On Wednesday, Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo answered questions from fans (all four of them) at the Missouri Botanical Garden and reiterated that A.J. Feeley was his starting quarterback for now.

“It would be an injustice to Sam and the rest of the team” to set a timetable, he said. “He’s in the early stages of developing as an NFL quarterback. He came into the league far advanced from some quarterbacks I’ve worked with. We’ll do first what’s right for the team and second what’s right for Sam.”

St. Louis fans might not have wanted to hear that, but Spags is right when he says it’s not far to Bradford to make him the starter right away. He’s in the infancy stages of his career and just went from basic algebra to advanced calculus in terms of his learning curve from Oklahoma to the NFL.

The inexperience of the Rams’ offensive line also plays into whether or not Bradford should start right away. Assuming 2010 second round pick Rodger Saffold joins 2009 first round pick Jason Smith in the starting lineup, the Rams’ offensive tackles will have a combined seven games of experience under their belts. That’s not to say that the line won’t be a strength by the end of the season (Smith and Saffold both offer plenty of upside, while center Jason Brown is an excellent pass blocker and guards Adam Goldberg and Jacob Bell are serviceable) – it’s just too early to tell what the Rams have at the position.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the team has an extremely young receiving corps. I really like Laurent Robinson’s potential, but he hasn’t been able to stay healthy and neither has Donnie Avery, who was a bit of a disappointment last season. Brandon Gibson showed last year that he could push for a starting job, but he has fallen victim to nagging injuries himself. Rookie Mardy Gilyard is lightening in a bottle, but like Bradford, he too has a learning curve to overcome. Everyone focuses on the offensive line when it comes to judging whether or not a young quarterback should start, but the talent and experience level of the receiving corps plays a huge part as well.

Spagnuolo and his staff are handling Bradford well. They’re allowing him to learn the system without having the pressure to succeed right away hanging over his head. If he looks like he’s ahead of the learning curve in preseason, then maybe the Rams can visit the idea of starting him as a rookie.

Until then, let the kid learn.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Here are quick-hit 2010 NFL Draft observations for the NFC West.

Arizona Cardinals
Nose tackle Dan Williams is a great fit for the Cards, who were fortunate he slipped to them at No. 26. The team has been trying to fill the nose tackle position for years and they may have found the player to do it in Williams, who is explosive off the line. There’s a great chance he’ll beat out Gabe Watson for the right to start in Week 1. I also really liked Arizona’s second round pick, linebacker Daryl Washington. He’ll play alongside Geno Hayes in the Cards’ 3-4 alignment and might rack up 100 tackles with his sideline-to-sideline style of play. Citadel receiver Andre Roberts is a sleeper and will help out immediately as a punt returner. Third-rounder O’Brien Schofield had a first round grade on him before tearing his ACL in the Senior Bowl. He’s a prototypical 3-4 edge-rusher and has high upside, although he may need more time to fully recover from the injury. I also love the selection of John Skelton in the fifth. He’s athletic, has a cannon for an arm and he was a gamer at Fordham. He could be a great developmental project down the road, especially if Matt Leinart and Derek Anderson don’t pan out. All in all, this was one of my favorite drafts of any team this year.

San Francisco 49ers
I loved what the Niners did with their first three picks, which is where teams usually find starters and players that can make an impact right away. Anthony Davis will compete with Adam Snyder for the starting right tackle job, while Mike Iupati will battle David Bass at the starting left guard position. To nab two potential starters with their first two picks was excellent for San Fran. I also really liked the Taylor Mays selection in the second round because it showed great value, although he has a lot to prove after a sub par senior season at USC. The good thing for the Niners is that he has a chip on his shoulder, is a great athlete and will be working close with Mike Singletary, who is an excellent motivator. I didn’t like the pick of Navorro Bowman in the third round, only because he’s too small to play inside linebacker in a 3-4 and might wind up being a career special teamer if he stays in San Fran. It was a little early to be selecting special teamers in the third round. I did really like what San Fran did in the later rounds, however, nabbing bruising runner Anthony Dixon and burner Kyle Williams in the sixth.

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