There's no doubt that B.J. Raji can be a beast on the football field. But is he also a burden?

Last season for Boston College, the 6-foot-1, 337-pound defensive tackle registered 16 tackles behind the line of scrimmage plus eight sacks. He thus became the first Eagles defensive tackle since Mike Ruth in 1985 to lead the team in sacks.

He was paired with equally massive teammate Ron Brace (6-3, 330) at defensive tackle, and BC was nearly impossible to budge up the middle, finishing seventh in the nation in run defense. Raji complemented his strong 2008 season with a dominant week at the Senior Bowl.

All of which pointed to him being the first defensive lineman taken in the draft.

Raji says the team that drafts him will, "get an overall defensive tackle who can do both — get to the quarterback, stop the run. A team leader by example, a good guy on and off the field."

But some off-the-field concerns could make Raji a risky pick. He missed the entire 2007 season at Boston College because he was academically ineligible. In 2006, he reportedly played at more than 350 pounds, so there could be weight issues.

And then there's anger management: He was suspended for half a game in '06 for throwing a punch at a Central Michigan player.

But potentially the most compelling issue came earlier this month with reports that Raji had failed a drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine. It was followed by subsequent reports that he had not failed a drug test at the combine. Whether the initial drug tests are true or false, it cast more doubt on Raji's maturity and his ability to be a player teams can count on in the NFL.

Even so, he still looks to be the first defensive lineman taken in the draft. If he falls out of the top 10, it won't be by much.

There was a time when Raji seemed to factor into potential trade-down scenarios for the Rams — scenarios where they traded down only a handful of spots from No. 2 overall and stayed in the top 10.

The Rams have only two defensive tackles on the offseason roster that figure to be around on opening day in Clifton Ryan and Adam Carriker. The Rams seemingly are still trying to figure out what Carriker is: a nose tackle, a "3-technique" tackle, maybe even a defensive end.

As if to underscore the uncertainty, coach Steve Spagnuolo and defensive coordinator Ken Flajole had Carriker and Ryan playing both tackle positions at the Rams' April minicamp.

One of the stated goals of general manager Billy Devaney is to get bigger on both sides of the ball, something that is needed on what remains an undersized defense.

But there has been next to nothing in terms of hints that the Rams are interested in Raji. Perhaps most telling was the fact that he was not invited to Rams Park last week for a pre-draft visit. About half the projected first round was invited among the 23 players at Rams Park, but not Raji.

If Raji indeed failed a drug test at some point in time, whether it was at the combine or in college, he might not be on the Rams' draft board at all. During a live chat Tuesday on STLtoday.com, Devaney explained his "zero tolerance" policy.

Speaking generally and not on any particular player, Devaney said, "The zero tolerance comes into play if they've been convicted of doing something illegal. Or they've been involved in illegal substances."

Raji has denied that he failed a drug test at the combine. Prior to those reports surfacing, he was asked how he would answer questions from teams about off-field issues.

"Be honest," he said. "There's nothing to hide."

Once you get past Raji, the options at nose tackle dwindle. The Rams did have defensive tackles Peria Jerry of Mississippi and Ziggy Hood of Missouri in for pre-draft visits. But they project as "3-technique" players in the NFL — a position that generally calls for quicker, smaller players to shoot gaps and penetrate into the backfield.

If either Jerry or Hood slips into the second round, the Rams would be tempted to grab one of them at No. 35 overall. For what it's worth, at Mizzou's March 19 pro day Rams officials seemed to perk up and pay particular attention to Hood as he went through a variety of drills.