LKelley67

stltoday.com-

(khalif barnes and jammal brown)
..."Brown is nastier; Barnes is more athletic and efficient," one NFC scout said. "Barnes could be another Orlando Pace."

Barnes started 43 games for the Huskies before suffering a wrist injury in practice that sidelined him for the final six games of the 2004 season.

He underwent surgery the following day, but was healthy enough to participate in the Senior Bowl last month, and do all the drills and workouts at the combine, including the bench press.

"I'm working out in Arizona trying to get some scar tissue out of there, trying to get more flexibility (in the wrist)," Barnes said. "It's about 90 percent, and three months from now it will be even better."

Brown and Barnes spent the winter working out together at the Athletes Performance Institute in Tempe, Ariz., preparing for the combine and the draft.

"We've been out there a couple months," Barnes said. "He's turned into a real good friend of mine. ... We are similar in that he likes to finish guys, and I like to finish guys, too."

Brown, who is 6 feet 5 and weighs 316 pounds, didn't allow a sack last season and plays with attitude.

"I play to the whistle," Brown said. "I'm very aggressive and nasty when it come to playing football. ... There's nothing nice about playing on the line. Every down you're hitting somebody in the mouth, so you have to have some attitude. You can't be a nice guy about that."

Other possibilities

Even if the Rams don't go for an offensive tackle in the first round, there are several other possibilities in the second and third rounds:

Michael Roos of Eastern Washington is a promising but raw prospect who moved to the U.S. from Estonia in 1992 and didn't play football until his senior year in high school.

Chris Colmer of North Carolina State is a tough, physical blocker who missed the entire 2003 season because of Parsonage-Turner Syndrome, a viral infection that led to pain and numbness in his left shoulder.

Nick Kaczur of Toledo plays with nimble feet, attitude, and excels in pass protection. But he's 25, spending a couple years working after high school.

Michael Munoz of Tennessee is a high-effort player with excellent technique. But he's probably not as athletic as his father, Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz.