St. Louis Rams General Manager Billy Devaney said today that as he prepared for the NFL draft, he firmly expected to use the first pick in the second round to select whoever was at the top of the Rams’ board after the first day. But now that he’s had time to evaluate the Rams’ options, he expects to make a trade.
“I would be surprised if we stayed at 33,” Devaney said in an interview on ESPN Radio.
So what changed? It could be that the players the Rams hoped to take with the 33rd overall pick were all snapped up in the first round. But from Devaney’s comments, it sounds like it’s more a matter of the Rams being blown away with all the offers they’re getting for the pick.
So the Rams are almost certain to trade down, and now the only question is which offer they’ll take, and which player will go off the board at the top of the second round.
Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo told the St. Louis Post Dispatch that the new format of the draft was a boon to the Rams.
“Let’s face it,” Spagnuolo said. “There’s a lot more interest generated in 24 hours than when you have 15 minutes.”