The 2012 NFL Mock Draft scene has more or less settled on the St. Louis Rams selecting Justin Blackmon with the sixth overall pick they got, earlier this month, in a trade with the Washington Redskins. That makes a lot of sense: The Rams have a lot of chances to draft other players, now, and Sam Bradford needs a wide receiver who isn't Danny Amendola to throw to. Meanwhile, both their 2011 gambles—Austin Pettis and Greg Salas—appear to have flamed out. Blackmon's the Rams' best chance to cultivate a number-one wide receiver of their own.
So why wouldn't the Rams take Blackmon?
I've got three scenarios: First, the Rams could prove more interested than any of us expected in making Trent Richardson the Next Great Rams running back, even though Steven Jackson has a few good years yet. Richardson is a great prospect at the position, but it doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Second, the Rams could go for Morris Claiborne, despite having just signed Cortland Finnegan. Third—in the words of Jeff Goldblum, there is no step three. At sixth overall, the Rams and Blackmon are meant to be.
Unless... someone else picks Justin Blackmon first.
More NFL Draft coverage hand-picked from SB Nation St. Louis:
- How the Rams' big Robert Griffin III power-brokering trade reshaped the 2012 NFL Draft.
- The Rams' bounty of new draft picks makes a Justin Blackmon selection even more appealing—even if you worship with the cult of the offensive lineman.