The St. Louis Rams added depth at quarterback, taking Oregon State’s Sean Mannion with their second pick of the third round on Friday night.
The Rams drew criticism for lacking a successor to Sam Bradford last year. When Bradford was sidelined with a knee injury in the preseason, backups Shaun Hill and Austin Davis split time.
Mannion threw 37 touchdown passes as a junior but stayed in school after being given a likely third-round grade. The personnel weren’t as strong his senior year and he had 15 touchdown passes, but he impressed the Rams in a private workout about two weeks ago.
“I thought I threw the ball really well,” Mannion said. “I felt great about all of it. I felt like I put my best foot forward.”
The 6-foot-6, 229-pound Mannion was the 89th overall pick, one pick later than current Rams starter Nick Foles was selected in 2012. He set 18 passing records at Oregon State and set the Pac-12 record for passing yards as a senior. He totaled 13,600 yards, eighth most in Division I history.
In other picks from Northwest Pac-12 schools:
• The Kansas City Chiefs added their second cornerback in the first three rounds when they chose Oregon State’s Steven Nelson with the No. 98 overall pick. In desperate need of defensive backfield help, the Chiefs chose Washington’s Marcus Peters in the first round Thursday night.
• The Cleveland Browns made a trade to move back into the third round and selected Washington State defensive tackle Xavier Cooper. The 6-foot-3, 293-pounder who had 31½ sacks for the Cougars, can play tackle or defensive end, and he gives the Browns added depth up front.
• The Chicago Bears selected Oregon center Hroniss Grasu in the third round with the 71st pick. Grasu, who is 6-foot-3, 297 pounds, started 52 games at Oregon and was second-team All-American. He played on the same line as current Bears guard Kyle Long two years ago.
• Shut out of highly regarded defensive tackles, the Cincinnati Bengals used their second pick in the NFL draft to further shore up their offensive line, picking Oregon offensive tackle Jake Fisher with the 53rd overall selection. The 6-foot-6, 306-pound Fisher played in 50 games and started 35 for the Ducks.
• The New Orleans Saints selected Washington outside linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha with their second-round draft pick, the 44th selection overall. The 6-foot-2, 253-pound Kikaha gives the Saints a powerful pass-rusher from the edge, something the club could use after its defense ranked 23rd in the NFL in sacks per pass attempt last season.
