With the rumors that Sam Bradford wouldn't play for the St. Louis Rams thoroughly beaten back, you didn't think the rumor mill would completely shut down did you? Of course not. Today, comes talk of the Rams having interest in Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
Here's the report from Fox Sports:
A source close to the Rams told me that the team still has strong interest in the Broncos wide receiver. And that interest may spiral up in the coming weeks if the team is serious about making Bradford their franchise quarterback.
Of course, the Rams would not be using their first round pick as trade bait, but owning the first pick of the second round could be the next best thing given the talent available in this draft. It's certainly a much better version of that deal than this one, but would such a move, if truly possible, be worth the cost?
Trading the 33rd pick (likely the most valued part of a package) for Brandon Marshall would give the Rams an established receiver, just 26-years-old, in the prime of his career. That's awfully enticing, and would be a nice pairing with a rookie quarterback. On the other hand, Marshall is likely to be on the downhill side of his career right when Sam Bradford is entering his prime.
There is some intriguing receiving talent likely to available with that pick who could turn out to be just as good, if not better than Marshall, but Marshall would pay immediate dividends for the Rams.
You also have to weight the opportunity cost of passing on other players who could be available with that pick, defensive line talent in particular.
On the most basic level, the Rams would be using their second round pick on an established receiver. A good trade considered on those merits alone. It's not that simple. First, you have the obvious question of whether or not you'd want to take on what could be a challenging locker room presence. You also have what else the Rams would have to include in such a trade. Given the talent in this draft and the Rams needs, if the asking price included a third round pick too, the lost opportunity might be too much.
It seems clear that, as of now, teams are not willing to pay the first round asking price for Marshall. Remember the Seahawks flirted with that possibility earlier this year. But as the asking price comes down, the Rams might just have the next best thing with their 33rd pick.