News broke in the last couple of hours that the St. Louis Rams have traded the No. 2 draft pick to the Washington Redskins for three first-round draft picks and a second-round draft pick so the Skins can draft Heisman Trophy winning QB Robert Griffin III.
That’s too much for anyone including the likes of Johnny Unitas or Joe Montana.
As one sports writer said, the Rams made away like bandits as they fleeced the Washington Redskins.
About 80 percent of respondents to an ESPN SportsNation poll, with 41,000 votes so far, say that the Redskins gave up too much for Griffin. (With 130,000 votes as of Saturday afternoon, 78 percent say the Redskins gave up too much for Griffin.)
Here is what others say:
Les Carpenter of Yahoo Sports writes, “The price was so steep for RG3, the quarterback must learn from Shanahan and come to thrive quickly, otherwise the Redskins will be left with a lot of empty first nights of the draft and a mountain of fury from their fans who have long tired of throwing drafts away for something less than a sure thing.”
Ronnie Adkins of Hogs Haven writes, “Redskins fans are torn. There are two sides to the reported deal done with the Rams to acquire the 2nd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. One side is overjoyed and can’t wait to see RGIII in Redskins Burgundy and Gold, while the other is riddled with fear that the Redskins may have overpaid for him… If Robert Griffin does what he is expected -which is a lot- this trade will likely be forgotten by 2015 (Or earlier depending on how the Redskins front office decides to handle future offseasons). If he doesn’t, the fanbase that has been so loyal and understanding these past 20 years, may decide that enough is enough. Only then will the RGIII supporters (like myself) begin to understand what was just given away.”
An Internet sports editor Lawrence Dushenski writes, “Dan Snyder and Mike Shanahan have committed themselves in a way that only they can. Overpaying for an asset that is no sure thing, and adding them to a roster full of malcontents and misfits. While RGIII will surely put on his colorful socks and do his best to take over DC, the offensive assets quite simply are not there on the Redskins, and this could turn into another collossal Snyder disaster.”
Sportswriter Dan Wetzel asks, “if Griffin is worth three firsts and a second, what would Luck have fetched on the open market?” He says, “By dropping down just four spots in April’s NFL draft (from second overall to sixth), the St. Louis Rams landed the Washington Redskins’ second pick in 2012 and their first-round picks in 2013 and 2014. That’s four players for the price of one and, by any definition, a haul.”
Peter King of Sports Illustrated reports that it’s believed that no team has ever traded three first-round picks for a draft choice in NFL history. The Redskins did all of that, plus added a second-rounder to the deal. He says that the deal leaves St. Louis with the sixth, 33rd (first in the second round and first on day two of the draft) and 39th picks this year, along with two first-rounders in both 2013 and 2014. If the Rams can’t turn those seven prime picks into a contender, he says, they will have blown one of the great architectural opportunities in NFL history. The deal is a coup for rookie GM Les Snead of the Rams, King reports. “The haul is beyond what he could have hoped for,” he said.