Todd McShay ESPN Senior Writer
The Tennessee Titans received a haul in exchange for sending the No. 1 pick to the Los Angeles Rams. The truckload of picks (see chart) gives Tennessee a chance to build one of the better young rosters in football over the next two years. It also gives them the firepower to continue to make moves up the draft board.
Let me explain: In 2012, the Rams (ironically enough) received a bevy of picks from the Redskins, who traded up from No. 6 overall to No. 2 in an effort to draft Robert Griffin III. The price was steep: a second-rounder and two future first-rounders. The Rams' thinking at the time was that they already had their franchise QB (Sam Bradford), so why not load up on picks?
That's not dissimilar to where the Titans stand now. They have second-year QB Marcus Mariota, so they just need more players to round out their roster. The question is: How will they spend their newfound draft capital? In my opinion, GM Jon Robinson needs to do everything in his power to keep Mariota healthy and upright after the quarterback missed four games as a rookie due to injury.
That could mean trading back into the top 10 from No. 15 overall to grab one of two pure left tackle prospects in this class -- Ole Miss' Laremy Tunsil or Notre Dame's Ronnie Stanley.
This is a team that has a great cap situation and a promising young quarterback. If they get their offensive line solidified with an elite talent early in this draft, they're well on their way to giving Mariota the tools he needs to be successful.
Robinson also said something interesting on Thursday: "I've referred to [picks] as currency. It allows us to really move up and down the draft. I'd say this doesn't really knock us out of moving up; it doesn't mean we're going to. It gives us options."
The Rams had plenty of options in the draft following the RG III trade, and they spent two of their top three picks in each draft from 2012-14 on defensive players. And yes, they built a very good defense in the process, but they also neglected the other side of the ball, particularly the offensive line. By the time they selected OT Greg Robinson No. 2 overall in 2014, Bradford had already torn his ACL once (in 2013) and would go on to tear it again in the 2014 preseason. Bad luck was a factor there, to be sure, but when you have a quarterback you think can change the fate of your franchise, it's imperative that you don't place too heavy a burden on him.
The Rams didn't take that precaution with Bradford, and four years after moving down in the draft, they're trading back up, presumably so they can pick their next QB of the future. The Titans would be wise to not let history repeat itself with Mariota.
<aside class="inline inline-with-table float-r"><header class="inline-header">[h=1]Titans-Rams Trade Details[/h]
Nine draft selections were exchanged in Thursday's trade that sent the 2016 No. 1 overall pick to the Los Angeles Rams.
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The Tennessee Titans received a haul in exchange for sending the No. 1 pick to the Los Angeles Rams. The truckload of picks (see chart) gives Tennessee a chance to build one of the better young rosters in football over the next two years. It also gives them the firepower to continue to make moves up the draft board.
Let me explain: In 2012, the Rams (ironically enough) received a bevy of picks from the Redskins, who traded up from No. 6 overall to No. 2 in an effort to draft Robert Griffin III. The price was steep: a second-rounder and two future first-rounders. The Rams' thinking at the time was that they already had their franchise QB (Sam Bradford), so why not load up on picks?
That's not dissimilar to where the Titans stand now. They have second-year QB Marcus Mariota, so they just need more players to round out their roster. The question is: How will they spend their newfound draft capital? In my opinion, GM Jon Robinson needs to do everything in his power to keep Mariota healthy and upright after the quarterback missed four games as a rookie due to injury.
That could mean trading back into the top 10 from No. 15 overall to grab one of two pure left tackle prospects in this class -- Ole Miss' Laremy Tunsil or Notre Dame's Ronnie Stanley.
This is a team that has a great cap situation and a promising young quarterback. If they get their offensive line solidified with an elite talent early in this draft, they're well on their way to giving Mariota the tools he needs to be successful.
Robinson also said something interesting on Thursday: "I've referred to [picks] as currency. It allows us to really move up and down the draft. I'd say this doesn't really knock us out of moving up; it doesn't mean we're going to. It gives us options."
The Rams had plenty of options in the draft following the RG III trade, and they spent two of their top three picks in each draft from 2012-14 on defensive players. And yes, they built a very good defense in the process, but they also neglected the other side of the ball, particularly the offensive line. By the time they selected OT Greg Robinson No. 2 overall in 2014, Bradford had already torn his ACL once (in 2013) and would go on to tear it again in the 2014 preseason. Bad luck was a factor there, to be sure, but when you have a quarterback you think can change the fate of your franchise, it's imperative that you don't place too heavy a burden on him.
The Rams didn't take that precaution with Bradford, and four years after moving down in the draft, they're trading back up, presumably so they can pick their next QB of the future. The Titans would be wise to not let history repeat itself with Mariota.
<aside class="inline inline-with-table float-r"><header class="inline-header">[h=1]Titans-Rams Trade Details[/h]
Nine draft selections were exchanged in Thursday's trade that sent the 2016 No. 1 overall pick to the Los Angeles Rams.
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| Titans Get | Rams Get |
|---|---|
| '16 1st (15th overall) | '16 1st (1st overall) |
| '16 2nd (43) | '16 4th (113) |
| '16 2nd (45) | '16 6th (177) |
| '16 3rd (76) | |
| '17 1st-round pick | |
| '17 third-round pick |
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