The St. Louis Rams own an attractive piece of real estate in the 2012 NFL Draft. Teams vying for a quarterback could get into a bidding war to move up and draft Robert Griffin III, especially with Peyton Manning looking like a real iffy option for 2012. In the most recent 2012 NFL Mock Draft at SB Nation, I gave the Rams a different trading partner than the Browns.
Trading down with the Washington Redskins would fetch the Rams more than enough draft picks in exchange. Unlike Cleveland, Washington only has one first-round pick to give in this year's draft, which could really make for some surprising circumstances in St. Louis.
In this mock draft, the Rams, picking sixth, take Alabama RB Trent Richardson.
Ideally, Justin Blackmon would be available to them, but the equally incompetent Browns already drafted him in this mock. New head coach Jeff Fisher and his offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer have made it pretty clear that they intend to run the ball, pairing another runner with the 29-year-old Steven Jackson. Richardson is the top back in this draft, and could replace Jackson if he gets injured or the team starts eyeing his $7 million contract for other things.
Blackmon was picked by the Browns in the fourth spot in this scenario. Leaving the Rams little choice. As I said, Fisher and Schottenheimer have both stated a preference to fix the running game. Shotty even expressed his plans for a complementary back.
Richardson would certainly complement Jackson. But they might find a complementary running back in another draft spot. The top pick of the second round would certainly give them a chance at one of the top four backs, including Doug Martin and Lamar Miller.
Pick #33 and a second round pick that might be had from the Redskins, could give the Rams more ammo for trading. They could move up into the first round.
Don't forget that Fisher's draft history includes mostly defensive players in the first round.