The League

Is Sanchez an Option For Rams?

The first pick in today's NFL draft is decided, with the Detroit Lions having agreed Friday night to a six-year contract with Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford with $41.7 million in guaranteed money and a maximum total value, including incentives, of approximately $78 million.

So the focus moves to the second overall selection, possessed by the St. Louis Rams. People around the league are guessing this morning that the Rams will choose Baylor left tackle Jason Smith. But there also appears to be an outside chance that the club could opt instead for Southern Cal quarterback Mark Sanchez.

Sanchez has been the draft's most intriguing figure in recent days, with speculation that the Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins or New York Jets could trade up in the first-round order to select him. He could be an option for the Seattle Seahawks at fourth as an eventual replacement for Matt Hasselbeck; for the Cleveland Browns at fifth, a pick that could produce a trade of Brady Quinn; or for the San Francisco 49ers at 10th. It's thought, though, that a team would trade into the eighth spot, now occupied by the Jacksonville Jaguars, if Sanchez remains available at that point.

Or maybe the Rams will take him and eliminate all the trade possibilities very quickly. The Rams perhaps would trade quarterback Marc Bulger if they select Sanchez, and there has been speculation that the Jets might be interested in Bulger.

Still, the most likely move for the Rams appears to be choosing Smith as a replacement for Orlando Pace, who was released earlier this offseason.

By Mark Maske  |  April 25, 2009; 9:51 AM ET  | Category:  Draft , Rams Save & Share:                 
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Posted by: ozpunk | April 25, 2009 2:49 PM

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