St. Louis Rams second round pick OT Robert Havenstein perfectly compliments Gurley selection

By Daniel | May 1, 2015

The St. Louis Rams shocked everyone last night in the first round and they stuck with that theme on day two. Once again, no one predicted what the Rams would do with their next selection.

In a move that should please Rams fans, St. Louis traded its 41st overall pick in the second round to the Carolina Panthers. In return the Rams got a third and sixth round pick from the Panthers, as well as the 57th overall pick — the 25th pick in the second round.

With that second round pick the Rams have selected offensive tackle Robert Havenstein out of the University of Wisconsin. Havenstein joins highly-touted running back prospect Todd Gurley as the Rams’ two newest players. Gurley was the selection that shocked almost everyone last night, when the Rams drafted him 10th overall, and now the team has given him an elite run blocker.

This second round pick compliments the Rams’ first round pick better than anyone could have dreamed up. St. Louis added more picks for the draft and snagged a great offensive lineman from a school with a history of producing great offensive lineman. What isn’t to like about that?

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The Rams chose Havenstein with the 25th pick of the second round and fans all around St. Louis should be excited.

This pick confirms that the Rams are committed to running the damn football down their opponents throats in 2015 and beyond. Havenstein is a downhill blocker and despite the fact that he isn’t the most impressive athlete, he should still do great things in St. Louis.

With a runner like Gurley, an offense line doesn’t have to do too much to look good, but this pick shows that head coach Jeff Fisher wants to surround his new first round pick with as much talent as possible.

Havenstein is known as a fierce competitor and his nastiness will translate to the pro game. Plus, he’s a versatile offensive lineman and can play guard if needed. The Rams got a player with this pick that will be around in the NFL for quite some time, in my opinion.

He is not incredibly athletic, but he has great instincts and always takes great angles. There is little wasted energy with Haverstein. I am betting that he will play much like a seasoned vet even as a rookie. He was a star at Wisconsin and was a part of a historically great rushing attack. Not to mention, Havenstein is an absolute mountain of a man at 6’7″ and 321 pounds.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper had the Rams’ needs listed as OL, CB, and WR heading into the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. I don’t think many people would have argued with that assessment and the Rams filled a major need on the offensive line with Havenstein.

Likewise, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com said that the St. Louis Rams absolutely had to bolster its offensive line in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft and the team obviously answered that call.

Not only does this team fill a need, it fills a need that directly helps their first round pick and his development. These two should grow up together and should account for many rushing yards over the next few years.

What I love about this pick is that this team clearly went into the 2015 NFL Draft with a distinct plan and they are executing it before our eyes.

This team got much tougher over the last two days and opposing teams will have to, once again, fear the running game in St. Louis. With Havenstein and Gurley, the Rams are definitely trending upward and are unquestionably a much more rugged team.

This pick demonstrates the Rams’ commitment to score points and it helps to close the gap on the Seahawks a little bit. Are they there yet? Of course not, but they certainly are taking steps with these two picks.

As stated earlier, after two rounds, Fisher is executing his draft plan with brilliance.

Next: Day Two Draft Grades and Analysis Updated In Real Time

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