I don't tend to get quite as excited about the NFL draft as most rabid football fans. It's confusing to me that so many people seem to care as much, if not more, about the draft each spring than they do about the actual games in the fall. Clearly, I'm in the minority on this topic, because the NFL draft seems to become a bigger and bigger spectacle each year.
These days, it's split over multiple days, to maximize the suspense—and the TV revenue. The first round has become a live primetime event, which was broadcast last night. The results are Topic A for most sports media outlets this morning, never mind that the NBA, NHL, and MLB are actually playing real games.
But as luke-warm as I might be toward the draft in general, even I noticed that many experts have declared the Rams to be the big winner of last night's proceedings. They made a splashy trade, swapping several picks with the Buffalo Bills to move up to No. 8 overall and select Tavon Austin, a wide receiver from West Virginia and perhaps the best offensive playmaker in this draft.
The 5-foot-9 Austin, who ran the 40-yard dash in a blistering 4.34 seconds at the NFL scouting combine (second best among wide receivers), put up video-game numbers in college.
His senior year, he had 1,289 receiving yards with 12 touchdowns. He rushed for 643 more yards and another three touchdowns. He averaged an obscene 8.9 yards per rushing attempt. He returned both a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown. His 2,910 all-purpose yards were fourth-most is NCAA history. Clearly, this guy can play. And given his ability to make plays in both the passing and running game, he's the sort of versatile weapon in demand in today's NFL, which is being taken over by dual-threat players like Robert Griffin III (who the Rams passed on last year).
There's a chance that Austin will develop into the best offensive weapon that Sam Bradford has ever had at his disposal. The biggest concern with Austin is his size, but the Rams are hoping his speed will leave him so wide open, it won't matter that he's short. And despite his size, he's never suffered a significant injury.
This is the first time the Rams have drafted a wide receiver in the first round since 1999, when they picked Torry Holt. I'm sure fans in St. Louis would be perfectly happy if Austin's career follows a similar course.
Austin is a native of Baltimore. If we can trust Wikipedia on this one, he piled up 218 carries for 2,660 yards and 34 touchdowns as a running back his senior year of high school. Just another sign of that versatility I mentioned.
All of a sudden, I'm starting to see why people get excited about the draft. My heart rate is up just thinking about this guy getting out there on the field.
And the Rams had a second first-round pick last night, too. With the 30th pick, they snagged Alec Ogletree, a linebacker from Georgia. Ogletree is high on talent, but also controversy. He was suspended for the first four games of last season because of a failed drug test. And he followed that up with a DUI shortly before the combine. It will be interesting to see if Jeff Fisher can get him back on the straight and narrow.
