By Brett Grassmuck
Staff Writer

While day one of the 2008 NFL Draft played out somewhat as expected, day two provided a little more of the unexpected, which has become the norm of draft weekend.

The Rams fourth round began right where it should have, with the second pick, No. 101 overall, but by the end of the fourth, the only pick that remained unchanged was the final selection, a compensatory pick that could not be traded.

The Rams selected speedy Penn State cornerback Justin King with their second pick of the day, after taking offensive lineman John Greco in round three. The 5’10”, 192-pound King spent the final two seasons playing cornerback for the Nittany Lions after playing mostly wide receiver in 2005.

“He has great speed, and he has the size requirements that you need for the position,” Rams coach Scott Linehan said. “I think the biggest thing is that we’re adding speed to our football team at the skill positions that will be vital for our ability to win. We’ve drafted two skill guys that can flat fly now.”

The theme of the day that was laid out by Linehan and Rams executive vice president of player personnel Billy Devaney was that they wanted players that were smart, passionate and productive, and King certainly fit that mold.

“He graduated from Penn State this December,” Devaney said. “I think he had about a 3.0 GPA. We thought, especially at this point in the draft, you have a good sized corner that can run with that kind of smarts and character, obviously we feel really good about it.”

The picks started flying off the board in the fourth round, and the Rams’ draft board started to deteriorate. Amongst the rubble was wide receiver/kick returner Keenan Burton out of Kentucky, and rather than take their chances, the Rams traded their fifth- and seventh-round picks to Green Bay to get back into the fourth round and take Burton at 128 overall.

“There are some guys that you may take a shot at as real projections, but there are only a few up there that we think are real viable, legitimate prospects,” Devaney said. “Burton was at the top of that list. We figured why not go get a guy that everybody has a conviction about rather that run the risk of losing him if we just stand pat.”

Linehan said he wanted to add speed on both sides of the ball during this year’s draft, and the big, quick Burton fits right in that category. Burton was the second wide receiver and potential kick returner taken by the Rams in this year’s draft, adding fuel to what is shaping up to be an interesting training camp battle.

“He has really good hands, runs great routes and is a really smart guy,” Devaney said. “He fits the mold that we’ve been stressing. Now, we have some depth at wideout, and it’s put us in a position where there will be great competition once we get to training camp.”

After trading the fifth-round pick for Burton, the Rams were left with two sixth-rounders and the final pick of the Draft, but after returning to the draft board rubble, another name was “sticking out like a sore thumb,” guard Roy Schuening of Oregon State.

The Rams traded both sixth-round picks to Washington to jump back into the fifth and snag Schuening, who came highly recommended by Oregon State alum Steven Jackson.

“Steven did give a pretty good endorsement for the kid as far as the guy,” Linehan said. “Steven knows what we’re looking for. It’s an organizational goal to get those kinds of guys in this program.”

Schuening is just the type of blocker that Jackson likes to see in front of him. A big, physical run blocker, who played both guard and tackle for the Beavers. Schuening also proved his durability, starting a school record 50 consecutive games.

“There’s something about the makeup of an offensive lineman that can play through whatever and make 50 starts in college and not miss a game,” Linehan said. “That’s hard to do, and he still has an excellent grade as far as physical. It’s not like he’s beat up. He’s in really good shape, and he’s coming out of a great program.”

The Rams gained another seventh-round selection in the trade with Washington, but with no sixth-round picks, they just waited out the time until the final round began, in which they had the 21st and 45th and final selection.

Linebacker became a position of need in the offseason with the loss of Brandon Chillar. So the Rams doubled up in the final round, first taking Chris Chamberlain of Tusla and making David Vobora of Idaho this year’s Mr. Irrelevant, something he knew nothing about until today.

“We actually were sitting here watching the draft, and I pulled out the computer and Googled (Mr. Irrelevant),” Vobora said. “So, I learned about it about five minutes before I got the call.”

As a result, Vobora’s going to Disneyland during a weeklong trip to southern California dubbed Irrelevant Week. Along with his trip to Disneyland, he’ll participate in a sailing regatta and receive the “Lowsman Trophy” at a roast in his honor.

“That’s exciting,” Vobora said. “You can’t argue with that

Vobora was a very productive linebacker during his four-year career with the Idaho Vandals, the collegiate home of Linehan. Vobora led his team in tackles in both of his last two seasons, finishing his college career with 341 stops, 209 solo. His 148 tackles as a senior ranked third in the NCAA.

Chamberlain had his most productive season playing weak side linebacker, even though he is listed as a linebacker, strong safety and fullback. He started all 14 games his senior year, racking up a Tulsa season-record 165 tackles, 101 solo.

Linehan said he expects both Chamberlain and Vobora to contribute on special teams.

“Both Chamberlain and Vobora are production city type guys, lots of tackles,” Linehan said. “Perfect special teams core, we call them. Just hardcore special teams guys that will maybe make an impact when they go in being able to run and chase and get guys on the ground. The production is really big here.”

While it’s much too early to give out a draft grade, the Rams certainly had a productive afternoon, filling several team needs and adding solid draft class.