While it's long been suspected that the St. Louis Rams, who still have a massive financial commitment at the QB position to former No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, would eventually trade the No. 2 overall pick, and the chance to select Baylor's Robert Griffin III, a new report from NFL.com's Jason La Canfora indicates that the timetable for their decision may have been accelerated:
League sources said the Rams are willing to trade their first-round pick far earlier than the norm due to their ongoing conversations with multiple teams regarding their interest in a trade and the likelihood of significant interest in the pick with teams targeting Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III.
As La Canfora notes, several of the teams reportedly eyeing Griffin to upgrade their QB position are also looking at prospective free agents Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn, who should be the two biggest names available in free agency.
From the Rams perspective, dealing Griffin before free agency begins creates the greatest number of possible suitors and increases the amount of leverage they have in dealing the pick.
If they wait until the days before the NFL Draft in April to move it, there may be substantially fewer teams trying to upgrade at the QB position.