With the forty-seventh pick in the 2011 BGN Mock Draft, firstroundpick selects...
Mikel Leshoure - RB, Illinois
After missing out on Julio Jones in the first round and selecting Jimmy Smith to help shore up the secondary, the St. Louis Rams choose an offensive player that doesn't play wide receiver.
Head coach Steve Spagnuolo and the staff do not have to draft a wideout out of desperation. They will have 2008 second round pick Donnie Avery return to the offense after a devastating injury sidelined him for the whole 2010 campaign. They also have Mark Clayton, who looked like quarterback Sam Bradford's favorite target early in the season.
The Rams take a running back here because they need a complement to Steven Jackson, a perrenial Pro Bowl player. His wheels are also bound to fall off soon as he is nearing 30 years of age, which is absolutely dreaded at his position. When Jackson needs a breather, St. Louis needs to have confidence in whoever is in the backfield. Backup Kenneth Darby had 34 carries for 107 yards for an abysmal 3.1 yards per carry.
More after the jump...
After Heisman winner Mark Ingram, Leshoure is the next best option. He could even wind up as the No. 1 back taken in the draft. It is not hard to see why. He holds the single-season school record for most rushing yards with 1,697 yards and also scored 17 touchdowns. The former Fighting Illini halfback is a powerful runner that gives opposing defenders a tough time because it is either too difficult to bring him down or they are just run over by his strong running style. Similar to St. Louis' own Steven Jackson. He has also shown some versatility by being a threat on the receiving end. He picked up 196 yards through the air while scoring three times. He created positive matchups when he lined up outside and ran good inside and outside routes.
The only issue with Leshoure is that he was suspended for a game in 2009 for a violation of team rules and was hampered with a broken jaw the year prior thanks to the punch of a teammate. But Leshoure claimed that he has matured "a lot" during the NFL combine. These problems should not prevent the Rams from picking what could be their running back of the future.
Next on the clock will be phillyeaglesfan with the Oakland Raiders.
Previous Picks: 1 - Nick Fairley 2 - Patrick Peterson 3 - Blaine Gabbert 4 - Cam Newton 5 - Von Miller 6 - Marcell Dareus 7 - Prince Amukamara 8 - A.J. Green 9 - Da'Quan Bowers 10 - Corey Liuget 11 - Robert Quinn 12 - Julio Jones 13 - Tyron Smith 14 - Jimmy Smith 15 - Mark Ingram 16 - Cameron Jordan 17 - Ryan Kerrigan 18 - Anthony Castonzo 19 - Mike Pouncey 20 - Adrian Clayborn 21 - Phil Taylor 22- Stephen Paea 23 - Brandon Harris 24 - Aldon Smith 25 - Gabe Carimi 26 - Torrey Smith 27 - Justin Houston 28- J.J. Watt 29 - Nate Solder 30 - Akeem Ayers 31- Derek Sherrod 32 - Cameron Heyward 33- Muhammad Wilkerson 34 - Allen Bailey 35 - Jabaal Sheard 36 - Marvin Austin 37 - Jonathan Baldwin 38 - Jake Locker 39 - Colin Kaepernick 40 - James Carpenter 41 - Christian Ponder 42 - Aaron Williams 43 - Ryan Mallett 44 - Rahim Moore 45 - Leonard Hankerson 46 - Kyle Rudolph