St Louis Rams 2012 NFL Draft: Shane's Saturday St. Louis Sound off - Bleacher Report

Welcome to another edition of the St. Louis Rams "Saturday St. Louis Sound off" column.  In today's edition, I will share opinions on the 2012 NFL Draft and the Rams lease situation.

My Take on the No. 6 Pick

As the draft rapidly approaches, my thoughts regarding the No. 6 pick are becoming clearer. 

Perhaps to the disappointment of some, I am cooling off on Justin Blackmon, the all-world collegiate wide receiver from Oklahoma State.

Why is that?  

Quite simply, I believe more and more that Michael Floyd will be just as good (if not better) and that several second- to fourth-round wideouts could have equitable careers. Some other players would present better value at six even if Matt Kalil, Morris Claiborne and Trent Richardson are gone. 

Who are some players that I feel can be just as good as Blackmon?  

That list includes Michael Floyd, Kendall Wright, Reuben Randle, Mohamed Sanu, Chris Givens and Brian Quick.  Down the road, I think one could put Stephen Hill in the mix, too.  However, I think Hill will take a year or two to develop after coming from a triple-option college offense at Georgia Tech.

Do not get me wrong, I still like Blackmon.  I would just be a bit disappointed to see him go at six.  If Kalil, Claiborne and Richardson are gone, I would prefer a trade down over Blackmon at this point.  

Fletcher Cox

I would perhaps even prefer that St. Louis grab a guy like defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, offensive guard David DeCastro or wide receiver Michael Floyd there over J.B. 

Ideally, though, I would like to see the Rams move down a few spots and grab one of those guys while attaining extra picks for a roster with a multitude of holes. 

Armed with extra picks, St. Louis would then have added opportunities to grab a receiver (or two) of similar talent to Blackmon while grabbing someone like DeCastro or Cox, who are more clearly the best at their positions (DT and OG) than Blackmon is at his (WR.) 

To me, still being able to get a player that is the best at his position (Cox or DeCastro) after a trade down from six at a position of need (OG or DT) while also gaining more picks trumps grabbing a guy (Blackmon) who is not clearly ahead of the pack at wide receiver in a year when the receiver position is loaded and deep through at least round four.  

All that said, I will support St. Louis in whatever they do at No. 6 as long as they truly stick to their draft board.  If Blackmon is undoubtedly the best player available when the Rams go on the clock, then I would be able to accept his selection.  

However, as time goes on, I am starting to doubt that this will be the case.  

Shane Gray covers the St. Louis Rams daily as a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. You are encouraged to check out the rest of his work here. Gray also owns and operates stlramscentral.com.