Trading down from the second pick seems unlikely this year, especially as the chattering class spends more and more time talking about how the likely top picks in the draft aren't a much better than the players slated to be drafted in the middle rounds. Rams GM Billy Devaney has said that they'll listen to trade offers for the pick. There hasn't been much trade talk yet, though Devaney told fans in a chat with the PD yesterday, the trade talk doesn't really get started until mid-week prior to the draft. However, just because I'd bet against a trade doesn't mean such a scenario is impossible.
Last year the Rams had an offer from New Orleans that would send Saints OT Jammal Brown to the Rams and swap our second overall pick with their 10th pick. Reports said that the Rams declined the trade because of injury concerns about Brown and sagging play. A year later and hindsight being 20/20. how does the deal sound in retrospect?
Brown, age 27 last season, started 15 games for a Saints offense that led the league in total yards per game (410.7 YPG) and passing yards per game (311.1). Drew Brees' blind side protector made the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career, though not as a starter.
The Saints eventually traded the 10th pick to New England who drafted LB Jerod Mayo, the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Another player available with the 10th pick last year was CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, ultimately taken by Arizona at #16.
It's silly to look back and say "if only." The Rams got a player in Chris Long who should be a cornerstone of the defense for years to come, and DE was as big of a need last year as any position, certainly more so than CB.
Driving the Saints offer last year supposedly was their interest in DT Glenn Dorsey, and they ultimately wound up with DT Sedrick Ellis, which might have been a better deal. Boston College QB Matt Ryan also caused a few teams to think about a trade. This year, there doesn't seem to be a player as highly regarded as those two were, pushing teams to explore trades, but you never know what will happen. Now, that was a good example of a trade that could have worked out well, but there's no shortage of trades that fell flat either. This would be a great year for the Rams to trade down, given the similar value of players in the top and middle of the first round. Ironically enough, that's the very thing likely to keep a trade from happening.