:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/3872258/123311704.jpg)
Yes, mock drafts trade like pennies these days, but if you look around there are some interesting scenarios out there. Our latest exercise in thinking outside the box comes from Mike Tanier at Yahoo's Shutdown Corner.
More than predictions, it reveals how conventional wisdom is gelling around players at the top of the first round. It also suggests a serious need for the St. Louis Rams.
In this mock, the Vikings pick Morris Claiborne, a very real possibility. Cleveland goes with Trent Richardson, also a very likely scenario, and then things get interesting.
Fletcher Cox goes to the Buccaneers in the fifth spot. First of all, the team already has Gerald McCoy, but he could turn the Bucs' line into a real force. It is also another example of the notion that Cox is the best defensive lineman in the draft, and worth a top pick. Cox has been linked to the Rams numerous times in recent days.
And for the Rams, the pick is Justin Blackmon ... over even Matt Kalil.
Which of the following were Rams wide receivers in 2011, and which were 19th century Congressmen from the state of Kentucky? The choices: a) Silas Adams, b) Austin Pettis, c) Greg Salas, d) Albert Berry, e) William Clayton Anderson, f) Mike Sims-Walker. If you knew that b, c, and f were the Rams, you are a huge Rams fan, had an awful fantasy team, or really know your Kentucky history. So yes, Sam Bradford needs a receiver, lest he be thrown on the Colt McCoy scrap heap of prematurely abandoned quarterback prospects.
It suggests that the need for a receiver trumps the need for a left tackle. Some will argue with that notion, and I'm not a huge believer in Jason Smith. However, the point about giving Sam Bradford a receiver to work with before it's too late resonates.