How the Blockbuster Titans-Rams Trade Shakes Up the NFL Draft

By Vincent Frank on Friday, April 15th 2016
How the Blockbuster Titans-Rams Trade Shakes Up the NFL Draft

The Tennessee Titans agreed to send the No. 1 overall pick in this month's draft to the Los Angeles Rams for two first-round picks, two second-round picks and two third-round picks on Wednesday evening. 

Here's the full trade details: 

That's one of the biggest blockbuster trades surrounding the NFL in some time. It's also going to shake up the entire first round of this year's draft. Who is impacted the most? How will it impact the teams involved? And how will it impact where players are drafted? 

Here's a team-by-team look. 

 

Los Angeles Rams

Now picking No. 1 overall, the Rams are obviously going to go quarterback here. Teams don't give up that big of a bounty to select a player at another position. That's not how it works in today's NFL. With Nick Foles and Case Keenum on the roster, that makes perfect sense. Simply put, the Rams need a franchise quarterback to excite their "new" fan base in Los Angeles. 

The only question here is who that quarterback might be. One report from the Los Angeles Times Sam Farmer indicated that the Rams are most interested in North Dakota State product Carson Wentz. Meanwhile, ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that it's CAL's Jared Goff that they are going after. 

Either way, the Rams did put themselves behind the proverbial eight-ball here. No matter who they draft, the team isn't going to be able to add anyone of substance for the remainder of the year's draft. It's also going to be without what should be a high first-round pick next season. 

This places the quarterback in an unenviable position of potentially having to start for a talent-stricken offense in a division where there are two elite-level defenses. 

 

Tennessee Titans

It's clear what GM Jon Robinson and Co. were doing here. Tennessee has won a total of five games over the past two seasons. If Laremy Tunsil was the pick prior to this trade, he wouldn't have been able to fix all the issues on the roster. And with Taylor Lewan alrady slotted in as the starting left tackle, the Titans were better off going quantity over quality here. 

Now with four picks in the top 45, the Titans can look at building quality starting lineups on both sides of the ball. They may still go offensive tackle at 15, but that obviously won't come in the form of Laremy Tunsil. They could also look to address an improved but still talent-stricken defense there. 

Whatever direction Tennessee goes in the first round, it's going to be the three second-round picks that builds the foundation here. 

 

Cleveland Browns

Prior to this trade, it seemed that Cleveland had the pick of the litter between Wentz and Goff with the second selection. That's no longer the case. Playing their cards close to the vest, the Browns have been smart not to tip their hand as it relates to who they prefer.

It's also been reported that Cleveland is willing to trade down from the second pick. Though, it's not yet known whether that changed now that one of the top two quarterbacks will be off the board at two. In reality, the talk of a trade down was to potentially pick up the second quarterback off the board later in the top 10. 

Either way, there's no reason to believe Cleveland isn't going to be looking at a different position should it stand pat at two. Even with Robert Griffin III now in the fold, first-year head coach Hue Jackson is going to want to get his franchise quarterback. Though, it might no longer be his first choice. 

 

San Diego Chargers

San Diego is the biggest winner here. The team's top need of offensive tackle. But with Tennessee slated to pick No.1  before this trade, Laremy Tunsil would have been off the board. That's no longer the case. Expect the Chargers to go with the franchise book end at two and not think twice about it. 

 

San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco has been linked to both Goff and Wentz. This makes a ton of sense considering Colin Kaepernick's trade demands and the presence of only Blaine Gabbert on the roster as an option should Kap be traded. It's also highly likely that new head coach Chip Kelly wanted to get his quarterback early in the draft. 

With these top two quarterbacks expected to go with the first two picks, San Francisco will have to look in another direction. If the team prefers help on the offensive side of the ball, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and wide receiver Laquon Treadwell could be options. 

Though, GM Trent Baalke has had a ton more success drafting on the defensive side of the ball during his tenure in San Francisco. With needs at defensive end, inside linebacker and outside linebacker, these could all be options. 

With quarterback potentially off the table here, it opens up a ton of other avenues for San Francisco. And while that might not be ideal for the front office, it could actually work in the team's favor. After all, the potential of Kaepernick working under Kelly might be better than drafting and grooming a quarterback. Of course, that's all dependent on Kap actually remaining on the team. 

 

Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia was reportedly involved in trade talks to move up to No. 1 overall. Without a second-round pick to work with, that was always an unlikely scenario. Despite this, there are now reports out there that the Eagles are looking to move up to No. 2 overall to either go after one of the two quarterbacks or Ezekiel Elliott. 

Without a second-round pick after the Sam Bradford trade from a season ago, Philadelphia might be best served staying at two or trading down. But it's rather obvious the team is looking to make a splash here. Wednesday's trade does very little to change that. 

 

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