The St. Louis Rams have done a fine job of filling the holes on their offensive and defensive line thus far in NFL free agency, signing center Scott Wells and talking with Jason Jones, but their highest-profile hole, at wide receiver, could be the next to go: The NFL rumor mill suggests the Rams are nearing a deal with Mario Manningham.

Manningham’s a great fit for a team that’s still looking to choose Justin Blackmon with their first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. He’s not a number-one option for most teams, but while Blackmon develops Manningham will stretch defenses that has no reason to look downfield while Danny Amendola sat on top of the wide receiver depth chart. He’s a genuine deep threat, and he’ll give Sam Bradford a lot of the same looks Brandon Lloyd offered during his brief stint in St. Louis.

The best news: He could also do it cheaper.

More NFL free agency coverage from SB Nation St. Louis:

• Steve Smith was also in town for a physical, though he and Danario Alexander seem to be an injury-prone receiver too far.


• The St. Louis Rams are also looking for receivers on the trade market, which could be an interesting use of their draft picks.


• But Justin Blackmon makes the most sense by far to fill the wide receiver gap.