The Minnesota Vikings traded into the first round to pick Teddy Bridgewater with the final pick in the round and that came after the team selected Anthony Barr with the number nine pick overall from UCLA and now a trade of Christian Ponder could be an option for the team after the Rams and Vikes were rumors to be in on a Sam Bradford trade heading into the draft.
Here are some nuggets we wrote before the draft about the Vikings. The Vikings are coming into the draft with a number of needs on both sides of the ball and heading into the event, CBS Sports reported that the team has looked at a Sam Bradford trade with the St. Louis Rams after the Vikes opted to decline the fifth-year option on Christian Ponder and that comes as rumors have popped up saying the Rams could opt to draft a first round quarterback.
The St. Louis Rams are in prime position to trade this year in the NFL draft and on top of that they are in great position to pick a quarterback if that is something they are looking to do. The team has the number two pick in the draft after dealing with the Washington Redskins for the right to draft RG3 and that gives them some flexibility heading into Thursday, as they have to picks over the first 13 selections. ESPN.com and Pro Football Talk have reported that at least four different teams could look to move up with the Rams for the number two pick and having the number 13 pick in the first round has only fueled that speculation.
SI.com reported that Jason La Canfora said that the Rams and Vikings have spoken about a trade regarding quarterback Sam Bradford and while that is surprising news, the Rams have been rumored to be interested in drafting a quarterback in 2014. Peter King at the MMQB.com speculated that the Rams could draft a quarterback with one of their first round picks, naming Johnny Manziel as a possibility and if the team opts to do that, Bradford could be on his way out.
The Rams and head coach Jeff Fisher like Bradford, but his injury last season came at a crucial time, as the fourth year is often one of the most important for young quarterbacks and now Fisher could look to start over with someone new. The QB class in this draft is deep this year and beyond names like Manziel, Blake Bortles and Teddy Bridgewater are players like Aaron Murray, Zach Mettenberger, AJ McCarron and Tajh Boyd and the Rams could opt for one of those names if they don't want to draft someone in the first round.
Jason La Canfora said on the radio that the Rams and Vikings have "engaged" in talks regarding Bradford and while he said that people involved have denied the rumors, the Rams are a team that will plan on talking with multiple teams leading into the first round. The Vikings pick at number eight and they have had their own quarterback issues, as Christian Ponder has not been the answer and Matt Cassel signed in the offseason to a two year deal as a the short term option. Bradford is getting paid a ton of money and he costs $17 million on the cap next year and that is because he is from the final class with no rookie wage scale.
Bradford's contract is coming up and the Rams may look at this opportunity as a chance to sign a talented quarterback like Manziel for a fraction of the price that it costs for Bradford. The Seahawks have used having Russell Wilson's contract being so small to build a Super Bowl winning team and the Rams front office could have a similar plan in their heads.
