2012 NFL Draft: Trade Talk Highlights Our Saturday Draft Buffet

Andrew Luck is going to be the least talked about first overall pick in history. The once-in-a-lifetime talk may be a a little heavy on the hyperbole, but Luck is without a doubt the top prospect in the 2012 NFL Draft. He gets half the press time of Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. Sucks for Luck, but it sets the St. Louis Rams up nicely having the second overall pick in the draft this year.

At this point, it looks like only the Rams can prevent the Rams from trading the second pick in exchange for the privilege of drafting Griffin. Like Luck going first overall, an RG3 trade is fait accompli, the mystery being which team will be doing the dealing. The latest news would advise you to bet on the Cleveland Browns.

Trade talk, prospect news and all kinds of content jammed together in one long post. Grab a fork, strap on the feedback and follow us to the Saturday Draft Buffet after the jump.

Browns Ready To Deal?

That's what Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says.

If the Browns determine at the Combine next week and maybe through one or two more visits that RGIII is their man, I don't think they would hesitate to give up their No. 4 and their No. 22 to pull off this deal. It's almost a perfect match. I think at this point it's very likely that could happen.

Well, well, well. The Rams could make a big impact on their roster with two first-round picks in the drafts, obviously. The question is which player would they take where? Grab Riley Reiff fourth and get another receiver at #22? Or vice versa? Or go a completely different route? Fisher's first-round picks have overwhelmingly been defensive players, but he has drafted offensive skill players in the first round too.

How High?

Griffin's height could be an issue at the Combine next week. Clark Judge at CBS Sports says that some teams think RG3 will measure much closer to 6' than to the 6'2" listing Baylor gave him. He still looks like a franchise quarterback, and will confirm his draft status in interviews and workouts.

Matt Kalil Is Not The Best Lineman In The Draft

David DeCastro i, says Rob Rang. The difference is that DeCastro plays guard, not offensive tackle which is valued much higher in a pass-first league.

About Those Two Picks ...

The latest mock draft at Walter Football has the Rams picking Justin Blackmon and Ohio State OT Mike Adams with the Browns' first two picks. That would be the most likely possibility, as things stand today, but I still expect that to change by the time April rolls around, assuming of course the Browns are the ones to swing the deal.

Blackmon No Slouch On Routes

Justin Blackmon had a new wide receivers coach in his final season at Oklahoma State. That coach, Kasey Dunn, was blown away by Blackmon's talent level and dedication. Dunn noted that unlike many college players, Blackmon's motor was constantly running, no amount of drills would shut him down. That was a starting point for changing Blackmon to focusing more on his route running in his senior season.

This past season, it was really more about running a route and getting open on that route. (Monken) is a big stickler on timing, on depth, on precision route-running. And he grasped that.

He had a ton of yards, a ton of catches and all that stuff two years ago and I certainly don't want to diminish what he did two seasons ago, but he did it in a different way this year. It wasn't the big throw down the field, catching it over the top. It was more about leverage and breaks, coming in and out of breaks, accelerating into breaks and finding holes in defenses.

Blackmon has taken a little bit of criticism during draft season for working more shorter routes last year at OSU, but those routes were, in part, more of a concerted effort to beef up his overall skills, making him a more complete prospect, one who catches balls anywhere from five to fifty yards down the field.

Great Year For The Middle

One the one hand, the Rams' need to once again rebuild their offensive line is a setback. However, at least it is happening in a year when the draft is deep with interior offensive line prospects.

The Rams pick at the very top of the second round could take them in a number of directions. Another second-round pick acquired through a trade down from the second overall spot, could come in handy for rebuilding that offensive line. One name to know is Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler. Strong powerful and mobile enough to pull with aplomb, Zeitler looks like a ready-made starter. He also has a nasty attitude that would pair well with Harvey Dahl to finally give the Rams a front five filled with fire breathing behemoths.