It will become official next week when the NFL business years begins, but the Washington Redskins are the ones who will be making the trade up to #2 in the upcoming NFL Draft. Robert Griffin III will be making his way to the nation's capital courtesy of a blockbuster trade with the St. Louis Rams.
The trade is one that people will be talking for a long time. To move up four spots and most likely select the Heisman Trophy winner, Washington will be sending to St. Louis the #6 pick in the draft this year, their second round pick this year (39th overall), plus #1 picks the next two seasons. To say the least, it is a hefty ransom to pay for the reigning king of college football.
If Griffin can live up to his potential and make the Redskins winners again, then Washington will be seen as making a good deal in the long run. But for now, the two teams I see as reaping the biggest rewards are St. Louis and Cleveland.
The Rams are targeting Justin Blackmon so that Sam Bradford can have a playmaking target on the outside. At #6, there is a good chance he will still be there when they pick in the slot formerly held by Washington. Now they have their own pick at the top of the second round as well as the one just acquired by trade. That give them three picks in which to select building blocks for the future. Wide receiver to throw to, offensive lineman to block for Bradford and Steven Jackson, and a cornerback to shore up a secondary that was devastated by injury in 2011. With Jeff Fisher running the show in St. Louis, if the Rams can stay somewhat healthy, they may be able to make another dramatic turnaround just as they did in 2010.
I thought that Cleveland would be the team that would make the trade to move up and acquire Griffin. But by not trading they are a winner as well. They hold their own pick at #4 overall, and the #22 pick they acquired from Atlanta in the Julio Jones trade from last year. And with the 37th overall pick, they also hold three high draft picks this year. Running back is going to be a focal point with Peyton Hillis hitting the free agent market, and Trent Richardson is the prototypical power back that Cleveland has featured for years. His ability to catch passes out of the backfield makes him a valuable asset for the Browns and their West Coast offense.
At #22, they could select a top flight receiver for Colt McCoy to throw to, perhaps Michael Floyd or Kendall Wright. Or even another cornerback to play opposite Joe Haden or an offensive lineman to compliment Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach. Taking one here and another in Round 2 will strengthen Cleveland, and in the AFC North they are going to need a lot of help in this draft. But one player they could get with either one of these picks could be Ryan Tannehill, the strong armed quarterback fro Texas A&M.
Any team that does not get Peyton Manning and who does not already have a solid quarterback situation will look at Tannehill. The team outside of the top 10 who fills this bill is Seattle. Tavaris Jackson and Charlie Whitehurst were both seen as the answer, but both have only brought about questions about their ability to lead the Seahawks past the resurgent San Francisco 49ers. If they do not take Tannehill at #12, they may want to trade up and get him late in the first round. Or Cleveland could land him at #22. Colt McCoy has shown flashes of talent, but has suffered enough concussions to make one worry about his long term viability. If Cleveland gets Richardson, Tannehill and perhaps Alshon Jeffrey, their offense will become very formidable in the years to come.
The two biggest offseason questions were who was trading for Robert Griffin III and where will Peyton Manning land. One has been answered. The other will come about soon enough. The landscape of the 2012 NFL Draft is starting to blossom. The picture will become much more clear in the next few days.
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