Enough of the mock drafts and who the Rams should take though. How about who the Rams should definitely not take in the draft this year. Here is a look at five players the Rams should just stay away from in this year's draft.
Tavon Austin
Now before everybody freaks out about seeing that I think the Rams should not take Austin just read this whole paragraph and hear me out. The only way I see the Rams able to get Austin is if they move up in the draft by giving away some of their other picks. That is not a good idea. This draft does not really have superstar talent, but it is deep in areas that the Rams need help at, particularly the safety position. There are also some sleepers in the draft like linebacker Zaviar Gooden from Missouri and defensive tackle Brandon Williams from Missouri Southern who could help the Rams out in maybe the third or fourth round of the draft. Austin is an electric playmaker, and if he falls back to No. 16 then I would be happy to see St. Louis take him, but it would be a bad idea for the Rams to give picks away so that they can go up and take this guy inside the top ten of the draft.
Sheldon Richardson
I could very easily see Richardson's draft stock falling a little bit tonight, and he may be available for the Rams to take at No. 16. If guys like Kenny Vacarro, Chance Warmack and Coradarrelle Patterson are off the board, it would be very tempting for the Rams to take Richardson. After all could you imagine how could the defensive line would be if they paired a future pro bowler next to Michael Brockers on the inside. As tempting as that is though, the Rams should not do it. This team needs depth at defensive tackle, but spending a first round pick is not the way to go. It's funny though, I love Richardson and would love to see him in a St. Louis uniform because of how dominant our defensive line would be, but there is probably a much smarter move that the Rams could make.
Jonathan Cooper
Please, please, please do not draft Jonathan Cooper. This is the one thing I am begging the Rams not to do on Thursday night. Cooper is a good player, but the only guard the Rams should even think of spending a first round pick on is Chance Warmack. The Rams can certainly find another player in the later rounds like Larry Warford or Kyle Long to play the guard position. Guards are important, but if you get one in the first round then make sure it is a huge guy who can absolutely dominate the line of scrimmage when you are trying to run the ball like Chance Warmack can. Other than that, stay away.
Keenan Allen
Someone is going to take a risk on Keenan Allen Thursday night, and I pray that it is not the Rams. Allen will probably be a decent NFL player, but he will not live up to the expectations of being a No. 1 receiver in the NFL. Fellow writer Corey Rudd has the Rams taking Allen in his final mock draft, but he has them taking him in the second round. If Allen fell to the second round then I think he might be worth the risk for St. Louis, but he is certainly not worth the risk in the first round.
Giovani Bernard
I feel like I am one of the few people who really loves this class of running backs. Sure there is no Adrian Peterson in this class, but if you are a team that has a second round or third round pick and wants to find a guy who will be a very solid running back for your team, then this is your draft. Jonathan Franklin, Eddie Lacy, Marcus Lattimore, Montee Ball and maybe even Le'Veon Bell are all likely to be successful at the next level. I don't see Giovani Bernard having that same success. Hopefully the Rams choose a running back somewhere along the line in this year's draft and I would be happy with just about anyone except for Giovani Bernard.
