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With the sixth pick of Pride of Detroit's 2012 NFL mock draft, the St. Louis Rams select Stanford offensive guard David DeCastro. Ee Oulo is serving as the Rams' general manager, and his reasoning for the pick is below.
This pick is the coup de grâce of a three-year endeavor to create a dominant OL that has spanned two front offices. DeCastro is one of the most surefire OL picks in recent memory and will have a huge impact on this unit. The impact of this pick is likely to extend its influence past his position by salvaging past drafts as well! His presence, amplified by the addition theft of C Scott Wells from Green Bay, will have a redeeming factor for last year's 33rd pick, LT Rodger Saffold. It might even be far reaching enough to light a fire under perceived bust of the second overall pick in 2009, Jason Smith. With a line that is likely to read (left to right) as Saffold, DeCastro, Wells, Dahl and Smith, a unit of pitiful weakness now becomes potentially elite.
While some are sure to think this is a reach, it isn't anything other than the drafting of the clear and glaring BPA. This is selecting a future Pro-Bowler who will impact many offensive plays, and structure, for many, many seasons to follow. That is a value at any level of pick.
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Check out the 2012 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.
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