Analyzing St. Louis Rams' Best Trade Options with 10th Pick in NFL Draft

St. Louis Rams general manager Les Snead has demonstrated a clear willingness to wheel and deal on draft day and create a splash, and it'll be no different in 2015. The No. 10 overall pick is on the trade block, and the team will have its ears open to potential offers. 

There's nothing wrong with staying put and selecting the best available player at No. 10, but the Rams will explore all options. They can trade up, down or even sideways (by trading the pick for a veteran player). No scenario will be ignored. 

The Rams will select the option that best fits the current situation and brings the team closer to its goal—to win the division and ignite a playoff run. 

This article will outline several possible scenarios involving the No. 10 overall pick that could bring the Rams closer to that goal. 

Trade Down and Recoup Lost Picks

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter on ESPN.com, the in-season trade for Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Mark Barron cost the Rams their fourth- and sixth-round selections in 2015, and it's not unreasonable to believe that St. Louis will attempt to recoup those picks in some way. 

The Rams must approach this scenario with caution and utilize common sense. In 2012, Snead attempted to regain a lost fifth-round pick by trading back in the second round. By dropping from No. 45 to No. 50 overall, the team missed out on Pro Bowl linebacker Bobby Wagner of the Seattle Seahawks as well as Pro Bowl receiver Alshon Jeffery of the Chicago Bears. 

St. Louis regained its fifth-round selection but ended up with running back Isaiah Pead and guard Rokevious Watkins—two players who have accomplished zilch at the NFL level—when it could have landed Wagner or Jeffery instead. 

Sometimes, having a few less picks is worth it as long as you get the top-notch players. A surplus of Day 3 picks is pretty useless if you're striking out on Day 1 and Day 2 talent. 

That's not to say the Rams should purposefully refuse to make up for the lost 2015 picks. They should just remember 2012 as a cautionary tale. 

If the Rams feel the drop-off in talent between No. 10 and No. 15 overall is marginal or flat-out invisible, then that's a move that should be discussed. 

Dropping back to the mid-teens could give St. Louis an extra Day 2 pick along with a fourth- or sixth-round selection to make up for the Barron acquisition. 

If none of the top quarterbacks or top playmakers (Amari Cooper, Dorial Green-Beckham) is available at No. 10, the Rams could respond by trading down and grabbing a boring but solid selection, such as one of the many first-round offensive line talents. 

Patric Schneider/Associated Press

Use the No. 10 Pick to Obtain a Viable Veteran Quarterback

If the top rookie quarterbacks are off the board, the Rams can still obtain the services of a promising veteran quarterback by playing around with the No. 10 pick. 

As I mentioned in a recent article, the Rams could potentially swap places with the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 20 overall) in exchange for former Pro Bowl quarterback Nick Foles. Given Foles' decline in 2014, the Rams might even receive an additional mid-round selection from Philadelphia in such a scenario. 

Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch mentioned recently that Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly might be interested in moving up to select his former quarterback from his Oregon days—Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota. 

If that's the case, moving up from No. 20 to No. 1 overall (the current consensus seems to suggest that Mariota is the top overall guy) is quite a significant jump. The Eagles might have to land on a stepping stone before climbing that high, and St. Louis can be the team to play that role. 

Even if Foles is not the guy, the Rams will have to stay vigilant and make some inquiries. It's possible there's a team other than Philadelphia willing to part with a veteran signal-caller, such as the Chicago Bears with Jay Cutler. 

Not only would such a scenario give St. Louis a legitimate talent to compete with Sam Bradford, but it would also allow the team to retain a first-round selection to beef up the offensive line. 

If the Rams want stability under center in 2015, this might be the most ideal scenario. 

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Go All in at the Quarterback Position

Since the quarterback situation is rather desperate in St. Louis, it'd be wise to seriously consider all options no matter how drastic or unlikely, and that includes trading up to No. 1 or No. 2 overall for Mariota or Florida State's Jameis Winston. 

The Rams were the recipients of a king's ransom in 2012 when the Washington Redskins traded three first-round selections and a 2012 second-round selection for St. Louis' No. 2 pick, which was used to draft Robert Griffin III. 

So far, the Redskins' experience with Griffin has been nothing short of a disaster. Griffin has been a pure example for why a franchise should never gamble its entire future on a single player. 

However, the fact that the Washington trade was so horribly one-sided and chaotic could be the very thing that makes such a trade possible for St. Louis in 2015. 

After watching the Redskins implode, there's not a single team out there willing to offer a package on the same level as Washington's offer in 2012. It's too risky, and no sane team would go down a similar road. 

That means the asking price for a blue-ribbon pick has plummeted. That could be a good or bad thing. It's possible the price has dipped so low that Tampa Bay would never consider trading because it's not worth it, but it's still a conversation worth having. 

If the Buccaneers—a team with many needs—value quantity over quality, a St. Louis climb up to No. 1 overall could be more doable than people think. It's a pretty sizable jump. But Tampa Bay will still get a top-10 pick along with a handful of additional useful picks, and that has to be appealing—especially if the Bucs are not interested in either of the top quarterbacks. 

Even if No. 1 overall is out of the question, there's still a chance that either Mariota or Winston will slip to the middle of the top 10, and that would make trading up for a passer far more realistic. In that case, the Rams could secure their franchise quarterback for no more than a second-rounder in compensation. 

Not every fan will be pleased with that outcome, considering the Rams have many needs, but let's cut the nonsense. It's not an extra offensive lineman or receiver (two positions that have many options in free agency) who will put the Rams over the edge. 

Only a franchise quarterback will finally do the trick. 

If there's no clear alternative, such as acquiring a passer through free agency or trade, then it's going to take considerable sacrifice and a hefty price to secure that long-term quarterback.

Steven Gerwel is the longest-tenured Rams Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and serves as the Rams' game-day correspondent. You can find more of Gerwel's work by visiting his writer profile or by following him on Twitter.