Just when it looked like the Rams wouldn’t talk contract with any of the potential No. 1 overall picks in round one of the 2010 draft, we’re picking up mixed signals about whether it’s in fact happening.
One source claims that the Rams has been, or will be, negotiating with up to six candidates: quarterback Sam Bradford, tackle Russell Okung, defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy, safety Eric Berry, and quarterback Jimmy Clausen. Another source has said that, as to at least one of those players, there have been no recent talks. Bradford has been making the rounds on radio, claiming that the Rams never have broached the possibility of a pre-draft deal.
The conflicting information creates a sense of enhanced uncertainty as to the Rams’ true intentions, which could help the Rams do what many think they’d prefer to do -- trade down.
And while there has been much speculation of a potential Mike Ditka-style deal, we’re hearing increased talk that the Rams would be inclined to slide out of the top spot for far less than all of another team’s draft. The thinking is that the Rams would like to trade down and draft a player who’d be able to perform right away as a rookie. The thinking on Bradford is that he’ll need some time to adjust to the pro game, and that he could end up on the bench for all or most of the 2010 season.
So, in the final year of the free money, it could be that someone finally trades out of the top five for consideration far less than what the badly-outdated (specifically at the top) trade chart would dictate.