Rams picking Bradford No. 1
By Mark J. Miller

Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford appears to be the fella that the St. Louis Rams will take with the No. 1 draft pick later this year, according to ESPN.

ESPN's Adam Schefter said as much to a St. Louis radio station but also said he hadn't actually spoken to the Rams about it.

If nothing else, Bradford will go in the top five. The Rams will likely lean toward taking an offensive player with that first pick since the team apparently doesn't like the idea of shelling out so much dough for a defensive player.

Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions are expected to take either University of Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh or Oklahoma defensive lineman Gerald McCoy at No. 2.

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It would be interesting to see if any of the teams have man crushes on Suh or McCoy to move up and take the one they covet at 2, if St. Louis takes Bradford.

This is going to make for one interesting draft this year!

Personally I don't see it happening. If the Rams do take Bradford, then who is going to want to move up? TB? I think they'll be willing to select whoever the Lions don't. Washington, KC and Seattle really don't have needs at DT or 34DE. Cleveland is a possibility, but I don't think they'll make the move. Oakland? No, unless they feel strongly that TB will target Derrick Morgan. Buffalo? Unlikely, since they have needs at other positions on offense, despite their move to a 34 defense. Buffalo may be interested in moving up to get Russell Okung, but would likely broker a deal with TB first. The only way they deal with Detroit is if TB flat out refuses to move down, which would be a damn foolish move on their part. Besides which, trade value chart be damned, I don't think Buffalo will be willing to give up their second round plus another pick to move up. Player trade? I can't think of anyone in particular on their roster that greatly intrigues me that they might want to be rid of to make their scheme change on defense. Their starting DEs are a bit on the old side, none of their starting DTs really jump out at me, and their corners are players they likely won't want to trade.

Outside of the other teams in the top nine, I don't see any other teams that are desperate enough and with enough picks to move up other than one team....New England. They have three second round picks, and really would like to get a player that can replace Richard Seymour. But to make the move up, they'd have to give up at least two of their three second round picks, and NE just doesn't broker deals like that. In addition to which, they have bigger needs (RB, OLB, WR) and no third round pick, so I just don't see it happening for the Lions with them.

Not to be a debbie downer, but it's just what I see.

It seems to me that the best chance for the Lions to trade down will come if St. Louis passes on the QB, and someone wants to move in front of Washington to pick him. If Bradford is there at #2, a QB hungry team might be enticed to move in and pick their choice. I agree with M2K in that it seems unlikely that a team would trade to #2 for a DT when there are so many in the draft.

Only problem is if Bradford is there at #2, and we dont trade down, he'll be there at #3. So if anything, theyll trade with the Bucs.

Honestly, I dont see Bradford making it past #1. Theres no way the Rams will pass on him, and if he has a good Pro Day, thatll pretty much seal the deal, in my opinion. I think St. Louis will take Bradford, which will leave us the option of Suh or McCoy.

The only other option I see is if the Bucs trade with the Rams so the Rams can take Bradford at #3. Therefore opening up trade options for us with Washington, Seattle, Oakland, Buffalo..etc. To move in front of St. Louis to take Bradford. That would be great.

Suh/Bradford debate begins!

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/ ... o-the-rams

St. Louis Rams have first pick and no choice but to get a QB

Column by RICK GOSSELIN / The Dallas Morning News

The St. Louis Rams thought they had a quarterback in 2006.

Marc Bulger flourished under new head coach Scott Lenihan. He passed for career-bests 4,301 yards and 24 touchdowns against only eight interceptions that season and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl.

But injuries and a descending offensive cast have doomed Bulger since. He has been unable to play a complete 16-game season since 2006 because of injuries, and his play when he has been on the field has been less than sterling.

Bulger has thrown more interceptions (34) than touchdowns (27) and has lost 30 of his 36 starts since 2006. Lenihan was fired after the 2008 season, but the hole at quarterback remains.

The Rams had a chance to address the problem in 2008 when they had the second overall pick of the draft. But St. Louis passed up Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan for Virginia defensive end Chris Long. Ryan was selected by Atlanta on the next pick and took the Falcons to the playoffs as a rookie. Long and the Rams finished 2-14.

Marc Bulger has had tough times as quarterback of the Rams since 2006.
View largerMore photosPhoto store The Rams had the chance to address the problem again in 2009 when they had the second overall choice in the draft. But St. Louis passed up Southern Cal quarterback Mark Sanchez for Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith. Sanchez was chosen three picks later by the Jets and took New York to the playoffs as a rookie. Smith and the Rams finished 1-15.

The Rams have the chance to address their problem in April again. St. Louis has the first overall selection and another potential franchise quarterback awaits them on the draft board.

Do the Rams finally draft a quarterback and give their fan base hope of one day fielding a competitive team again? Do they select 2008 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford of Oklahoma? Or do they take the highest-rated player on the draft board and another lineman in Nebraska’s Outland Trophy-winning defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh?

The NFL is a passing league. Six of the top eight passing teams last season won division titles. The Colts (No. 2 in passing) and Saints (No. 4) met in the Super Bowl.

If you don’t have a quarterback, you don’t have a chance in today’s NFL. The Rams don’t have a quarterback. The time has come for them to address the most pressing need on their roster.

The NFL is a passing league. Six of the top eight passing teams last season won division titles. The Colts (No. 2 in passing) and Saints (No. 4) met in the Super Bowl.

If you don’t have a quarterback, you don’t have a chance in today’s NFL. The Rams don’t have a quarterback. The time has come for them to address the most pressing need on their roster.

You don't grab a Qb just for the sake of grabbing a Qb to fit "the most important need." You only take someone with the #1 overall pick if you think they're going to make it.

You don't grab a Qb just for the sake of grabbing a Qb to fit "the most important need." You only take someone with the #1 overall pick if you think they're going to make it.

If the Rams do take Bradford #1, then TB might be willing to swing a deal to get Suh, whom they are said to want desperately. It would be worth it, in my opinion, for the Lions to make the trade if TB is willing to give a third rounder or better to get their man. The depth in this draft is such that a move like that would be worth it, since I really don't think there's that great a difference between McCoy and Suh in terms of talent.