Daily Bruin File Photo UCLA linebacker Robert
Thomas was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the first
round Saturday.
By Diamond Leung
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Robert Thomas felt just a bit left out on NFL Draft Day.
“My family and friends and everybody else are eating and
partying at the barbecue,” he said. “I have to talk to
the media.”
Ah, the worries of a first-round draft pick. In a mild surprise
to everyone except for Thomas, the St. Louis Rams nabbed the
6-foot, 233-pound UCLA linebacker with the 31st overall selection
on Saturday.
“I believe that I shocked a lot of people by going in the
first round,” said Thomas, a consensus All-American and the
Pac-10’s Defensive Player of the Year. “But I deserve
it because I worked hard. You name it, I did it at UCLA.”
“People were saying that I was too small,” he
continued. “Hey, I’ve been doubted my whole life. I can
handle myself.”
Thomas played the middle at UCLA, and St. Louis will move him to
the outside in order to utilize his speed and make up for his size.
The Rams, losing leading tackler London Fletcher and Mark Fields to
free agency and failing to sign free agent and former UCLA star
Donnie Edwards, filled a need at linebacker with Thomas and expect
him to compete for a starting job.
“Any time you can add this type of speed and this kind of
playmaker to your defense, it’s hard to turn down,” St.
Louis head coach Mike Martz said in a statement. “We think
he’s unique.”
Thomas goes to a team that won the NFC title and also went to
the Super Bowl in January. DeShaun Foster, meanwhile, slipped into
the second round, 34th overall, to the Carolina Panthers, a team
that won a grand total of one game last season.
The running back’s propensity to fumble and questions
about his personal character hurt him. The NCAA extra benefits
violation that limited his playing time in his final season
ultimately caused his draft stock to plummet and prevented him from
garnering first-round money.
“I’ll think about (the NCAA violation) as long as I
play football,” Foster told the Los Angeles Times. “I
should have thought before I acted. It’s a mistake that
I’ll have to live with for the rest of my life.”
A Charlotte native, Foster will battle for carries with Lamar
Smith, who signed as a free agent with Carolina in the
offseason.
UCLA safety Marques Anderson was selected by the Green Bay
Packers in the third round, 92nd overall, and can play at
cornerback or safety for the Packers.
On Sunday, defensive end Kenyon Coleman went to the Oakland
Raiders (fifth round, 147th overall), tight end Bryan Fletcher went
to the Chicago Bears (sixth round, 210th overall) and long snapper
Jeff Grau went to the Washington Redskins (seventh round, 230th
overall).
In all, six UCLA players were drafted ““ the most since
1992.
Defensive tackles Anthony Fletcher and Ken Kocher, along with
wide receiver Brian Poli-Dixon, went undrafted. They hope to sign
on as free agents with teams in the coming days.
For Thomas though, life is good.
“I’ve been waiting for this my whole life,” he
said. “I have the whole world off my shoulders now. It has
definitely been a blessed day.”