2012 NFL Draft Order: Why St. Louis Rams Are the Real Winners

The Indianapolis Colts "won" the Andrew Luck sweepstakes and will make the first pick in the 2012 NFL draft, but could the St. Louis Rams be the real winners? 

I'll answer my own question with a resounding yes. 

Why? 

Because the Rams have what every rebuilding team wants when it comes to the offseason and the draft. 

Options—plenty of them. 

The new head coach and general manager will have the luxury to be able to handle the No. 2 overall selection in a variety of different ways. 

There's a fantastic chance that Baylor's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Robert Griffin III, will be available, who's really the centerpiece of what the Rams will do. 

• If they love RG3, they can pick him and trade away $78 million man Sam Bradford and get a load of draft picks in exchange—ideal for a team that's reconstructing from the ground up. 
• If they're willing to stick with Sam Bradford, they can trade the No. 2 pick and get a king's ransom in return, especially if they make a deal with a team looking to grab Griffin III.  
• If they don't want to make a big move, which would be somewhat foolish, they'll have the chance to draft USC's offensive tackle prospect Matt Kalil or either Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon or South Carolina's pass-catching star Alshon Jeffery. All three players will certainly help the progression of Bradford and the team's offensive attack.

What more could the Rams' front office want? 

With the Colts seemingly locked into Luck, the biggest storyline to follow entering April's draft is what the St. Louis Rams decide to do with that highly-coveted No. 2 overall pick. 

2012 NFL Draft Order 

1.	Indianapolis Colts
2.	St. Louis Rams
3.	Minnesota Vikings
4.	Cleveland Browns
5.	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6.	Washington Redskins
7.	Jacksonville Jaguars
8.	Carolina Panthers
9.	Miami Dolphins
10.	Buffalo Bills
11.	Seattle Seahawks
12.	Kansas City Chiefs
13.	Arizona Cardinals
14.	Dallas Cowboys
15.	Philadelphia Eagles
16.	New York Jets
17.	Cincinnati Bengals (from Raiders)
18.	San Diego Chargers
19.	Chicago Bears
20.	Tennessee Titans
21.	Denver Broncos
22.	New York Giants
23.	Cincinnati Bengals
24.	Detroit Lions
25.	Cleveland Browns (from Falcons)
26.	Houston Texans
27.	Pittsburgh Steelers
28.	New Orleans Saints
29.	Baltimore Ravens
30.	San Francisco 49ers
31.	New England Patriots
32.	Green Bay Packers

*Picks 20-32 determined on playoff results