Rams head coach Jeff Fisher is staring up at a mountain. He has inherited a team with a litany of problems, and Fisher has countless new faces — including 10 draft picks — that he’s counting on to help improve a 2-14 football team from a year ago.

Add one problem to the list: Three of Fisher’s prized rookies will not be attending the full OTAs that started Tuesday and run intermittently over the next week.

Second-round WR Brian Quick, second-round RB Isaiah Pead and fourth-round WR Chris Givens all are missing from practice. They instead are attending the NFLPA’s Rookie Premiere weekend out in Los Angeles.

Fisher was not wild about the proposition when asked about it Wednesday.

“They’re out in Southern California. It’s mandated by the league that they go out there,” Fisher told reporters. “Unfortunately, they’re missing some quality work.”

The event, put on by the NFLPA and presented by Nike, brings together 35 of the top draft picks from the 2012 class. The players take part in a series of community events on Thursday, they compete in a flag football game this Friday, and on Saturday the players are photographed in their new teams’ uniforms for the first time. The pictures are used by trading-card companies for Panini American and Topps for their 2012 collections.

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The complete details of the Rams counteroffer to upgrade the Edward Jones Dome will be made public on Monday.

But according to FOX 2 News in St. Louis, the the biggest part of what the Rams want, involves tearing out the current roof on the dome and installing a retractable roof.

Sources say they don’t know how much this would actually cost, since the Rams did not include any cost estimates in their proposal.

The Rams lease at the dome says the team is free to leave St. Louis in January 2015 if the dome is not among the top facilities in the National Football League.

The Rams rejected an offer from the Convention and Visitor’s Commission to spend $124 million to upgrade the dome, half from taxpayers, half from the team. The Rams rejected that.

And this is their counter-offer. If the CVC rejects this proposal, which is pretty likely, then both sides go to arbitration June 15th.

“You can never know for sure what people are thinking, or what the organization is thinking,” Brown said. “But due to the sub-par year that I had last year, and due to the salary that they were paying me this year, I knew that at minimum I would be asked to take a pay cut. Or I would be outright released. To the point that I put my house on the market a month-and-a-half ago.”

Brown, who turns 33 on Sunday, is entering the final year of a five-year, $14.2 million deal. He’s a career 81 percent kicker but was 21 for 28 on field goals last season, with five misses inside the 50 and one inside the 40.

The Rams selected Greg Zuerlein of Missouri Western, who set an NCAA Division II record with 21 consecutive field goals last season and missed once in 24 attempts overall.

Sammy Brown, OLB, Houston

Jeremy Caldwell, CB, Eastern Kentucky

Derrick Choice, OLB, Stephen F. Austin

Matt Conrath, DT, Virginia

Matt Daniels, S, Duke

Austin Davis, QB, Southern Miss

Corey Harkey, TE, UCLA

Michael Hay, OT, Syracuse

T-Bob Hebert, G, LSU

Johnny Hekker, P, Oregon State

Alex Hoffman-Ellis, OLB, Washington State

Jamarr Jarrett, DE, Arizona State

Noah Keller, LB, Ohio

Rodney McCleod, S, Virginia

Calvin Middleton, RB, Jacksonville State

DeAngelo Peterson, TE, LSU

Nick Schweiger, RB, Dartmouth

Janoris Jenkins has rap sheet already, but that didn’t stop the Rams from taking him in round two Friday night in the 2012 NFL Draft.

The CB from Florida has had repeated marijuana arrests and has already having fathered four children by three different women.

Here’s the scouting report on Jenkins:

Positives — Is a very fluid player in most aspects, has good speed, quick feet and hips and changes direction fairly easily… Is more physical than size would indicate, does a good job staying on the hip of most receivers, is pretty good at disrupting routes of receivers in man coverage… Is a solid wrap-up tackler, breaks down well and forms up, even in open field… Quick with recognizing and diagnosing routes and run plays, has good instincts… Is very similar to 2010 first-round corner Kyle Wilson, plays bigger than his size, has an aggressive and competitive streak… Has a lot of upside, has the potential to be a true lockdown corner at the next level… Good production in three years at Florida, and shut down Alabama’s Julio Jones (#6 overall pick in 2011) in 2009 and 2010 (Jones combined for six receptions and 47 yards in those two games)… Jenkins has top ten talent and performed well during Senior Bowl practices but will probably slip due to off the field issues.

