2012 NFL Draft: Why St. Louis Rams Are Better off Trading No. 2 Pick

The NFL draft is still over a month away, but that doesn't mean there hasn't been speculation about what the St. Louis Rams will do with their No. 2 overall pick. 

There have already been many reports that the Rams will be shopping that pick, most likely to a team looking to grab Baylor QB Robert Griffin III.

With all the oohs and ahs over possibly picking Griffin with that pick, the Rams are more than better off moving into the future without him. Here is why Jeff Fisher's Rams need to trade the pick.  

Sam Bradford Is Still a Promising Young QB

There may be some fans out there calling for Sam Bradford's head after a dismal 2-14 season with him under center, but the losses cannot be fully blamed on the young signal-caller. 

Bradford only played in 10 games in 2011, throwing for 2,164 yards and six touchdowns (as well as six interceptions), and his problems were related to the Rams offensive line more than anything else.  

Even if the Rams kept their No. 2 pick, they most likely wouldn't go after Robert Griffin III (even though it surely sounds enticing). Bradford deserves a little while longer to come into his own, much like Matt Stafford has done with the Lions recently. 

It all starts with building around him, especially involving the offensive line, so the more draft picks, the better off the Rams will be for years to come. 

The More Draft Picks, the Better

Lets face it: A team like the Rams needs help in more places than one. If they were to trade the No. 2 pick to a team like the Browns (who have two first-round picks), they could fill more roster spaces with quality players and have more depth where needed.  

The Rams, a team with the consistently high draft picks, have gone with primarily offensive and defensive linemen over the past few seasons (including selecting Robert Quinn, selected 14 last year), yet still have needs at those positions. 

The more picks they can rack up, the better chances the Rams have to succeed, plain and simple.

Stacking a certain part of the field isn't a bad thing. Just ask the Giants if they would get rid of any of their defensive linemen. 

Offensive Line Is the Most Crucial Need

With all of these extra picks that would be acquired if the Rams traded their first, they could fulfill their most dire need: offensive line. 

Jason Smith (the team's No. 2 overall pick in 2009) has yet to show he can be productive at the right tackle spot and may be soon replaced. He hasn't been near as productive as 2010 second-rounder Rodger Saffold, and that isn't saying much.

Depending on who they trade with, being the Browns, Dolphins or Redskins, the Rams will still end up with a top-eight pick. In any of those scenarios, the top-rated offensive lineman, Matt Khalil, will most likely be gone by the time the Rams pick, so they may have to look somewhere else.  

Iowa's Riley Reiff could be an option, as well as Georgia's Cordy Glenn (pictured), who are two great prospects the Rams couldn't go wrong with at any point in the first round. 

They Have the Option to Draft the Best Players Available

With so many draft picks in their hands following a trade of the No. 2 overall pick, the Rams could just draft the best players available with every pick and come out a "winner" on draft day. 

According to B/R's own Matt Miller, the Rams could end up with as many as six draft picks at their expense, barring the trade. 

They could fill a lot of needs on the offensive and defensive lines (possibly with a player like Dontari Poe), as well as put skill players around Bradford and Steven Jackson (and perhaps find a long-term replacement for Jackson). 

The Rams could draft for need and want at virtually the same time.

The Trade Could Effect the Rams for Years to Come

Trades like this are not very typical, so it is hard to see if the results will translate into winning actual football games. But that doesn't mean there will not be loads of optimism when training camp rolls around in August.

As Matt Miller said, this could end up being a Herschel Walker to the Vikings-type trade for the Rams. Does that mean that the Rams could be the Dallas Cowboys of the early 90's? It is definitely a possibility.  

With all the new talented players they would acquire in the draft, the St. Louis Rams will be the talk of the NFC West very soon.