They could take LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, they could take Virginia defensive end Chris Long or they could take Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston.
"They're all great players," Rams coach Scott Linehan said. "Honestly, I don't mean to generalize too much, but they're all very effective at the positions they play and are a handful for the opposing team to block whether it's Dorsey at tackle or the other guys at end. You can't go wrong with any of them."
All three players have been invited to New York to attend the draft, which will be held today and Sunday at the Radio City Music Hall.
In effort to streamline the draft, the NFL has pushed back the starting time of the draft from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. There will be only two rounds today, and five rounds Sunday starting at 9 a.m.
The time limit for teams to make their picks also has been reduced from 15 minutes to 12 minutes in the first round and from 10 minutes to seven minutes in the second round.
The Rams effectively have been on the clock since Tuesday when the Miami Dolphins signed Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long with the No. 1 overall pick.
"It makes it a lot easier," Linehan said of knowing that Jake Long is off the board. "We can count to two, and now we're just counting to one. It gives us a lot of time to discuss the pluses and minuses of the guys we're looking at now."
The NFL has prohibited the Rams from negotiating with the No. 2 pick before the draft, but Rams Vice President of Personnel Billy Devaney said that was a moot point since the team hadn't made its final decision on who they will select.
"There are strengths and weaknesses to each," Devaney said. "Character-wise, and this is what makes it great, they are off the chart in a positive way, all three of those guys. As players, all three of them bring different things to the table. We're trying to figure out just which fits best with what we're looking for at this point.
"Like Scott said, we feel like we can't go wrong. We're going to get a great player and a great guy that is great for our organization."
The Rams could be learning toward Dorsey because he seems to have the most potential of the three players.
The 6-foot-2, 297-pound Dorsey won the Bronco Nagurski Trophy as the best defensive player in college football. He had 69 tackles, seven sacks and 12.5 tackles for a loss his senior season despite being double-teamed much of the time.
The only concern with Dorsey is whether a stress fracture that he suffered in his right leg in 2006 has completely healed.
Devaney said the Rams have given Dorsey a clean bill of health.
"We cross-check with other teams," Devaney said. "We had Dorsey in about a week ago and we had him checked one last time. We were at his pro day and we met with three or four trainers and doctors down in Baton Rouge and they presented all these tests that had been performed by a variety of experts around the country. We've exhausted everything and the guy played every game last year.
"We've completely signed off that he's healthy and it's not a concern."
Chris Long would be the safe pick. The 6-foot-4, 266-pound son of former NFL defensive end Howie Long had 75 tackles, 14 sacks and 19 tackles for a loss last season.
The 6-foot-3, 263-pound Gholston is a little more of a work in progress. A speed rusher, he had 37 tackles, 14 sacks and 15.5 tackles for a loss last season for the Buckeyes.
Long and Gholston would fill a big need for the Rams, who got only 5.5 sacks from their defensive ends last season.
If the Rams draft Dorsey, they'd likely use defensive tackle Adam Carriker, the team's No. 1 pick last year, at defensive end in certain situations.
Carriker played defensive end at the University of Nebraska.
"His versatility probably creates some confusion for the whole process," Linehan said. "Adam is a great football player. The guy was an all-American defensive end so he could play out there. I think you're going to see him playing across the board.
"I think tackle is really his best position, but there's no reason he can't play anywhere on our line to be honest with you."
The New Orleans Saints reportedly have a strong interest in Dorsey. CBS Sportsline's Pete Prisco wrote that the Saints, who own the 10th overall pick, are dangling young left tackle Jammal Brown as bait for trading up.
Linehan said the Rams were willing to consider any trade offers, but it would take an exceptional package to entice them into moving down in the first round.
"It sounds like a broken record, but any of those three guys that we have been zeroing in on we'd be thrilled to have, and it would take something really exciting to get us off of that," Linehan said. "We're not being active looking to trade out of there. If something presents itself and we think it makes us a better team and we have good options to move back, then we would think about it. But, right now we're excited about those three guys."
Contact reporter Steve Korte at skorte@bnd.com or 239-2522.
