The emergence of Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill is a positive development for the St. Louis Rams, who have the sixth pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. The Cleveland Browns are one of several teams, along with the Eagles and Dolphins, that are said to be interested in the draft's third-best quarterback. Whether the Browns take him with the fourth pick or trade it away to one of those other teams, it makes it more likely that one of three players likely to be near the top of the Rams' draft board will be available.
The latest 2012 NFL Mock Draft at SB Nation imagined such a scenario.
After the first two picks, the next three went like this: Claiborne, Tannehill and Richardson. That left one Matt Kalil for the Rams in the sixth spot.
Again, I doubt Kalil falls this far, but stranger things have happened. The new rookie wage system will put less pressure on teams to stick with the traditional positions that used to make up the top 10 picks. Kalil would be a fine addition to the Rams, who are still looking to replace Orlando Pace after all these years. Alex Barron and Jason Smith were supposed to be the answers.
If Kalil did make it past the Vikings, who would be foolish to pass on him unless someone traded up for Tannehill, Tampa could certainly make the case to draft him. A number of other teams would be wise to consider a move up if he fell that far.
Even if Kalil doesn't fall to the sixth spot, someone else will, maybe Morris Claiborne or Trent Richardson. Both would be great picks for the Rams. And what about Justin Blackmon? If either of those two players were available, they would be better picks than Blackmon, despite the Rams' needs at receiver.