The Los Angeles Rams have not enjoyed a winning season in the four years that general manager Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher have been in charge. They have, however, not been shy about making bold moves to try and chase that elusive winning record.
Over the last four seasons, the Rams have made a stunning eight trades involving top 50 draft picks. While these deals have helped the team build a fearsome front seven on defense, it has not enabled them to address their biggest need: quarterback. Now, with the draft just a few weeks away, the Rams find themselves in a familiar position.
L.A. holds the No. 15 overall pick in addition to two second-rounders (Nos. 43 and 45) this year. That's enough ammunition to move up the draft board if they wanted and it likely wouldn't cost them nearly as much as the ransom they extracted from the Washington Redskins in 2012.
"Well, I would assume it's probably not the same," Fisher said. "I don't think anyone's going to do that again. I couldn't see that happen. We were very fortunate and both Washington and Cleveland at the time were very, very interested in it. That's a lot to acquire and a lot to give up going from six to two."
The top two quarterbacks in this year's draft are generally considered to be North Dakota State's Carson Wentz and Cal's Jared Goff. The Tennessee Titans hold the No. 1 overall pick and may be open to moving it, which would require a 14 spot leap for the Rams.
"Not in the past, we've moved around, quite a bit, but not that far," Fisher said. "It's picks and maybe players, but typically picks, so you're going to have to have an awful lot of them and be prepared to give up future picks to move up."
The Rams could also hang back at No. 15 and look to see if Memphis' Paxton Lynch falls to them, though he is considered to be more of a long-term project at the position.
Wentz and Goff may be the top two QB prospects, but neither is as highly regarded as Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota was last year. Still, Fisher is impressed by both guys.
"Wentz is obviously very smart," the coach said. "I don't think he's ever gotten a B in his life. He's got the leadership qualities. And from a football standpoint he's got all the traits. The arm strength and decision-making ability and he can make all the throws. The same thing with Goff, too. Not every quarterback coming out is going to have that same personality. All their personality types are different. But both of them are perfect for the NFL, get in the huddle and to lead and win games."
The 2016 NFL Draft will take place from April 28-30.
