Rams Draft Class Showdown: 1961 or 1962?

Which of these historic draft classes was the best?

The Rams are one of the most successful franchises in the history of the NFL, but there was a short period of time in the early 1960s when they hit rock bottom. Though the team went 1-12-1, leading to the departure of Hall of Fame quarterback Bob Waterfield after a 1-7 season, less three years into his tenure as the head coach.

This despite the fact that over the previous two drafts, the Rams drafted two of the best football players in the history of the sport and a host of others who would help the team return to prominence as division winners by the end of the decade.

Many of our community members at Turf Show Times recall the playing days of Deacon Jones and Merlin Olsen. Which of these two draft classes would you cite as the best between them?

Here are some of the standouts:

1961

1.4 – LB Marlin McKeever, USC (1 Pro Bowl)

2.18 – DB Elbert Kimbrough, Northwestern

4.45 – T Charlie Cowan, New Mexico Highlands (3 Pro Bowls)

10.130 – G Joe Scibelli, American INT. (1 Pro Bowl)

14.186 – DE Deacon Jones, Miss. Valley State (8 Pro Bowls)

15.200 – T Ernie Wright, Ohio State (3 Pro Bowls)

17.228 – LB Chuck Allen, Washington (2 Pro Bowls)

The team drafted McKeever with the fourth overall pick and opted to play him at linebacker, although at USC he played all over the field, including defensive end, guard, punter, and fullback. They also drafted his twin brother Mike in the 13th round, but he never made the team.

Though McKeever had some success at linebacker, he was moved to tight end and he made the Pro Bowl at that position in 1966. That year, he lost one of his fingers when he was involved in a car accident with quarterback Roman Gabriel. The football field at Mt. Carmel High School is named after him.

The team next picked Kimbrough, but he only played in five games for the team a a rookie and then spent the majority of his career with the 49ers as a strong safety.

The first real standout pick of this class was Cowan, a fourth rounder who played 15 seasons for the Rams. The first four were spent at guard, but once he moved to tackle in 1964 his career took off. Cowan was a Pro Bowler in 1968, 1969, and 1970.

Seventh rounder Bobby Smith spent four seasons with the team as a corner and safety, with a 97-yard pick-six being his highlight in 1964.

Eighth rounder Reggie Carolan did make the Pro Bowl in 1962, but he signed with the Chargers after the draft instead of the Rams.

Ninth rounder Duane Allen was also a tight end like Carolan, but played four seasons with the Rams.

But the next standout was guard Joe Scibelli, a 10th round pick out of Notre Dame who spent 15 years with the Rams. We’ll never see another offensive line that had the continuity of Scibelli, Cowan, and Tom Mack.

The team did also draft tackle Ernie Wright in 1961, a 13-year NFL veteran, but he too signed with the Chargers instead, as did Chuck Allen, a 12-year veteran linebacker drafted in the 17th round by the Rams.

But of course the STAR of the 1961 draft class was Deacon Jones, a 14th round draft choice out of Mississippi Valley State.

The Secretary of Defense was largely overlooked during his college career but the Rams noticed that he was “faster than the running backs” on his team and swiped him in the 14th round. Though sacks did not become an official stat until decades later, recent totals indicate that Deacon Jones had 9.5 sacks as a rookie, 12 in year two, and six sacks in year three.

Then the dam broke.

Deacon Jones had an unofficial 22 sacks in 1964 and that was only in 14 games. If we’re being honest, this is the real sack record, not Michael Strahan’s 22.5.

He would have 19, 16, 21.5, 22, 15, and 12 sacks in the next six seasons.

Is Deacon Jones the best Rams player of all-time? Tell me your thoughts in the comments.

1962

1.2 – QB Roman Gabriel, NC State (4 Pro Bowls)

1.3 – DT Merlin Olsen, Utah State (14 Pro Bowls)

2.16 – T Joe Carollo, Notre Dame (1 Pro Bowl)

7.88 K Jim Bakken, Wisconsin (4 Pro Bowls)

9.115 – DE Ike Lassiter, St. Augustine’s (1 Pro Bowl)

Rare is the chance to pick two of the first three players in a draft class, but the Rams got that opportunity in 1962 and these picks came after top pick Ernie Davis, who sadly was diagnosed with cancer shortly after the draft and died a year later.

Gabriel’s career did not take off like a rocket ship and he barely saw the field during his first four seasons in the NFL. If this were the modern league, teams would move on from a quarterback like that before getting to year five.

Remarkably, George Allen convinced Gabriel to renege on his deal with the Raiders in 1966 and got him to return to the Rams that year, his first full season as a starter.

In 1967, Gabriel made his first Pro Bowl after throwing 25 touchdowns, then he made the Pro Bowl again in ‘68 and ‘69, winning NFL MVP honors in 1969.

He would lead the NFL in touchdown passes for a second time in 1973, his fourth and final Pro Bowl season, although that came with the Eagles.

Still, Gabriel’s career couldn’t hold a candle to third overall pick Merlin Olsen.

Ranked as the 27th best player of all-time by NFL Films, Olsen’s 14 Pro Bowls is bested by only one player in history: Tom Brady. His alma mater Utah State has since named their football field after Olsen.

He made the Pro Bowl in every single season of his career except the last, and he was robbed then too. Olsen had 3 sacks in those 1976 playoffs, two against the Cowboys and one in a loss to the Vikings.

If the 1962 class only had Gabriel and Olsen, it could still be called one of the greatest of all-time.

Second round pick Joe Carollo played in 108 games for the Rams at left tackle, making the Pro Bowl in 1968.

Third round pick John Meyers played in 84 games, but none with the Rams.

Fourth round fullback Art Perkins did score six touchdowns for the Rams in his first two seasons. In the fifth round, fullback Ben Wilson played in 41 games for the Rams and scored nine touchdowns.

Kicker Jim Bakken actually made four Pro Bowls and he did it with St. Louis…The problem is that St. Louis was not the Rams at the time. Bakken was named to the All-60s HOF team as a kicker, but did so with the Cardinals.

Ninth rounder Ike Lassiter played 112 games, but none with the Rams. 11th rounder Bert Wilder also spent his four-year career with a different team, as did 10th rounder Jim Norris.

So the Rams did find a little more talent in 1962, just not for them.

One more notable pick in 1962: Marv Marinovich.

The father of future first round pick Todd Marinovich spent one game in the NFL as a guard. Maybe in some way that helped Marv decide to develop his son into a notable draft prospect in 1991.

So which draft class takes the cake for you:

1961 with Deacon Jones and 2/5ths of the Rams offensive line for the next 15 years OR 1962 with two of the best Rams of all-time in Merlin Olsen and Roman Gabriel?