Can you see through all the smoke? With the draft now less than a week away, fans and front offices alike are spinning themselves into a tizzy getting ready for the big event. Let's try to sort some of it out, separate the smoke signals from the smoke screens...good luck with that.
First and foremost for Rams fans is all the smoke coming out of the office at Rams Park. No, there's not a fire, just Billy Devaney and his usual (brilliant, I must say) draft week obfuscation. Setting the web on fire today is a report from the PD that the Rams are considering four players - LB Aaron Curry, OT Jason Smith, OT Eugene Monroe, and QB Mark Sanchez - with the second overall pick. Devaney's also on record, as any good GM with a high first round choice should be, as saying the Rams will consider trade offers from teams looking to move up in the draft.
Turning heads is the inclusion of Sanchez among the possibilities for the Rams at #2. Clearly, I'd rather have Sanchez than Stafford, but this seems to be more of a tactic from the front office than anything else. Sanchez is racing up draft boards and might very well be a better pick in the second spot than a LB or offensive linemen that might not be much better than what's available in the second round. Mike Maycock compared him to Matt Ryan on a conference call recently. Still, I'd be shocked that the Rams would take a QB, but thier interest could be just enough to provide Devaney the misdirection he needs to create a little bit of leverage for a trade...or just to keep teams guessing in the spot(s) ahead and behind the Rams in the draft.
It means nothing that they're not mentioning WR Michael Crabtree as a potential pick here...or does it? Maycock currently has him as his second best prospect in the draft.
- Speaking of the spot ahead of the Rams, Detroit's management is just as active in their efforts to blur draft predictions. The Lions have been dropping hints about Stafford and Curry.
- Don Banks said this about Detroit's likely pick on Friday:
There's still some divergence of opinion among Detroit Lions decision-makers on the wisdom of taking the somewhat inconsistent Stafford at No. 1, but for the first time this draft season, I'm hearing from league sources who say Detroit, in all likelihood, will select Stafford over Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith and Wake Forest linebacker Aaron Curry.
- SBN and Yahoo!'s Shutdown Corner blog teamed up for a call-in mock draft.
- The NFL officially credentialed two SBN bloggers for the NFL Draft, Mile High Report and Bleeding Green Nation will be at the event, bringing us live updates, interviews, etc. We'll be in contact with those guys throughout the event.
- SI's Peter King will be in St. Louis tomorrow and Thursday. Will he get anything to write about...I doubt it, but there will at least be some new lines to read between.
- Help Turf Show Times be the first SBN blog to get 5,000 followers on Twitter. Show them all that Rams' fans are still out there, and our voices will be heard!
- Speaking of Twitter, we'll be all over that thing on Saturday and Sunday, giving us the chance to talk even more directly with everyone about the draft.
- We'll be saying more about it soon, but be sure to tune in - and call in - to Turf Show Radio this Thursday at 7 p.m. Central. AND, if you're handy with the audio gadgets on the computer...we challenge you to make a theme for the show.