The St. Louis Rams already have made one of the biggest draft-related moves of the offseason, trading the second overall selection in this year's draft to the Washington Redskins, who are widely expected to take Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III after the Indianapolis Colts pick Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.
Round 1 will be held Thursday evening, rounds 2-3 on Friday night and the remainder of the draft will take place Saturday. The Rams are holding an official draft night party Thursday at in Maryland Heights, featuring appearances by players and cheerleaders and the team's Mascot, Rampage.
At the moment, the Rams have the sixth pick, and have needs at a variety of positions, including wide receiver, cornerback, offensive line, defensive line.
Many of the "mock" drafts put together by football columnists and writers at publications around the country have the team selecting Oklahoma State University wide receiver Justin Blackmon, although some have speculated the team could choose LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne, USC tackle Matt Kalil or Alabama running back Trent Richardson if they're still available.
- The case For Blackmon: Sam Bradford needs offensive weapons, and Blackmon, who has torched Big 12 defenses, including Missouri's, is just what the doctor ordered.
- The case for Claiborne: Speaking of doctors, injuries destroyed the team's defensive backfield in 2011. Claiborne would be a nice match to free agent signee Cortland Finnegan.
- The case for Kalil: The offensive line was also something of a M.A.S.H unit in 2011. If you can't protect your quarterback, it could be a repeat of last season when Bradford suffered an ankle injury that left him hobbled and out of action.
- The case for Richardson: NFL running backs only have so much tread on their tires. Steven Jackson may have several good years left, but how far away are the Rams from being a title contender? What if you could choose his successor and then deal Jackson for picks to help rebuild the rest of the team?
If you were part of the team's braintrust, what would you do? Tell us in the comment section!
If it were me I think I would grab Richardson and then trade Jackson for additional picks this year and next.
Richardson is NOT a viable option. Especially since we already have 2.5 yards & a cloud of dust in the backfield. Taking Richardson, only trades one of those for another, meaning you virtually get nothing to improve the team with the 1st round pick. The Rams are not in a position to do that, they need too much help. Playmakers. Then help on BOTH lines.