9:14am: After initially suggesting the Rams would likely grab Carson Wentz with the first overall pick (as noted below), Sam Farmer and Matt Miller have walked that back a little. Farmer tweets that he believes the Rams are leaning toward Wentz, but cautions that Jared Goff remains “heavily in the mix,” while Miller cites multiple sources who believe the Rams prefer Goff (video link).
Peter King tweets that the Rams “have not decided with certainty” which player they’ll take with that No. 1 overall selection, which seems somewhat hard to believe, given the haul the team gave up to land that pick. Presumably, the Rams at least have a pretty good idea which player they’ll be drafting.
8:04am: With two weeks to go until the 2016 draft gets underway, a new team will be on the clock to open day one. According to Peter King of TheMMQB.com (via Twitter), the Titans have traded the first overall pick in the draft to the Rams. Tennessee has confirmed the swap.
According to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com, the Rams will get a fourth-round pick (No. 113) and sixth-round pick (No. 177) from Tennessee, in addition to the No. 1 overall pick.
In exchange, the Titans will receive the 15th overall pick this year, two second-round picks (Nos. 43 and 45), and a third-round pick (No. 76). Tennessee will also get Los Angeles’ first-round pick and third-round pick in 2017.
Four years after the Rams landed a huge haul of draft picks when they sent the No. 2 overall pick – and the right to draft Robert Griffin – to Washington, Jeff Fisher‘s club is on the other side of a blockbuster deal that will likely allow the club to land a quarterback. Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter links) suggest North Dakota State signal-caller Carson Wentz is believed to be the top target for the Rams, though Cal’s Jared Goff also figures to be considered.
Fisher, GM Les Snead, and the Rams have insisted throughout the offseason that they’re comfortable with Case Keenum as their starting quarterback, and while Keenum may still get the opportunity to win that job, it seems the club has tacitly acknowledged that he’s probably not the long-term answer at the position. As for Nick Foles, he could end up falling to third on the Rams’ QB depth chart, or even fourth depending on how the team feels about Sean Mannion‘s development, which likely makes Foles a trade candidate.
The Titans, meanwhile, have indicated for weeks that they were open to moving down in the draft, with reports earlier this week suggesting they had one or two promising trade offers on the table. GM Jon Robinson also said earlier this month that he wouldn’t mind completing a deal sooner rather than later, to give his team plenty of time to map outs its new approach to the draft.
It’s hard to know which players will be available at No. 15, but the Titans have reportedly done plenty of homework on offensive tackles, and could be hoping to land someone like Ronnie Stanley or Jack Conklin. Still, with three second-round picks, Robinson and his team could go in a number of different directions.
While the deal will allow the Rams to make a huge splash as they make the move west to Los Angeles, it also shakes things up for other teams at the top of the draft. If the Browns want to take a quarterback, and the Rams prefer Wentz, Cleveland would presumably opt for Goff. And if the Rams and Browns do both go the QB route, that would allow top prospects at other positions, such as Laremy Tunsil, Jalen Ramsey, and Joey Bosa to all still be on the board beginning at No. 3.
Of course, if the Browns aren’t committed to taking a QB, and another club covets Goff, Cleveland could now receive increased trade interest in that No. 2 overall pick. Essentially, the blockbuster Rams/Titans swap blows up most mock drafts and creates a handful of new scenarios for day one of the draft.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
