The Rams wanted smart players who had productive college careers and were highly self-motivated.
The Rams stuck with that theme from the selection of Virginia defensive end Chris Long with the No. 2 overall pick to the selection of Idaho linebacker David Vobora with the 252nd and final pick of the draft.
"I don't want to say we took it to the extreme this year, but we were really determined to stay on point there from the beginning of the draft to the very end," Devaney said. "It was a real strong point of emphasis, probably more so this year than any place I have been. These guys have to play football. We want good football players but along with that, the character plays a big part of that. We didn't just take a guy that was a great guy to go out and get a beer with or something, but is not worth a darn as a football player. We want football players."
The selection of Long should have an immediate impact on the Rams' woeful pass rush. They ranked 22nd in the NFL in sacks last season with 31.
Seven of those sacks came from middle linebacker Will Witherspoon. They got only 5.5 sacks from their defensive ends.
"He really turns it on when he gets in the two-minute and third-down situations," Linehan said of Long, who had 14 sacks as a senior last season. " For him to be able to go and get out in that wide-end alignment, he gets down there in that little Jason Taylor stance and comes off the edge, that's probably where you will really get excited. I love stopping the run and I think we got some really good run players and we really improved there and this guy really adds to that third down dimension that we were looking for."
In the second round, the Rams took Houston wide receiver Donnie Avery.
Clocked at 4.29 seconds on the 40-yard dash during his on-campus agility tests, Avery should provide the kind of legitimate deep threat that the Rams lacked last season.
The Rams had no pass receptions longer than 40 yards last season.
"He is a guy that can fly," Linehan said of Avery, who caught 91 passes for 1,456 yards and seven touchdowns last season. "I don't know how fast he is compared to maybe a couple of other guys that you've heard of or even who play for us, but all I know is that when you watch the tape, he flat out runs by people. He plays very big and he gets behind the defense, and that is something that we really wanted to add to our team."
Avery also will compete with Dante Hall and Derek Stanley for the job of kickoff return man.
The Rams added much-needed depth to their offensive line by taking Toledo offensive tackle John Greco in the third round and Oregon State offensive guard Ray Schuening in the fifth round.
Greco started 49 consecutive game for the Rockets, while Schuening started 50 consecutive games for the Beavers.
The Rams' collection of cornerbacks got another new member with the selection of Penn State's Justin King in the fourth round.
The speedy King, like Jonathan Wade, the Rams' second-round pick last year, started his college career as wide receiver before switching to cornerback.
"He was a wide receiver his freshman year, and he went back and forth between (defensive back) and wide out," Devaney said. "So, I wouldn't say that he is raw, he has started every game his last two years at corner, but his background is on offense. We don't view that as a negative because the way we look at it, he will only get better, the more he plays at corner."
The Rams grabbed another wide receiver with kickoff return ability in the fourth round in Kentucky's Keenan Burton.
"The thing you have got to see Keenan do is catch the ball on those intermediate routes and run with it," Linehan said. "He is tough, he looks fearless about going to the ball and attacks the football with his hands and does run with it very well."
In the seventh round, the Rams took two linebackers who were tackling machines in college.
Tulsa's Chris Chamberlain had 165 tackles last season, while Idaho's David Voboro had 148 tackles last season.
Both players are capable of having a big impact on the Rams' special teams.
"Great core special teams players come from this kind of a background," Linehan said. "Sometimes you hit on a guy that can eventually be a starting linebacker for you if you are lucky."
Devaney said that it's unrealistic to expect any of the Rams' eight draft picks, except Long, to be a starter next season. Long has already been declared as the team's starting right defensive end.
"It's hard for young kids to start in this league," Devaney said. "It's great competition. We have got veterans in the building that are great. They are not going to give up their job easily. They have got to fight through that. It's hard to say at what point these guys are going to be ready to contribute. We see them with really good futures for a long time with the Rams. How fast that happens, it's hard to say."
Contact reporter Steve Korte at skorte@bnd.com or 239-2522.
