April 28th, 2009 
Matt Loede 
Posted in 
While the Rams were not the only team to take a pass on him, there were plenty of questions as to why so many teams like the Rams passed on USC LB Rey Maualuga. Many thought that Maualuga would be a mid to high first-round pick, but instead ended up going in the second round with the 38th pick to Cincinnati.
The St.Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the reason the Rams passed on Maualuga was due to off the field issues. Instead of taking Maualuga with their second round pick, they instead went with another linebacker, going with Ohio State’s James Laurinaitis.
“Unfortunately, I had to screw it up and not have three linebackers go in the first round,” said Maualuga, who won the 2008 Bednarik Award for college football’s top defender. “But everything happens for a reason. . . . I’ll be out to prove everybody wrong.” That remains to be seen, but one thing is clear, the off field issues with the LB was at the forefront of many teams thoughts as to why to pass on him.
So while the Rams were not the only ones, it remains to be seen if the Rams, along with all the other teams that passed on him, will regret not taking him sooner.
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