RGIII Insanity Starting Early
By Brian Miller
The St. Louis Rams are sitting in the 2nd spot of the draft and the question now is for how long? According to several media members, the Rams have already held preliminary talks with several NFL teams including the Redskins, Browns, and yes the Miami Dolphins. That is only the tip of the insanity that is becoming RGIII.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, a mystery team has made an “feeler” offer for the pick. Presumably the Eagles or Chiefs according to Rotoworld.com, who also say that Romeo Crennel and GM Scott Pioli were blown away by RGIII at the Combine. The Chiefs could benefit from the addition of RGIII to their team considering the surrounding skepticism around Matt Cassell being the guy who can be the teams future.
In terms of the Eagles, King speculates that they could dangle their first rounder, two second rounders, and two players, Assante Samuel and WR DeSean Jackson. That still may not be enough and Jackson is scheduled to be a free agent unless the Eagles tag him…as expected.
In more news regarding RGIII, this time with the Cleveland Browns, Plain Dealer reporter Terry Pluto suggests that the Browns would have to give up both of their first round picks in 2012 as well as their first round pick in 2013. Consider that for a moment when you realize that the Browns pick two spots after the Rams. Charlie Casserly also believes that it would take 3 first round picks for the Browns.
That moves us to Washington who according to sources are willing to pay “handsomely” for the 2nd round pick. Thus imagining it could take the compensation further from three first rounders to more. Throw in the possibility that the Chiefs could be the mystery team and suddenly you have an escalating bounty for the Rams who may come out of this able to fix their entire roster in two seasons…maybe 1.
That leaves the Dolphins who undoubtedly would love to have RGIII but smartly are rumored to be non-interested in throwing everything into the mix for the Baylor QB. The Dolphins will likely target Manning or Flynn and then a QB in round 2 or more likely three depending on who they get in FA.
So what does all this bidding mean? Well for starters a war is about to break out soon with offers between the Rams and several suitors. Barring a magical offer that can’t be refused, the volley should continue for a few weeks but here is the kicker. If the Rams wait to pull the trigger on a deal prior to the start of FA, then one or more of those teams may drop out of the bargaining leaving one or two teams left in the bidding war. That would reduce the demand and the level of compensation as the pressure to deliver would subside somewhat.
The Rams are hoping that teams will “panic” and start throwing whatever they can into the pot to get a deal done. It all is starting to appear that a decision on the Rams pick could come sooner rather than later. For the Dolphins it appears that their choices are Manning, Flynn, Tannehill, or a second round talent. There is no guarantee that the Dolphins will find a suitable solution in free agency or the draft. They are expected to play it smart by not selling their future to move up and may actually find an opportunity to move down.
The amazing thing about this is the fact that RGIII is at the apex of his popularity after his Combine efforts. He will likely propel higher at his pro-day when he throws. Will a team have already moved up to number 2 to take him? We will find out soon enough.