The Rams currently hold the Redskins’ first-round pick in the 2013 draft, thanks to the RGIII trade. The Rams may not actually be using that pick.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the selection “clearly is for sale.”
That Rams, who also have the 16th overall pick, would surely like to trade down and get more picks. Last year, the combination of coach Jeff Fisher and G.M. Les Snead put together a great draft, thanks to having extra picks. The more picks, the better the chances of emerging with good players.
Pick No. 22 comes one spot before the Vikings’ first of two first-round selections. A team that wants a cornerback, receiver, or inside linebacker the Vikings may be targeting could be tempted to jump the line. Which is precisely why every team creates smokescreens about who they do and don’t want.
Like most round-one trades, don’t expect anything to happen before the Rams are on the clock. Teams that trade up want a specific player; trading up too early creates the risk that the player won’t be there.
Of course, doing the trade when the team is on the clock entails risk, since there’s a chance one of the two teams won’t be able to call the trade in to the league office. Unless each team calls the trade in separately, the trade doesn’t happen. And with only 10 total minutes to get it all done, there’s a chance that cutting it too close could keep the trade from happening at all.