After a historic night in the NBA that saw a legend retire and the regular season wins record broken, most wondered what the next big headline would be. There had been rumblings around that the Tennessee Titans were shopping the No.1 pick, but most expected a deal to be finalized closer to the draft.
I, along with many others, was shocked when I saw the update that the Los Angeles Rams made history by making the largest jump in NFL Draft history by going from the No. 15 spot to No. 1.
It was only a week ago that I was reading Will Brinson of CBS Sports report that sources connected to the league were saying the Cowboys, Jets, 49ers and Eagles were the teams most interested in the pick. Now, seemingly out of nowhere, the Rams are in possession of the coveted No.1 pick.
The Rams gave the Titans the No. 15 overall pick, a first round pick in 2017, two second round picks this year, and a third round pick this year and next year. The Rams received the top overall pick, a fourth round pick and a sixth round pick.
This was a brilliant move for both sides. On one hand you have the Rams, who are a good quarterback away from being one of the best teams in the NFL, and on the other hand, you have a team that has found their franchise quarterback but doesn’t have the pieces around him to compete yet.
Los Angeles get their pick between prized quarterback prospects Carson Wentz and Jared Goff. Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that they favor Goff over Wentz. I think this would be a great move for the organization. Goff has a lot of upside and Jeff Fisher is a run-first guy so Goff won’t be asked to do too much his rookie season. That spells success for a young QB. If Goff or even Wentz goes in and has just a solid season, the Rams could jump from middle of the pack to playoff contender.
Tennessee Titans’ fans are excited because now the front office has options. They could use all six of their new picks to surround Mariota with playmakers and solid offensive linemen, but general manager Jon Robinson hinted towards more trades during his press conference Thursday when he said, “We now have the ammunition to work the draft and acquire players that are going to be good for this football team.” Robinson comes from the Patriots front-office so he knows a thing or two about being creative with draft picks.
If both teams execute this draft well, they could ascend to heights neither has experienced in a long time. Some will argue that the Rams gave up too much to get this pick, but the reward is well worth the risk. Good quarterbacks are invaluable in today’s NFL, and the Rams are built to win now. The Titans have their QB in place. They just need to add some pieces around him so he doesn’t get hurt, which would set this struggling franchise even farther back. Come to think of it, the only loser from yesterday is the Cleveland Browns, who now have to take whichever QB the Rams don’t want. Poor Cleveland.