Could Rams Trade Down Again?

Since the day they dealt the #2 overall pick to the Washington Redskins, there have been reports that the St. Louis Rams may be looking to move back to acquire even more picks in this draft.  Why?  It’s simple, they have a ton of holes to fill, and they like the depth of this class.  But the prospect of moving back even further raises two questions:

1. Who are the potential trade partners?
2. What would they gain?

First, let’s take a look at potential teams who might be interested in moving up to #6.

Kansas City — The Chiefs have had a sneaky-quiet offseason, but seem poised to surprise us all with a big move on draft day.  Don’t look now, but they are building a solid roster full of young talent, and might feel that Ryan Tannehill could be a franchise QB for them after a year or more of breaking in behind Matt Cassell.  If Cleveland passes on Tannehill, and it’s looking more and more like they might, the Chiefs could jump up to make sure he doesn’t get to Miami at #8.

Philadelphia — Thanks to Jason Peters’ injury, the Eagles are suddenly desperate for an OT.  If Matt Kalil should inexplicably fall to #6, the Eagles could deal from #14 spot and use one of their two 2nd rounders to move up.  If they feel strongly enough about Reilly Reiff, he could be the target as well.

Cincinnati — The Bengals own the 17th and 21st picks in the first round, and may want to make a big move up the board if Trent Richardson or Morriss Claiborne fall to the Rams spot.  Both are unlikely, but anytime a team has two 1st round picks (#17 & #21) you have to consider the possibility.  Which brings us to…..

New England — There are reports that the Patriots are looking to get into the top 15 to take a defensive player (Upshaw? Ingram? Coples?).  This would be a huge jump, and would probably cost them both of their first rounders (#27 & #31).  Ultimately this would probably be too costly for the Pats, and much farther than the Rams are interested in dropping to.  But the Pats also have two 2nd rounders, and could potentially blow the Rams away with the sheer volume of picks they could offer.

Now, let’s consider who they could take if they moved back.  Just about every mock draft I’ve seen over the last month has Justin Blackmon going to them in the #6 spot.  It’s logical, but looking less reasonable as time goes on.  The Rams needs receivers, there’s no denying that, but many scouts doubt that Blackmon is a true #1 WR so six might be too high for him.  But, the Rams risk losing out on him if they move behind other WR-hungry teams like Jacksonville and Miami.

Consider this: Jeff Fisher is a defensive-minded coach, and there are some nice young pieces to build around on that side of the ball in James Lauranaitus and Chris Long, but serious upgrades are needed in the secondary and up front.  Big, rangy CB’s like Stephon Gilmore and Dre Kirkpatrick could be enticing, and both carry mid first round grades in most circles.  A versatile defensive lineman like Fletcher Cox would fit in well, with the ability to play DT or DE.  Speed rushing candidates Whitney Mercilus or Nick Perry could still be had in the mid to late part of the first round.  There are other WR candidates who may be available later, such as Michael Floyd or Kendall Wright.  Finally, the Rams need to fortify their offensive line to support and protect young franchise QB Sam Bradford.

There are lots of options, and that’s exactly why St. Louis may be thinking about moving back even farther.  They have so many holes to fill all over the roster, if they could move back again and end up with 4, or possibly 5 picks in the first two rounds, they could take a huge step forward in their first year of Fisher’s rebuilding process.