Pay Close Attention to Trent Richardson in Today's Game

This may sound exotic, but hear me out. I have a belief that if Jeff Fisher agrees to come here we may be trading Steven Jackson rather than trade out the #2 pick to gather more picks. We can pick TR at #2 which will probably not be considered reach, Justin Blackmon certainly would. plus we get a younger running back with more years of service to us than SJ AND we likely free-up cap space which we don't have much of this year. TR is also a great receiver out of the backfield so we get a younger version of SJ at less $. Blackmon is good, but I'm not reading that he's going to light up the league, so we can fall back into our picking on need rather than the BPA.

Fisher likes a solid running game and TR will definitely offer that, plus we get extra picks in rounds 2-4 as a result of trade and with cap space we stand a chance to sign WR's like M. Colsten/V. Jackson plus OL like Carl Nicks or Ben Grubbs.

As much as I hate to lose SJ, there are teams like the Jets or Pats who are close to winning it all but need a running back. Let's face it at 29 SJ will only have 2-3 more great years. Call me crazy, but there is irrefutable logic here.

Go Rams!

This should be SJax's decision if whether he wants to leave to a contender or play his final years with us. I'll support whatever decision he makes.

We wont get much for sj but i do like trent... I liked hihim better than ingram, trent is more explosive. Im in the blackmon camp but i wouldnt mind trading down and getting trent, but keeping sj too

Trade SJ.......HELL NO!!!!!! We could trade down and still draft Trent Richardson or Justin Blackmon, or Morris Claiborne. Why get rid of SJ, and for what, and 2nd or 3rd round pick. Are you kidding me. That would be like going 8 steps backwards in the rebuild.

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Originally Posted by mde8352gorams

This may sound exotic, but hear me out. I have a belief that if Jeff Fisher agrees to come here we may be trading Steven Jackson rather than trade out the #2 pick to gather more picks. We can pick TR at #2 which will probably not be considered reach, Justin Blackmon certainly would.

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Okay, I tried to hear you out, but I stopped here because I couldn't possibly disagree more.

For starters, running backs are not high value positions. Only one running back has been taken in the Top Five in the last five years. Only two running backs have been taken with the second overall pick in the last 15 years.

Secondly, the NFL has been shifting towards becoming a passing league for years. The rules are geared for passing. This is perhaps best highlighted by the fact that three quarterbacks broke the 5,000 yard mark this season.

On top of that, who is trading anything for a soon-to-be 29-year-old Steven Jackson who is scheduled to make $14 million in salary over the next two seasons? What would any team give up for him that would make it worth it for the Rams?

Finally, the Rams have holes that they need to fill. I see very little sense in spending the second overall pick on one of the few positions that is actually a strength for this team. Don't get me wrong, the Rams aren't going to have Jackson around forever, but they don't have the luxury of spending a first round pick on his replacement. Not when there are protection issues, a lack of playmakers on the perimeter of the offense, talent issues on the inside of the defensive line and at outside linebacker, and some serious health concerns at cornerback.

Maybe Richardson makes sense if you move down into the bottom part of the Top Ten and pick up a number of other picks to work with. But sitting at the second overall spot, I don't see a lot of sense in that move.

For the 4th round pick we'd get for SJAX, no thanks.

I also don't see a trade in the near future for SJ but Richardson could come into play if we move back in the draft.

Trade down with Cleveland, grab a couple extra picks, take the best thats left over from blackmon, Kalil, Richardson. with the other 1st rounder, fill the hole you didnt fill in the 4 spot.

that would hit the spot.

I happen to think Trent Richardson has a higher draft grade than Justin Blackmon at this point. Of course this is pre-combine and other evaluations. IMHO

If we draft TR, I will no longer be a Rams fan. That would honestly be worse than the Saints trade to get Ricky Williams. TR is above average, but not elite. Mid to late first round grade for me.

I love TRich. Hes nasty! If we were in dire need of an RB I'd take him without questioning it. Great runner, amazing pass catcher, pure 3 down back. Not many guys like him. Perhaps a baby SJAX?

TR higher than JB??? LMAO thanks for the laugh.Did you catch JB's bowl game??yea that wasnt a very uncommon game maybe a little better than normal but 150 2 tds isnt very rare of a game for him.He is incredibly consistent and freakishly good.TR is good but no way is he better than JB as far as prospect goes.

Okay, let me elaborate a bit on my thoughts here. First, TR IS rated higher than JB in every draft grading I've seen to date. Second, some ratings have gone so far as to declare him the Best RB to Come Out of College since Adrian Peterson. There has been none of that talk surrounding Justin Blackmon (who I really want to see as a Ram). You cannot lose sight of the fact that football these days has become a business and drafting smartly is considered good business.

As for the trade scenario, I have been an ardent SJ fan since he came here. I was disappointed when we barely used him his first year when Marshall Faulk was still on the team. But we have to be realistic about the current situation the Rams face. Regardless of who the next HC is, next year is likely to be a transitional year. That reduces SJ's contribution level one more year and for an older RB that is not good. My only reasoning is that if we need extra draft picks and free-up cap space this could be an option the FO will consider. Do I hope it happens? Not really, because I do like SJ a lot and feel he provides leadership that isn't easily replaced. I was around for the Eric Dickerson trade and while I realize the circumstances were different, part of the motivation was that we needed to plan for the future and despite us blowing most of the draft picks we got with players like Darryl Henley who is likely still in jail for drug trafficking. I'm just saying our current state is not that different from then as we were transitioning to a new era of players. If you are objective about our team and see the changes that are about to take place my thinking is not as crazy as some of the replies have indicated.

Getting back to the draft, I hope we get a good trade offer from Washington because that will allow us to draft Blackmon at his correct value grade and still pick up extra picks. If we wind up taking Blackmon at #2 depending on his combine performance, you can expect to hear "reach" coming from a lot of voices. Ultimately, if he performs well and lifts out team's offense (which I'm sure he will) it makes little difference. But I've been a fan for longer than most of you and I'm looking for us to get back to better drafting that was done when people like Jack Faulkner (LA Rams) ran the show.

Incidentally, Trent Richardson didn't hurt his draft grade too badly last night, although I'll admit it wasn't an elite performance. The next few months will be very interesting for us, that much I'm sure about.

Go Rams!

TR would be fine, love to have him on the team but I gotta believe the Rams are looking elsewhere unless they get a 2nd first round pick in a trade or traded up into the bottom of the 1st round to steal him. It's been proven repeatedly that RBs taken in the top of the first round are over-valued compared to the alternatives. TR is a beast and I'd love to have him on the team, just not with a top 10 pick.

To the person who said Trent Richardson is above average, and not elite...

Well, you probably can't be more wrong than you just were.


Above average? You're calling the best RB prospect since Adrian Peterson above average?


I don't know which Trent Richardson you've been watching, but the one from Tuscaloosa is a legitimate player.


Personally, I think he's better than SJax.