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Amid reports that the St. Louis Rams are apparently focusing on offensive tackle Jake Long and defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey with the second overall pick in the 2008 draft, there’s another guy to add to the mix.
According to Howard Balzer of the Sports Xchange, the Rams had dinner with linebacker Vernon Gholston the evening before his recent Pro Day workout.
Gholston’s stock has been rising in the months leading up to the draft. Whether it translates into the No. 2 overall pick in the draft remains to be seen.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
Not saying he isn’t talented by any means - but these workout warrior types rarely seem to pan out. I think this guy could break that mold, but when you’re drafting so high, why take the gamble when you probably get a closer-can’t-miss in either of the Long boys.
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March 20th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
This team’s offensive line has been swiss cheese, so Long will be the pick. They have too much $$$ invested in Bulger (Jelly Brain Green) and Jackson for him not to be the guy.
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March 20th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Gholston is far from a “workout warrior” The guy abused Jake Long in the OSU-Michigan game and he has been a stud for the Buckeyes for the last two years. Just because a guy benches a ton and looks like he could be in muscle and fitness doesn’t make him just a “Workout Warrior” He was OSU’s defensive MVP hands down the last two years. He would definetly bring more to that sorry D St Louise has than C Long would. Jake Long looks like he is more in the Robert Gallery mold and not the Joe Thomas mold…my opinion
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March 20th, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Gholston is one of, what, two people to get a sack through Jake Long last year? Yeah, he is a workout warrior (and pretty much a freak of nature, or, well, he’s possibly supplemented nature), but he’s also a good player.
That being said, the hype last year was that St. Louis was going to pick Ginn. They love to play games with the draft; I bet they’ve already decided on their pick, they’re just trying to muddy the waters now.
Anyone else see Gholston going to Oakland? They need the help, and Crazy Al loves his physical freaks (Janikowski, Russell, et. al.)
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March 20th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Right. Gholston was seen as a top ten prospect before the combine. He had fourteen sacks last season, and as the Don notes above, you should check out some of the tape from that Michigan game. I’m sure it’ll be on YouTube.
Moreover, recent history suggests that being a complete physical freak is pretty valuable in a pass rusher. Just look at Mario Williams, or even more to the point, DeMarcus Ware and Shawn Merriman, both of whom posted workout numbers very similar to Gholston’s. He may be a slightly better fit for a 3-4 team, but he is an awesome prospect nevertheless. If I were Bill Parcells, and I couldn’t trade down, Gholston would be my pick. And I’m not a fan of OSU - insofar as I follow any one college team it’s ND.
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