Yes, once again, I know this is a Pittsburgh Steelers blog. I know the Steelers are not going to trade up for Robert Griffin III, they don't need a quarterback. However, one trade like the one that's going to happen when the Rams trade the second overall pick can affect the entire draft...and the Browns are a team that could potentially trade up the the #2 overall pick and take him. That has a direct effect on the Steelers, because the Browns are a division rival.
The Rams have former first overall draft pick Sam Bradford as their quarterback and they have reportedly chosen to stick with him and are willing to trade out of the second overall pick. The Rams are likely to be eyeing Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon, but they cannot justify taking him with the second overall pick. So they want to trade back, but not so far that Blackmon is out of reach.
So the teams that have the best chance of moving into that second overall spot are the Cleveland Browns (#4 overall pick), Washington Redskins (#6 overall), and Miami Dolphins (#8 overall). So here I am going to take a look at each team.
Cleveland Browns
At the quarterback position the Browns currently have Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace as their top two quarterbacks. Neither would start on most other NFL rosters. Also, the Browns plays more games in a half empty stadium than I can remember them doing so in a very long time (living in the Cleveland area, I get to see every single one of their games). They didn't have any blackouts, so you know it's bad when the tickets were bought and nobody showed up.
The Browns need to do something to bring some excitement to the team, to create a fan buzz and get them excited about the team again. Fans are losing faith in team President Mike Holmgren, who was released from his General Manager duties with the Seattle Seahawks and told to stick to coaching. Many feel that he's there just relaxing and getting a paycheck, and not earning it.
The Browns could trade the fourth overall pick in the NFL draft and move up to number two and take Griffin III, which would make the fans very excited. Also, with the 22nd overall pick, they could take Baylor wide receiver Kendall Wright, who was Griffin's go-to receiver last season. He's someone that RG3 already has a feel for and would immediately upgrade the Browns' weak receiving corps.
The Browns I think have the best chance to trade up if they want to. The Rams moving into the four spot basically still guarantees them Blackmon, because the team between the Rams and Browns is the Minnesota Vikings, and they will likely be taking one of the top two offensive tackles and aren't likely to trade out of that spot. Trading up the the second overall pick is likely going to cost two first round picks, and the Browns can always use their second first rounder in this draft to move up, leaving them with a first rounder next season. That's something that the other teams in the mix to trade up don't have.
The Browns are a team that I expect to look at Green Bay's free agent quarterback Matt Flynn...even if the Packers choose to hit Flynn with the franchise tag they will then trade him. If that happens, the Browns will be in that mix. If Flynn becomes a free agent, they will make an attempt to sign him since he already has experience in the West Coast Offense and has NFL experience. If the Browns do sign Flynn, they will be out of the Griffin sweepstakes and will pose a threat the the Rams' desire to move out of the second pick, because the Browns would then be looking at Blackmon if they still have the fourth overall pick.
Washington Redskins
The Redskins are another team in need of a top-tier quarterback. Rex Grossman and John Beck both started at times this past season...and to be honest, neither are really viable options for a second string quarterback much less a starter.
The Redskins sit at the sixth overall pick and they know that if they stay there, they have no chance of getting RG3. The problem is, especially if the Browns get Matt Flynn before the draft, then they become a player for Justin Blackmon and the Rams might not trade at all if they have their sights on Blackmon and desire him over anyone else. Also, if the Browns don't trade up and don't get a Flynn and RG3 isn't there...they would still be a player for Blackmon.
Dan Snyder loves making bold moves, and even though he's backed off allowing General Manager Bruce Allen and Head Coach Mike Shannahan to make the personnel decisions, I don't think Snyder would be able to hold off on making a deal to get Griffin. And this is one case where Allen and Shannahan wouldn't mind Snyder doing so....as long as he doesn't trade the entire draft like the Saints did to draft Ricky Williams.
If the Browns don't trade up, I think the Redskins have the best chance to do it then because Snyder is unpredictable and might just make an offer that blows the Rams away...even if they get a good offer from Cleveland.
The Redskins I think will also be in the Matt Flynn sweepstakes, but I think Snyder (and probably Shannahan) would rather have RG3, even if it's just for the name recognition.
Miami Dolphins
At quarterback the Dolphins have Matt Moore and Pay Devlin (who?) at quarterback. They are not expected to bring back former University of Michigan star Chad Henne. Chad Henne had an up-and-down four year career with the Dolphins, never throwing more touchdowns than interceptions and went down with a separated shoulder and was placed on injured reserve, ending not only his season but his time as Miami Dolphins quarterback.
The Dolphins have been looking for a starting quarterback since Dan Marino retired after the 1999 season. They haven't had much luck, the best quarterback they have probably had since then was Chad Pennington who played just one full season in his three seasons with the team due to injury...but in that one full season (2008) he broke Dan Marino's single season record for completion percentage and lead them to the AFC East title (their first division title since 2000 and their first playoff appearance since the 2001 season).
Stephen Ross is the majority owner of the Dolphins (approximately 95%) while Wayne Huizenga owns about 5% of the team....and then there is an unknown percentage of ownership between eight celebrities. Ross is a guy who wants to make the Dolphins the most popular team in town, and he wants flash. Well, Robert Griffin III would be a guy that would fill the stadium and bring the flash factor.
If the Rams cannot get a good enough deal out of Cleveland or Washington to trade back with them, and if they feel comfortable trading that far back where Blackmon might not be available, then the Dolphins will be taking Griffin.
The Dolphins will also be in the Flynn sweepstakes, but I think along with Washington they'd much rather have RG3 instead of Flynn.
Other Teams Interested
Of course, there are other teams that would like to get that pick and take Robert Griffin III. The teams I think that would love to have that pick but don't have much of a shot at it because the Rams would have to trade back too far are: Kansas City Chiefs, Seattle Seahawks, and the Philadelphia Eagles.
If the Rams don't get a trade offer to their liking, I think they just stay at #2 and take Blackmon there if that's the player that they really want. This way they are guaranteed the player that they want without the risk of trading back and that player being gone when their pick comes around....or trading back to have to trade back up to get Blackmon.
One Other Note
One thing that I heard today was that after the Indianapolis Colts interviewed both Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III while at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. They came out of the interviews more impressed with Griffin and have him ranked at the top of their big board.
If this is true and they make RG3 the first overall pick, will the Rams instead select Andrew Luck who is said to be the best quarterback prospect in the draft since Hall of Famer John Elway was drafted back in 1983 (and ironically was drafted first overall by the Colts, but was then traded to the Broncos when Elway threatened to go play baseball for the New York Yankees where he had played two seasons if minor league baseball instead of play for the Colts who were then based in Baltimore....and Elway also played his college football at Stanford)? Right now, they say they are happy with Sam Bradford and will stick with him....but if Luck were to fall to them, they might have to think twice about that stance.
Also, if Luck falls to the Rams...then any team that is in need of a quarterback is going to be sending the Rams trade requests and they could then possibly get one of the best draft day hauls in the history of the NFL Draft.
No comments:
Post a Comment