On Friday, April 13, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the St. Louis Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles were interested in trading up for the fourth pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. League sources said that two other teams are also interested in trading up.
I hope this report is wrong. I don't want the Rams to trade up. I'm not buying the rumors that the Rams want the Browns' top pick. It doesn't make sense unless there is a can't-miss player that the team believes will be there at number four. Justin Blackmon is very good, but is he someone the team can't live without? I don't think so. I like Blackmon, but he's not a speedster. The Rams need speed at wide receiver.
If they are going to take a receiver in the first round, then they should trade down to get a player like Michael Floyd. I just don't think Blackmon is worth trading up for at this stage. If he's there when the Rams pick at number six, then I'm fine with the team picking him up. But I don't think the Rams would be making a smart decision by trading up for him.
However, if the Rams are looking at Trent Richardson, then I can at least understand them making a move. I think Richardson is the best running back to come out of college since Adrian Peterson. Even though the team has Steven Jackson, Richardson is too good to simply pass on. If the Rams love him that much, then I can accept a trade up, though I still wouldn't be happy about it.
The team just set itself up to control the draft in the next two seasons when it sent this year's second pick to the Washington Redskins for three first rounders and a second rounder. I think it would be a bad idea to start trading away picks to move up. The Rams can get a quality player with the sixth pick, and if they can find value moving down, I think they should do it. The fourth pick in the draft is valuable right now. The Browns can leverage that pick for a lot of talent. The Rams should avoid getting themselves stuck in a bidding war when they can find quality right where they are.
Derek Ciapala has been a Rams fan since he was a child and the team was in Los Angeles. His favorite Rams moments include Flipper Anderson's 336-yard receiving night against the Saints in 1989, and their miracle 1999 run to their first Super Bowl victory. You can follow him on Twitter @dciapala.
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