We're rapidly approaching the end of the 2012 NFL Mock Draft season, and it's been a wacky one: The St. Louis Rams were connected to Matt Kalil by default for a while, then they shook up the draft—and solidified the first two picks—by trading the Washington Redskins into that territory. That opened up Justin Blackmon season. For two months, Justin Blackmon was the only Rams pick worth making in mock drafts.
But if you know anything about NFL Mock Drafts and NFL Mock Drafters, you know this: They don't like making the same pick over and over. Slowly, due to the anti-inertia of the mock draft, Blackmon's value dropped. He went from being a dynamic, NFL-ready receiver with multiple polished talents to a "possession receiver" who wasn't ready to make a top-of-the-first-round impact.
Those mean the same thing—it's just that one of them is a first-round-moving-up scouting report, the other its first-round-falling-down equivalent. Blackmon is a fine wide receiver, and he'd be ready to help Sam Bradford right now. He's probably the most NFL-ready difference-maker available on offense at No. 6. And after all this back-and-forth, I still hope the Rams select him.
More Justin Blackmon coverage from SB Nation St. Louis:
- Todd McShay picked Justin Blackmon for the Rams in his final 2012 NFL Mock Draft.
- We also ran the odds on the Rams selecting every first-round-caliber wide receiver.