Taylor Lewan visiting St. Louis Rams
Michigan Wolverines offensive lineman Taylor Lewan (77) walks off the field following the game against the Kansas State Wildcats during the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium. Kansas State defeated Michigan 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The St. Louis Rams are in an excellent position to add at least two high-impact players to their roster in the 2014 NFL Draft, as they have the 2nd and 13th overall picks with an extremely high amount of interest in moving down from the No. 2 post. It’s going to be interesting to see what the Rams do with the 13th pick overall, because it would be a huge surprise if they also traded that pick. Most of the time, Alabama star safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is mocked to the Rams with that pick, and that selection would make plenty of sense. But they could go in any number of directions with that selection, especially if Mike Evans is somehow still available there and they don’t take him with their earlier first-round pick.
It looks like Michigan Wolverines product Taylor Lewan could also be in play for the Rams, as the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas reports that he is visiting the Rams today. He has massive character concerns, but there’s little doubt that he’s worth a top-15 pick when looking at his talent. Lewan displayed solid technique, high-end agility, excellent physical tools, and a nasty run blocking game in college. He rarely got beat in pass protection, and he was also a high-impact offensive tackle in the running game.
The Rams don’t have a pressing need at offensive tackle after Rodger Saffold was re-signed by the team, and they have Jake Long and Joe Barksdale as well. In fact, offensive tackle isn’t a need at all for the Rams anymore, so it wouldn’t make much sense for them to take a guy with Lewan’s baggage at 13, even if he is a top-ten-type talent. That said, he would become an enticing option in the second round, and all a workout indicates is a team kicking the tires on a player; the willingness by the Rams to take a closer look at Lewan is warranted.