The St. Louis Rams went just 6-10 this season, their eighth consecutive year finishing under .500. Yet somehow, the team managed to pull of wins against the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos.
It may surprise you, but this Rams team has talent. Their defensive line is saturated with former first-round picks and their skill position players aren't too shabby either. The problem is the quarterback position. The Rams haven't gotten much from the QB spot since Kurt Warner was slinging touchdowns for them. With a competent QB under center, this Rams team wouldn't be half bad.
So will St. Louis trade up in the 2015 NFL draft to grab a quarterback and get to that next level?
"It would probably take future picks as well," general manager Les Snead said. "You won't move up to take a long-snapper."
The rarely discussed truth of this year's draft is that it's not as deep as last year, prompting some to believe trading up from the No. 10 spot makes more sense for the Rams. Snead recognizes the disparity in talent but still wouldn't give any indication of the team's thinking one way or the other.
"I have reached the point enough to know it's definitely not as deep as last year," Snead said. "That was a pretty deep draft. This year there are some positions that are probably stronger than last year's draft, just from a position standpoint."
One potential impediment to a move up the draft board for the Rams is a limited supply of draft choices; the Rams have just five picks this year. Gone are the days when St. Louis had an abundance of draft capital from the trade with the Washington Redskins.
"The lack of additional picks also means that should the Rams decide to try to move up for, say, a quarterback, they don't have as much ammunition to do that as they have in the past," ESPN's Nick Wagoner wrote. "General manager Les Snead is quick to point out that trading fourth-and sixth-round picks likely wouldn't preclude a deal because such a trade would probably require future premium picks like the ones the Rams got from Washington in a similar deal."
The draft is still several months away and a lot could change between now and then. We know St. Louis is desperate to produce a winning team. The question is: what are they willing to do about it?
"...To hurdle over the skids of inconsistent play, the Rams need to find a quarterback to guide their offense for years to come," ESPN's Field Yates wrote. "With a slim class of free agents this offseason (Mark Sanchez and Brian Hoyer are among the best available quarterbacks, if that gives you an idea), the best vehicle to acquiring that player is trading up in the draft."
