to add speed to the receiving corps with a wide out who can not only be a deep threat but also get yards after the catch.

For offensive coordinator Al Saunders’ system, Houston receiver Donnie Avery fit the bill. Avery was one of the fastest players in the draft and excels at making tacklers miss in the open field.

Avery will instantly step in as the top candidate for the No. 3 receiver job, working in the slot alongside starters Torry Holt and Drew Bennett.

“We wanted to add juice to our offense and defense and this guy is a legitimate speed guy,” Devaney said. “Better than that, he is not a pure track guy so to speak. This guy is a legitimate receiver also. He’ll come in and challenge for playing time and challenge to be our kick return guy.”

With a receiver in their pocket, the Rams turned their attention for day 2 to an offensive lineman. In sticking with their habit of grabbing a player who has visited St. Louis before the draft, the Rams took the top tackle on their board in the form of Toledo tackle John Greco.

With Alex Barron and Orlando Pace returning, Greco will likely become the third tackle on the depth chart and could even compete for a starting job on the right side.

“Our goal going into it was we wanted to address the offensive line at some point,” Linehan said. “We really feel good about the progress some of the guys that were hurt last year are making. Signing Jacob (Bell) in the off-season and free agency and getting into the draft, we knew if there was a way in the first two or three rounds that we could address our offensive line and continue to bolster our O-line, that was something we were wanting to come away with and we are really, really happy with this pick.”

After grabbing Greco, the Rams went back to the defensive side of the ball by taking cornerback Justin King with the second pick of the fourth round. King had been expected to go potentially as high as the end of the first round.

Surprisingly, King fell out of the top three rounds and the Rams wasted no time in pouncing on him.

The Rams have Fakhir Brown, Tye Hill, Ron Bartell, Jonathan Wade and David Macklin on the roster but believe they need more competition and speed at the position.

King brings both in spades, as he runs the 40-yard dash in the 4.3 second range and has good size at 5’10, 192 pounds.

“I think corner is a position that you really need to put yourself in good position with,” coach Scott Linehan said. “You have got to have four. You really have to feel good about having four corners going into each game. Corners are a commodity.”

Instead of waiting around to make their fifth round choice, the Rams moved back into the fourth round to add more help to the receiver corps.

The Rams dealt the second pick in the fifth round to move up and grab Kentucky receiver Keenan Burton. Burton is 6 foot, 202 pounds and though he had dealt with a variety of injuries in his time as a Wildcat, he played through pain and found a way to be productive.

“He fits the mold we have been stressing,” Devaney said. “Now we have some depth at wide out and it has put us in a position where there is going to be great competition once we get to training camp.”

Burton is also a capable returner and figures into the mix there, also.

The Rams weren’t done bolstering a position of need, making another move to jump back into the fifth round and add more depth on the offensive line.

Trading their two six round choices for a fifth and seventh round pick, the Rams jumped up to the 22nd pick of the round, No. 157 overall to get guard Roy Schuening.

Schuening is an interior lineman the team expects to use as a guard. As the team’s draft board began to empty, the Rams made the move to get one of the final guys that they believe can contribute.

Schuening was projected as one of the top interior linemen in the draft but slipped to the Rams even after making 50 starts at Oregon State.

Linehan said it was Schuening’s blue collar work ethic that made him appealing.

“You know he is going to come to work every day with his lunch pail and give you a great day’s work,” Linehan said. “At the end of the day you surround yourself with enough of these kinds of guys, now you have got yourself an offensive lineman that’s going to be here to stay.”

With their final two picks, the Rams added more help at some areas of need.

At linebacker, the Rams barely have enough players to fill out the roster for practice. In that vein, they grabbed Chris Chamberlain of Tulsa.

Chamberlain started 40 games for the Golden Hurricane, posting 352 tackles with 12.5 sacks, 32.5 tackles for loss and six interceptions. Chamberlain will play outside linebacker for the Rams.

With the final pick in the draft, the Rams made David Vobora, another linebacker from Idaho. Vobora will get a shot to stick as a special teamer in the first year.

Despite all of that, the Rams still have some needs to fill. The team wanted to add another quarterback, a strong safety and a running back but simply had to fill other needs first.

Linehan said the Rams are working on signing an undrafted free agent signal caller and could do the same with the other positions.

One possibility for the safety position is moving cornerback/special teamer Eric Bassey to safety, according to Linehan.