Redskins Prepared To Move Up To No. 2 Slot In 2012 NFL Draft

The Washington Redskins are prepared to pay the freight to the St. Louis Rams to move into the No. 2 pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports.

According to Jones, the Redskins are prepared to package two first round picks -- this year's No. 6 and their 2013 pick -- as well as other picks in the "upper to mid-round range".

With Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III solidifying his status as the No. 2 prospect in the draft, and the Rams already having a young franchise quarterback in Sam Bradford, St. Louis has made no secret about their desire to trade out of that slot. Jones notes that the Rams are believed to be seeking compensation similar to what the New York Giants traded to the San Diego Chargers in exchange for Eli Manning in 2004. That deal included the fourth overall pick (Phillip Rivers), a 2005 first round pick, and picks in the middle rounds (a three and a five).

The Redskins are expected to face competition from quarterback-needy teams like the Cleveland Browns, who possess two picks in the first round this year, and Miami Dolphins for the No. 2 pick. Unless blown away by an offer, the Rams are expected to wait until just before the draft before making a trade.

Griffin passed for 4,293 yards with 37 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 2011, adding 699 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. During his 41-game career at Baylor, Griffin passed for 10,366 yards with 78 touchdowns and ran for 2,254 yards with 33 touchdowns.

source:  Mac's Football Blog
author:  Brian McIntyre
photo:  Brian Spurlock US PRESSWIRE

Rams “will” trade No. 2 pick

If there were any doubt in the wake of Peter King’s latest Monday Morning Quarterback column (and there shouldn’t have been), there’s definitely none now.

The Rams, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, will trade the No. 2 overall pick in the 2012 draft, which barring something completely unforeseen and unexpected will be used on Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.

The only remaining question is the “who” and the “how much.” The fact that the draft picks are now subject to a genuine rookie wage scale, which drives down the financial cost of using the second overall pick, and could drive the picks-and-players cost even higher.

The prime candidates to trade up remain the Browns (No. 4 and 22 overall), the Redskins (No. 6), the Dolphins (No. 8), and the Seahawks (No. 12). As King pointed out both in MMQB and on PFT Live, there could be one or more mystery teams.

And that’s where things could get very interesting. If, as suggested earlier in the day, Griffin’s finds extra motivation in the fact that the Colts aren’t given the likely second pick a second glance, Griffin could be the perfect target for the team that holds the No. 7 selection: the AFC South’s Jaguars.

Yeah, they’re committed to Blaine Gabbert, who arrived via the 10th overall pick in 2011 after the Jaguars gave up a second-round pick in order to flip-flop first-round spots with the Redskins. But what better way to throw other teams off the scent than to create the impression that Gabbert remains the guy? New Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey and new Rams G.M. Les Snead worked together in Atlanta, which could help Mularkey achieve and maintain extreme discretion from Snead while the talks secretly occur. And new Jags owner Shahid Khan may be willing to mortgage a chunk of his future drafts in order to secure the franchise’s future as a contender for the next 10 years or more.

Throw in the fact that Griffin would get two cracks at the Colts every year, and the move seems far less ludicrous.

source:  PFT.com
author:  Mike Florio
photo:  Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE