The NFL allowed Rams owner Stan Kroenke to take the team back to L.A. And Rams owner Stan Kroenke now seems to be willing to do the NFL a favor in return, by not screwing up the ultimate reality show’s ultimate offseason reality show.
Amid a report from Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times that the Rams traded up from No. 15 to No. 1 to get quarterback Carson Wentz, Peter King of the MMQB.com reports that the Rams “have not decided with certainty” who they will select.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how an NFL team holding the first pick in the draft refrains from undermining the drama of the draft. Given that the NFL has squeezed its broadcast partners to not tip the picks after the picks have been communicated to the league but before the Commissioner has announced them, it’s fair to conclude that the NFL also has squeezed teams not to make their intentions known prematurely, either.
So unofficially it’s Wentz. Officially, the Rams have leaked to King that they don’t know “with certainty” who they’ll pick. And they’ll apparently adhere to that approach until they are on the clock two weeks from tonight, in order to ensure that the top of the draft will preserve some amount of intrigue.
Indeed, it’s likely that the entire trade would have remained under wraps until then, but for the apparently desire of Tennessee to use the L.A. picks for even more trades.
Meanwhile, there is at least a little potential value in waiting. If Carson Wentz were to suffer a fluke injury or worse in the next two weeks, the Rams would surely change their minds about drafting him.
The greater value flows to the NFL, which wants to ensure that the draft will draw maximum interest and ratings and revenue. Which is precisely why the Rams have leaked to King the notion that it’s not a done deal that they’ll take Wentz.
Even though the application of any amount of common sense suggests that they didn’t move to the top of the draft simply for the privilege of having the dibs on the field.
