Five draft scenarios for Rams at No. 10
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/18003/five-draft-scenarios-for-rams-at-no-10
EARTH CITY, Mo. -- It's finally here. The 2015 NFL draft has finally arrived and the speculation can finally come to an end and we can finally get some answers on what these teams have been planning for months.
Well, the speculation hasn't technically ended because we're about to do a little more.
As always, it's been awfully difficult to sift through the smoke in this pre-draft process but these are the five things I believe the Rams will consider for the 10th pick, put in order of how I think the team will prioritize them and how realistic they are.
1. Hope that a team falls in love with a prospect at 10 and is willing to give up a Day 2 pick or more to move up.
The sense I get from talking to scouts and personnel types is that the No. 10 pick in this draft just isn't desirable spot. There seems to be a relative consensus that the top seven players in the draft (Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, USC defensive lineman Leonard Williams, Florida defensive end Dante Fowler Jr., Alabama receiver Amari Cooper, West Virginia receiver Kevin White and Iowa offensive lineman Brandon Scherff) will go before the 10th pick. In what order they come off and whether they are the first seven taken are up in the air but barring one of those guys slipping, the Rams would be staring at a situation without an obvious answer for the pick.
Which means that they'd probably be more than happy to move down in a trade and pick up an extra pick on Day 2. That, of course, begs the question of whether the Rams would be able to find a dance partner for a trade if they themselves don't see the value at 10 with the available players. On the other hand, teams value players differently and it's entirely possible a team might want the top cornerback in the draft with a player like Michigan State's Trae Waynes and need to get in front of Minnesota to do it. Louisville receiver DeVante Parker could also be a logical target for a team like Miami to move up a few spots to land.
Making this the preferred scenario is also made easier by the fact that coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead love wheeling and dealing in the first round. They made two such deals in 2012 and two more in 2013. In an ideal world, the Rams could move back a few spots, get a second- or third-round pick and then land the best available offensive lineman or even Georgia running back Todd Gurley.
2. Hope that one of the seven top players in the draft falls in their lap.
Arguments can certainly be made that players like Clemson's Vic Beasley, Kentucky's Bud Dupree (or somebody else) belong in the top group. Some teams will definitely see it that way. But the seven-player group mentioned above seems to have the largest contingent of supporters around the league.
It seems all but a lock that Winston, Mariota, Cooper, Williams and Fowler will go at some point before the Rams draft. Scherff and White are likely to go, too, but those are probably the two most realistic names that could fall in the Rams' lap. There's no guarantee the Rams would take a receiver at 10 but if White (and especially Cooper) slipped, the value would probably be too good to pass up. In fact, if any of those seven players slip to 10, that player would probably hold too much value for the Rams to ignore.
3. Draft Stanford tackle Andrus Peat or Miami offensive tackle Ereck Flowers.
Assuming those seven players are off the board and the Rams are unable to find a trade partner, chances are they'll zero in on the best available offensive linemen. In this case, all signs point to those two players being Peat and Flowers. Both took pre-draft visits to Rams Park and, despite their "projected" draft position in media mocks, both players are more highly-valued by teams.
That's not to say that Peat or Flowers is a finished product. In fact, both would be picks made with upside in mind. Peat is probably more ready to step in than Flowers, but Flowers has the nasty disposition the Rams seem to prefer. It'd be a tough call if both were on the board, but Flowers might have the slight edge at this point. Neither player would be a surprise choice, though.
4. Draft a wild card from a position of lesser need such as Louisville receiver DeVante Parker, Gurley or Beasley.
You can never rule out the possibility of the Rams throwing a curveball. And though they like both Peat and Flowers, there's always a chance that a player like Parker, Beasley or Gurley could be rated higher than either offensive tackle. If that's the case, maybe the Rams would eschew the more pressing need to add the more highly-rated player. Gurley is undoubtedly talented enough to be the 10th pick in the draft but comes with serious injury issues. Parker and Beasley are also talented enough to go 10th but maybe not so talented that their value would overpower the Rams' more pressing needs at other positions. Still, the idea of going with one of these players can't be entirely ruled out.
5. Trade up for Mariota, Cooper (or someone else).
Is it a long shot that the Rams move up for a quarterback or any other player in the draft? Probably. In Mariota's case, they'd probably have to get up to the second pick in the draft and the Rams simply don't have the capital or inclination to make such a move. If, somehow, Mariota slipped into the Washington range at No. 5 or further down, they'd probably have to give it a much longer look. Cooper is also believed to be very high on the Rams board and if he slipped a little, could also be a target. As for moving up for another player, it's possible they could make a small move, say a spot or two, to ensure they get their guy but that seems fairly unlikely.
