First draft as a head coach livened the action for Linehan

ST. LOUIS -- When Scott Linehan was an NFL offensive coordinator, he felt like a bit of a fifth wheel.

"I was bored," Linehan said. "Because you pick a guy and you knew you were done for about four rounds. You sit around and watch the draft or do (play) scripts."

His first draft experience as a head coach, presiding over the St. Louis Rams' 10 picks, was a lot more action-packed.

The Rams traded down four spots in the first round, rolling the dice that cornerback Tye Hill would still be around for the 15th pick. They drafted two tight ends on day one to signal the end of incumbent starter Brandon Manumaleuna's run in St. Louis, then traded him at the start of day two.

They jockeyed for position throughout the two-day event. Linehan exited the draft knowing he'd put in a full day's work and then some.

"We were always working on something," Linehan said. "I'm not sure it was fatigue, but it'll wear on you a bit.

"It's been very exciting for all of us, but there's been a lot of hard work involved."

Entering the draft, the Rams had needs in the secondary, defensive line and tight end. They addressed all three.

Hill is undersized at 5-9 1-2, but he was one of the fastest players at the combine. They're hoping the third-round risk they took with defensive end Claude Wroten, dogged by drug issues in the last three months, pays off. Even counting Manumaleuna, the Rams had been thin at tight end, and they restocked with Joe Klopfenstein of Colorado and Dominique Byrd of Southern California in the third round.

On the second day, the Rams made a move that Mike Martz would have loved when they chose Virginia quarterback Marques Hagans as a punt returner. In what could have been afterthought picks late in the seventh round, they took a stab at giving the offensive line needed youth by selecting guards Mark Setterstrom of Minnesota and Tony Palmer of Missouri.

A unified approach

Linehan, the offensive coordinator for the Dolphins last year and at Minnesota before that, said the Rams' game plan wasn't much different. The most important aspect, he felt, is that everyone worked as a team.

"We stayed unified, there wasn't a lot of bickering," Linehan said. "We spent a lot of time making sure that we knew at the end of the day, we were putting that board together the right way."

The 10-player draft class had a bit of everything, including Palmer, the first Missouri player drafted by the Rams since 1988. Linehan said the proximity of the school had little to do with the selection.

"It didn't really factor in that much, but I do think it's good to be able to let the local guys know that we're going to evaluate them just like anybody else and not just discount the fact that they're just a local," Linehan said. "Here's a guy that was probably passed over a little bit, a little under the radar, but I think he's a guy that really has a legitimate chance."