Revisiting Bills-Rams 2013 draft trade– Wagoner

Revisiting Bills-Rams 2013 draft trade
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12177/revisiting-bills-rams-2013-draft-trade

EARTH CITY, Mo. — Last week, we took a look back at the 2012 NFL draft trade between the St. Louis Rams and Dallas Cowboys after cornerback Morris Claiborne was benched and left the Dallas facility in a huff.

That situation got no better this week when Claiborne suffered a torn left patellar tendon against New Orleans on Sunday night. But that’s not the only draft trade of recent vintage involving the Rams to make news lately.

On Monday afternoon, Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone surprised some by announcing that quarterback EJ Manuel had been benched in favor of veteran Kyle Orton. For those who don’t remember, the Bills actually acquired Manuel in the 2013 draft after a trade with the Rams.

Unlike Claiborne or Washington acquiring quarterback Robert Griffin III, this deal was a little different as the Rams were the team moving up. In the deal, the Rams moved up to the No. 8 overall pick with Buffalo moving down to No. 16. The Bills received the Rams’ second (No. 46 overall) and seventh-round (No. 222) choices in exchange, and the two sides swapped picks in the third round to get the deal done.

The Rams, of course, used the pick on receiver Tavon Austin and eventually used the additional seven spots in the third round to land safety T.J. McDonald. Buffalo made the move because it coveted Manuel and knew it wouldn’t have to spend such a lofty pick to get him. The Bills grabbed Manuel at No. 16, scooped up linebacker Kiko Alonso with the second-round pick, landed receiver Marquise Goodwin with the third-round choice and took tight end Chris Gragg with the seventh-round choice.

It’s probably a bit too early to make any sweeping judgments about the trade, but the early returns would indicate that neither side has gotten much out of it. The news of Manuel’s benching is a bit of a surprise, but with Marrone potentially coaching for his job under new ownership, the need to win now is elevated. Alonso was clearly the best player in the bunch in his rookie season but is on the reserve/non-football injury list with a torn ACL this season. Goodwin and Gragg haven’t done much yet.

Meanwhile, Austin has flashed his vast potential at times but hasn’t been consistent and has battled nagging injuries, including a knee ailment that kept him out of the Rams’ last game. McDonald looks to be rounding into a solid starter.

The big loss in this deal for the Rams was not having a second-round pick. Based on reports from the time, many signs pointed to the Rams selecting guard Larry Warford had they maintained their second-round choice. Who they would have taken at No. 16 is unknown but Warford has thus far outperformed every player in this trade given the injury to Alonso.

Only time will tell how this trade really plays out for both sides but so far it’s awfully hard to declare either side a winner.