St. Louis Rams head football coach Steve Spagnuolo (L) looks on as General Manager Billy Devaney talks about the selection of Oklahoma's quarterback Sam Bradford as their No. 1 pick. UPI/Bill Greenblatt
The St. Louis Rams had the first pick in the NFL Draft and could not trade down, so they selected Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford. Rams fans who are also Mizzou fans will hope he plays in the NFL the way they remember him tearing up Mizzou in back to back Big 12 title games.
Rams GM Billy Devaney has had in hand in several quarterbacks getting drafted in the NFL including Trent Green and Ryan Leaf…ugh.
Bradford couldn’t be happier now that all the talk is done and over with. “You have no idea how excited I am. Just to have the opportunity to come to St. Louis and start my NFL career there is just a blessing, and I can’t wait to get there and get to work. It was a dream come true. You grow up and dream about playing in the NFL and you dream about going in the first round. It just seemed so far-fetched at the time. To be up there tonight and to actually have it happen is just an unbelievable feeling.”
Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops had this say about his 2008 Heisman Trophy winner.
Quarterback Sam Bradford, holds up his jersey as he is introduced to reporters at Rams Park in Earth City UPI/Bill Greenblatt
“Sam is special. He is blessed with all of the attributes you like in a quarterback. He’s athletic, smart and mature. We throw words like those around pretty easily, but he possesses all of those qualities at an extremely high level. There is great comfort for a team and coaching staff with someone like that directing the offense. Leadership manifests itself in a number of ways, but first and foremost, a leader must have the respect of the team for the way he prepares, plays and conducts himself. Sam earned that kind of respect very early in his career here. From a playing perspective, I always appreciated his pinpoint accuracy. It was uncanny, and part of the reason he was so accurate was that he understood how to read defenses and find the best throw.”
