FanHouse JamesLaurinaitis

Back in 2002, Pisa Tinoisamoa led the St. Louis Rams in tackles. He became the first rookie in franchise history to pull off that feat. He also had the most tackles on the team in 2004, 2005 and 2008. Friday, he was released from the Rams -- likely a cost-saving measure since he would have counted $4.25 million against the salary cap this season and was signed through 2011.

After landing James Laurinaitis in the second round of the draft, the Rams will likely slide Chris Draft to the strong-side and let the rookie Laurinaitis start in the middle from the get-go.

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

The Rams entered the draft with far too many holes to be filled with simply seven picks. Steve Spagnuolo entered the Gateway City with the task of returning the Rams to national prominence after they have fallen apart in just a few years. There are some talented pieces in place, and they've addressed some needs this offseason, but many more positions need attention. The logical starting point -- because they've done it before with Orlando Pace -- was a stalwart left tackle. Jason Smith was taken to fulfill this role with the second overall pick.

We've reached draft season, the time of year where Mike Mayock, Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay become you're best friends, and it's possible to spend 10 hours a day mulling over draft scenarios.

You may have your opinion on who is the best draft expert, but there's also something to be said for the wisdom of crowds. Why look at one mock draft when you can look at 10? We compiled the results from 10 of the most respected mock drafts on the Internet to see if there is agreement on who each team will pick. We'll do this several times before the draft arrives to give you an idea of what players and what positions look to be your team's best bets.

We'll start getting all kind of 2009 draft lists very soon, but as teams start putting together their boards, here's a sneak peek at one man's draft board. CBS Insider Charlie Casserly, a former general manager, surveyed over half of the league's scouting departments to put together a list of the college seniors who are rated as having first-round grades.

As Casserly explained, there's not a lot of depth in the senior class this year, although rumors of a rookie pay scale becoming part of a new collective bargaining agreement will ensure that a record number of juniors and red-shirt sophomores will help improve the class' talent.

The depth in the senior class is at offensive tackle and linebacker, with Casserly saying that Virginia's Eugene Monroe carries superior grades to former Virginia top-10 picks Branden Albert and D'Brickshaw Ferguson.

Here's Casserly's complete list of seniors who carry first round grades, as he revealed on CBS:

This year's NFL draft had just two linebackers selected in the first round. Tomorrow night's Ohio State-USC showdown might have twice that many first-round linebackers.

Mel Kiper lists Ohio State's James Laurinaitis as his No. 3 overall prospect for the 2009 NFL draft, USC's Rey Maualuga No. 4, USC's Brian Cushing No. 16 and Ohio State's Marcus Freeman No. 21. Obviously, just because Kiper lists them there now doesn't mean that's where they're going to be drafted in April, but it's a sign of just how much talent will be on display at the Coliseum.

To my way of thinking, the best NFL prospect of the bunch is Maualuga. Most draft analysts I've seen, like Kiper, have Laurinaitis ranked slightly ahead of Maualuga, but I think Maualuga (who is listed at 260 pounds) is a more physical player than Laurinaitis (listed at 240) and a better all-around athlete.

It remains to be seen whether Ohio State-USC becomes a game worthy of the hype, but to NFL scouts, it's definitely the game of the year.

This year's NFL draft had just two linebackers selected in the first round. Tomorrow night's Ohio State-USC showdown might have twice that many first-round linebackers.

Mel Kiper lists Ohio State's James Laurinaitis as his No. 3 overall prospect for the 2009 NFL draft, USC's Rey Maualuga No. 4, USC's Brian Cushing No. 16 and Ohio State's Marcus Freeman No. 21. Obviously, just because Kiper lists them there now doesn't mean that's where they're going to be drafted in April, but it's a sign of just how much talent will be on display at the Coliseum.

To my way of thinking, the best NFL prospect of the bunch is Maualuga. Most draft analysts I've seen, like Kiper, have Laurinaitis ranked slightly ahead of Maualuga, but I think Maualuga (who is listed at 260 pounds) is a more physical player than Laurinaitis (listed at 240) and a better all-around athlete.

It remains to be seen whether Ohio State-USC becomes a game worthy of the hype, but to NFL scouts, it's definitely the game of the year.

1. James Laurinaitis, LB, THE Ohio State University: I hope Laurinaitis is ready for the backlash, because after we all decide we're sick of being sick of hearing about T** T***w, Laurinaitis is probably next on our scorn list. Pity. In a league that always has a sampler platter of great linebackers, Laurinaitis is a standout among the standouts, and there isn't much left for him to accomplish. He already has a Nagurski Award and a Butkus Award to go along with more conference-based awards than just about any defensive player ever. So, yeah, he's pretty good, even if we're all going to be sick of hearing Brent Musberger talk about him by, say, late September. Or at least we would be, if not for all the time Musberger is sure to spend talking about ...

2. Beanie Wells, RB, THE Ohio State University: This guy must be part cyborg. At 6'1" and somewhere in the 230s, he's just another prototypical Buckeye running back. You know the type. Big, not overly flashy, and about as easy to tackle as a 40-foot oak tree. Wells, however, has that magical 6th gear, the one that changes the sound of his motor from "vroooooom" to "Oh no you don't!" Wells is on every Heisman watch list out there; if anybody can knock off T** T***w, here he is.

It's not how it sounds, but still -- funny. Senior-to-be Ohio State linebacker Marcus Freeman recounts the moment a bunch of men made a very important decision to stay together, while in the shower.

ESPN: I hate to make you describe a shower scene, but take me back to after the LSU loss when you and the other juniors talked about coming back for this season.

MF: Just a lot of emotion. Sitting on that bench and thinking, 'Hey, I don't think I'm going to come back and have this feeling again.' But we got in the shower, everybody's disappointed. I forget who was the first person to say something, but it was weird that all of us that had major decisions about coming back were all in the shower at the same time. (Alex) Boone or Malcolm Jenkins or someone said, 'Hey, I'm coming back. I'm not leaving college football like this.' And then James Laurinaitis said, 'I'm coming back, too,' and I said, 'I'm coming back, too.' We all knew we really had to go home and think about it, but that was the first feeling of, 'Hey, let's come back and do it one more time. Let's go out with a bang our senior year.'

We tease, but the shower is high on the list of unusual places to collectively arrive at such an important decision.

(Via: Twin Killing)