Rams beef up defense on second day of draft

The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS -- For a guy who loves offense, St. Louis Rams coach Mike Martz keeps proving he's willing to replenish talent on the other side of the ball.

After making running back Steven Jackson their first offensive first-round pick since 2000, the Rams chose three straight defensive players in the NFL draft. That includes the first two selections on the second day -- outside linebacker Brandon Chillar of UCLA in the fourth round, then free safety Jason Shivers of Arizona State in the fifth round.

"You have to play defense, man," Martz said. "Offense is fun, but you have to be able to stop them."

The Rams finally got around to offense again in the sixth round of Sunday's second day when they took Michigan State quarterback Jeff Smoker. That pick addresses a coming shortage at that position, with Kurt Warner likely to be released after June 1 following Martz' announcement that Marc Bulger will be the starter.

Smoker led the Big 10 in passing -- averaging 261.2 yards per game -- and is the first quarterback in school history to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a season. He had a big comeback year after his suspension the second half of the 2002 season for substance abuse.

"This is something we were very blunt with him about when he came in here," Martz said. "This is a problem that he had, that he took responsibility for, and decided to solve that problem on his own."

Overall, Martz was happy with the Rams' haul. He mentioned at least a couple times, however, that all 32 NFL teams likely were saying the same thing.

"I think we had a good day," Martz said. "Who knows how any of these guys are going to work out? We all feel good about draft day, and I think all these picks make sense for us."