By Jeff Gordon
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
04/23/2008
These are wild times in the NFL, the Not-For-Long league. Big names are changing places and the pre-draft rumor mill suggests that more blockbusters could be coming.
Look at how the wheels are turning:
* The Vikings struck a deal for Chiefs sackmaster Jared Allen, agreeing to spend a first-round pick (17th overall) and two third-rounders to land the star defensive end. Allen had been pushing for a trade since getting the franchise tag in Kansas City.
The Chiefs now have 13 picks in this weekend’s NFL Draft, putting the franchise in position to completely retool. Experts expected the team to reach for an offensive tackle with their fifth overall pick, but Allen’s departure could change that.
Now the Chiefs seem more likely to take defensive end Chris Long, if he falls that far, or defensive end Vernon Gholston. This turn of events would make it more difficult for the Rams to trade down in the first round and still get a top defensive lineman.
Then again, the Kansas City Star suggests the Chiefs might want to move up from No. 5 to get defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey. With all those extra picks, they are in position to do that. And the Rams could still get Gholston at No. 5.
(At No. 3, the Falcons seem likely to take quarterback Matt Ryan if Dorsey is gone. And at No. 4, Raiders czar Al Davis might stiff Darren McFadden and opt for Long, son of former Raiders star Howie Long.)
* The Saints are still interested in moving from the No. 10 slot to No. 2 or No. 3 to draft Dorsey.
“It's all preliminary discussion. Nothing concrete,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “The first step is to get an idea of what the cost to move forward is going to be. So that's really what the discussions to date have been. 'A) Are you interested in moving backwards?
What's your thinking in terms of the compensation you're going to want for that?'”
Both the Jets and Ravens are interested in gaining the No. 2 to select top quarterback prospect Matt Ryan. This interest could prompt the Falcons to spend one of their second-round picks to move up a spot and make sure they get their preferred player, either Dorsey or Ryan.
The Rams are understandably reluctant to move out of that second spot. But if the team can add an impact defensive lineman and add a useful pick, the front office would have to consider the deal.
* The Redskins made an aggressive bid for disgruntled Bengals receiver Chad Johnson – offering their first-round pick this year and potentially their first-rounder next year -- only to be rebuffed.
Johnson’s trade demands make Rams fans drool. But so far, anyway, the Bengals seem determined to make him either play for them or sit out the season.
* Washington also made a play on disgruntled Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin, but Arizona GM Rod Graves shot down the offer. The Eagles have also inquired about Boldin, offering cornerback Lito Sheppard as part of the deal.
Rams fans want their team to take a run on Sheppard, but the need for another veteran cornerback has decreased now that Fakhir Brown has dodged an NFL suspension. For the moment, the Rams don't face an emergency at that position.
* The Cowboys seemed ready to acquire defensive back/kick returner Adam “Pacman” Jones from Tennessee before the draft, but further revelations about Pacman’s off-field woes have cooled those talks.
Dallas is also on the prowl for a receiver, with Boldin and Detroit’s Roy Williams are possible targets. The Cowboys have two first-round picks, at No. 22 and 28, so Jerry Jones bears watching as that first round unfolds.
For now, Jones seems cool on the prospect of moving higher in the first round. But that could change if running back McFadden starts plunging down the board.
* The Seahawks turned former MVP Shaun Alexander loose, signaling the team’s plan draft to another running back from the deep pool of ’08 prospects. Alexander vows to land on his feet for next season, but it will be interesting to see how other teams view him.
Could he still be viable as a feature back? Or must he accept the sort of role Stephen Davis filled here at the end of his career?
Stay tuned. The days leading up to the NFL Draft will be unusually exciting in Rams Nation.
STLTODAY.COM SPORTS COLUMNIST
04/23/2008
These are wild times in the NFL, the Not-For-Long league. Big names are changing places and the pre-draft rumor mill suggests that more blockbusters could be coming.
Look at how the wheels are turning:
* The Vikings struck a deal for Chiefs sackmaster Jared Allen, agreeing to spend a first-round pick (17th overall) and two third-rounders to land the star defensive end. Allen had been pushing for a trade since getting the franchise tag in Kansas City.
The Chiefs now have 13 picks in this weekend’s NFL Draft, putting the franchise in position to completely retool. Experts expected the team to reach for an offensive tackle with their fifth overall pick, but Allen’s departure could change that.
Now the Chiefs seem more likely to take defensive end Chris Long, if he falls that far, or defensive end Vernon Gholston. This turn of events would make it more difficult for the Rams to trade down in the first round and still get a top defensive lineman.
Then again, the Kansas City Star suggests the Chiefs might want to move up from No. 5 to get defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey. With all those extra picks, they are in position to do that. And the Rams could still get Gholston at No. 5.
(At No. 3, the Falcons seem likely to take quarterback Matt Ryan if Dorsey is gone. And at No. 4, Raiders czar Al Davis might stiff Darren McFadden and opt for Long, son of former Raiders star Howie Long.)
* The Saints are still interested in moving from the No. 10 slot to No. 2 or No. 3 to draft Dorsey.
“It's all preliminary discussion. Nothing concrete,” Saints general manager Mickey Loomis told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “The first step is to get an idea of what the cost to move forward is going to be. So that's really what the discussions to date have been. 'A) Are you interested in moving backwards?
What's your thinking in terms of the compensation you're going to want for that?'”Both the Jets and Ravens are interested in gaining the No. 2 to select top quarterback prospect Matt Ryan. This interest could prompt the Falcons to spend one of their second-round picks to move up a spot and make sure they get their preferred player, either Dorsey or Ryan.
The Rams are understandably reluctant to move out of that second spot. But if the team can add an impact defensive lineman and add a useful pick, the front office would have to consider the deal.
* The Redskins made an aggressive bid for disgruntled Bengals receiver Chad Johnson – offering their first-round pick this year and potentially their first-rounder next year -- only to be rebuffed.
Johnson’s trade demands make Rams fans drool. But so far, anyway, the Bengals seem determined to make him either play for them or sit out the season.
* Washington also made a play on disgruntled Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin, but Arizona GM Rod Graves shot down the offer. The Eagles have also inquired about Boldin, offering cornerback Lito Sheppard as part of the deal.
Rams fans want their team to take a run on Sheppard, but the need for another veteran cornerback has decreased now that Fakhir Brown has dodged an NFL suspension. For the moment, the Rams don't face an emergency at that position.
* The Cowboys seemed ready to acquire defensive back/kick returner Adam “Pacman” Jones from Tennessee before the draft, but further revelations about Pacman’s off-field woes have cooled those talks.
Dallas is also on the prowl for a receiver, with Boldin and Detroit’s Roy Williams are possible targets. The Cowboys have two first-round picks, at No. 22 and 28, so Jerry Jones bears watching as that first round unfolds.
For now, Jones seems cool on the prospect of moving higher in the first round. But that could change if running back McFadden starts plunging down the board.
* The Seahawks turned former MVP Shaun Alexander loose, signaling the team’s plan draft to another running back from the deep pool of ’08 prospects. Alexander vows to land on his feet for next season, but it will be interesting to see how other teams view him.
Could he still be viable as a feature back? Or must he accept the sort of role Stephen Davis filled here at the end of his career?
Stay tuned. The days leading up to the NFL Draft will be unusually exciting in Rams Nation.