There hasn't been all that much buzz about Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins going to St. Louis with the No. 2 pick, but expect the talk to intensify now.
NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport reported on Twitter that Watkins is visiting with the Rams on Monday, and that he will work out for the club privately on Friday.
Watkins (6-foot-1, 211 pounds) universally is regarded as the top wide receiver in the draft, and the Rams could pair him with Tavon Austin -- a first-round pick of the Rams last year -- to give quarterback Sam Bradford a dangerous receiving duo. Bradford has not lived up to the hype of being the No. 1 overall pick, and drafting Watkins could be seen as the beginning of "produce or be gone" time for Bradford.
Most mock drafts on NFL.com have the Rams taking an offensive tackle at No. 2, but St. Louis does have Jake Long and Rodger Saffold at tackle and team officials could figure that bringing in Watkins would rev up a unit that was 30th in the league in total offense and 21st in scoring offense.
If Houston takes a quarterback with the first pick, the Rams would have their choice of Watkins, South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the offensive tackle of their choosing and the outside linebacker of their choosing. They also could be inundated with trade offers. Remember that the No. 2 pick originally belonged to the Washington Redskins and that the Rams also pick 13th in the first round; they are one of two teams with two first-round picks (Cleveland is the other, with Nos. 4 and 26). Thus, while Houston's pick will have a huge bearing on how the first round goes, the Rams' decision also has the potential to shape the round.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
