St. Louis report on KG

[PonyPride]

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote a story about the St. Louis Rams addressing their cornerback needs (the team lost Dré Bly and Dexter McCleon to free agency) in last weekend's NFL Draft. Here's a portion of his story:

The Rams hope Whitley will return to practice at the start of September. But there are no guarantees. Whitley's injury leaves the Rams with only three healthy cornerbacks on the roster with NFL experience: Aeneas Williams, Travis Fisher and Jerametrius Butler.

Which explains why the team dipped heavily into the corner market on Sunday, selecting three cornerbacks on the second day of the draft:

DeJuan Groce of Nebraska was taken at No. 107 overall, with the second of the Rams' two fourth-round picks.

Shane Walton of Notre Dame was taken at No. 170 overall, with the second of the Rams' three fifth-round picks.

Kevin Garrett of Southern Methodist was taken at No. 172, with the third of the club's fifth-rounders.

"One of those corners is really going to have to come to the forefront immediately," Martz said. "But with the three corners, there's a real chance in that you'll get one of those (to contribute)."

Maybe more. All are intriguing prospects who bring a little something different to the table.

Groce, at 5-feet-10, 192 pounds, was a two-year starter for the Cornhuskers, intercepting four passes with eight pass breakups as a senior.

"He's probably like Dexter McCleon when you look at him size-wise," Martz said. "He's well put together. He's a real solid corner, and he's a guy that we feel we can develop."

Or as general manager Charley Armey succinctly put it: "There's nothing gross about Groce."

The bonus with Groce is his punt-return skills. He returned four punts for touchdowns last season for Nebraska, averaging 17 yards a return.

"Pretty much everybody believes that's one of my strong points," Groce said. "I like being able to help the offense, get them yardage so they can have a short field. Or even score."

Walton, who went to Notre Dame on a soccer scholarship before switching to football, is a playmaker who picked off seven passes for the Fighting Irish last season, returning two for TDs.

"That's what I am," Walton said. "I'm a playmaker and a competitor. I'm not a numbers guy. I'm not going to get out and run a fast 40. I run as fast as I need to run. I jump as high as I need to jump."

A relatively slow 40 time - about 4.6 seconds - kept Walton available until late in the fifth round.

"Obviously, that's the only knock on me," he said. "I'm an intelligent guy. I'm instinctive. I've covered the best. I've covered - what? - the No. 2 pick in the draft. Charles Rogers, me and him were going at it all game. That's the only thing they have on me."

If nothing else, the Rams feel Walton can develop into an effective "inside" defender, covering slot receivers in their nickel and dime packages. It's easier to hide speed deficiencies inside.

Speed isn't an issue with Garrett. He was the fastest defensive back at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, clocked at 4.31 seconds in the 40.

"It helps me be in better position to make plays - and that's what I try to do," Garrett said. "Speed and size are two key things that you can't really teach anybody."

But Garrett isn't the tallest corner around at 5-9, and his coverage skills need some polish. When asked what he needs to work on, Garrett said, "Probably going up and attacking the football while it's up in the air."

[Ponymon]

I have posted some of the info. about Garrett on the forum of the St. Louis Post Dispatch at:

<A HREF="http://forums.stltoday.com/viewforum.php?f=15" TARGET=_blank>http://forums.stltoday.com/viewforum.php?f=15</A>

You might scroll through and check it out!

[FloridaMustang]

Sounds like the Rams fans are really excited about KG! Check this thread out as well: <A HREF="http://forums.stltoday.com/viewtopic.php?t=58671&sid=bce5c91f2e8b10e7e1e11ebd13a885a1" TARGET=_blank>http://forums.stltoday.com/viewtopic.php?t=58671&sid=bce5c91f2e8b10e7e1e11ebd13a885a1</A>

[PonyFan]

Someone who borrowed my name (a Redskins fan borrowing my name?) got on there and talked about KG and Darrell Green. And he threw in a nice plug for PonyFans.com.