Negatives – Has slightly below-average height for the position… Will be too aggressive in coverage and run support, goes after the ball and not the player at times, leading to missed tackles… Is adequate in jump ball situations, but will get beat by bigger receivers, leaping ability just average at best… Needs to show the ability to catch up and recover after getting beat on double moves and speed routes… Transferred to North Alabama after being dismissed by Florida head coach Will Muschamp following two arrests for marijuana possession within the span of a couple months… Some character concerns regarding off-field incident in 2009, was involved in a fight and was tasered and arrested for resisting… Was suspended by the Gulf South Conference for the first half against West Alabama after being ejected for throwing a punch in the October 13 game against Delta State.

The Rams went WR with the first pick of the second round, taking wide out Brian Quick from Appalachian State:

Here’s a report on Quick:

Quick has very uncommon size for the position and surprises scouts with his ability to run. The fact that he is a former basketball player and high jumper shows in his play. Despite his short time playing football, he understands how to run routes and get open. He will set up defenders at his level and snap off routes effectively to make a play with his strong hands. He can make the big play in traffic and also use his big frame to be a large target and make the play on the ball to finish jump balls and deep passes. While he hasn’t had much experience at a high level of football, he has displayed enough of the size and athletic ability to make plays that all translate well to the next level. Look for Quick to be the highest pick from Appalachian State in years and be taken early in the second round.
Analysis

Strengths

Quick’s size is his greatest asset, with the next best being potential. His overall time playing football has been limited, and professional coaching could help mold Quick into a game changer at the next level. He is a reliable hands catcher who has the catching radius and grip strength to bring down any ball thrown near his area. He is a great option in the short game, as he understands how to use his frame to shield out smaller defenders. As a deep threat, Quick hasn’t shown the speed to be a go-to option here at the next level, but once the ball is in the air is when his raw athletic ability is evident through his ability to out-leap defenders.

Weaknesses

Inexperience, while also a positive in terms of the development aspect of his move to the NFL, is also his Achilles heel. He hasn’t shown the ability to run by big-time corners at his level, but other than this uncontrollable aspect of his game, Quick has displayed as much as he can at the FCS level to show scouts his game translates nicely to the NFL. He sometimes has trouble adjusting to poorly thrown balls but normally can make the play using his strong hands. Being tested early in camp will give the greatest indication of Quick’s ability to handle the jump in talent surrounding him.

The Rams added some defensive punch to their roster on Thursday night, taking LSU defensive tackle Michael Brockers with the 14th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Brockers played just two seasons and started just 14 games at LSU before turning pro after his redshirt sophomore season. The 6-foot-6, 322-pound Brockers totaled 79 tackles, including 11 tackles for a loss and two sacks with one interception and a blocked kick during his 27-game career in Baton Rouge.

Brockers should be an instant starter for the Rams, who released veteran defensive tackles Justin Bannan and Fred Robbins in March and signed former Miami Dolphins defensive lineman Kendall Langford to a four-year, $22 million contract on March 17. The Rams also picked up former Philadelphia Eagles second round pick Trevor Laws in free agency, giving them a pass-rushing option in nickel situations.

The latest draft chatter that has taken over is the rumor that the Rams are going to trade up to three from the Vikings, and then look to move current running back Steven Jackson as they select Alabama RB Trent Richardson.

That talk has been shot down by the Rams, who say they have no designs of moving Jackson, this according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch citing Rams sources.

“Sources familiar with Jackson said he does not have a problem with his current contract. But he could be interested in a contract extension, because he wants to retire as a Ram and feels like he has more than two years left as a player.”

Thomas also reports that two team officials said they were unaware of any request for a new contract by Jackson.

Jackson, entering his ninth NFL season and heading toward his 29th birthday in July, has two years left on his current contract and is due to make $7 million in both 2012 and 2013. Sources familiar with Jackson said he does not have a problem with his current contract.

If the Rams do move up to take Richardson, it would put Jackson on the back burner, and also make him expendable if the team would decide to dangle him in the free agent market.