THE WATERCOOLER

QUESTION: The Rams waited until the 7th round last weekend to draft Texas RB Chris Ogbonnaya, who had limited rushing attempts in a Longhorn backfield playing alongside QB Colt McCoy. Rams starting RB Steven Jackson has missed eight games in the past two seasons and most of two others due to injuries. With names such as Antonio Pittman, Brian Leonard, Kenneth Darby and Samkon Gado in the fold, is Ogbonnaya enough to shore up concerns in case of another Jackson absence, or has the team left itself vulnerable in this area once again?

JIM THOMAS
Leonard has shoulder problems. Pittman isn’t the best blocker or pass catcher. Darby looks like a great No. 3 back. Gado has been out of the league. Ogbonnaya had only 215 touches in four seasons at Texas. So it looks like the answer is: no.

BERNIE MIKLASZ
Possibly. He has potential and was good value for Round 7. But the Rams have ignored this issue for a long time, just as they are (mostly) ignoring their shortage at wide receiver. When Steven Jackson plays this is a much better offense and it helps the quarterback. When Jackson doesn’t play, which happens more than anyone would like, the Rams have no running threat. And that is still true. For an organization that always expresses its belief and faith in Marc Bulger, they are doing little to reinforce the supporting cast — though certainly the Rams are trying in earnest to upgrade the offensive line.

BRYAN BURWELL
There is no rush to determine if they need more help until after they get through minicamps. Get these guys in helmets and shells first before determining what to do next.

JEFF GORDON
Chris Ogbonnaya is an interesting athlete, a combo back with a little size and good hands. There is no telling if he’ll go anywhere in a NFL ground game, however, since the Texas offense didn’t run him in a lot of conventional running plays. The good news: Other teams will be letting RBs go, as the Bengals recently did with Chris Perry. If Ogbonnaya doesn’t offer the potential the Rams were looking for, the team will have options. Given the NFL roster limitations, back-up RBs aren’t terribly hard to find. Darby and Pittman are two decent examples of that.