Rams' big draft splash likely to impact Eagles' intentions at No. 8

THE SUN hadn't even had a chance to make eastbound drivers on the Santa Monica Freeway grab for their their visors yet Thursday morning, when the Rams made their first big splash since moving back to Los Angeles.

They received the first overall pick in the NFL draft from the Tennessee Titans, along with fourth- (113) and sixth-round (177) picks, for their first-rounder this year (15th), two seconds (43 and 45), a third (76), and their first- and third-round selections in 2017. The 43rd overall selection went from the Eagles to the Rams in the 2015 Sam Bradford trade, and 113 went from the Birds to the Titans in the DeMarco Murray deal.

It was a massive haul, and it had implications for those Eagles, who were in negotiations for the top pick but withdrew earlier this week, Titans general manager Jon Robinson told ESPN's Ed Werder.

For one thing, whichever of the two top quarterbacks the Rams are targeting, the Eagles aren't getting that guy. Some experts are pretty sure it's North Dakota State's Carson Wentz, others think it's Cal's Jared Goff, and the Rams said Thursday afternoon that they won't tell anyone before the draft. (We'll see about that. You'd think they'd want their selection and his agent to know. Generally, once an agent knows something, everyone does.)

This presents massive complications for a team such as the Eagles that might be inclined to trade up from eighth to second overall with Cleveland, should the Browns want to pass on taking the QB the Rams don't want. For one thing, you don't spend the assets needed to make that trade unless you know which quarterback you're getting. For another, the precedent set by the Rams, who are widely seen to have overpaid for the top pick, boosts the value of the next pick. There's an excellent chance the Eagles, who don't have a second-round pick this year, can't come up with a package to get to second overall, even if they could somehow find out what the Rams will do at No. 1.

The Eagles have told us they will draft a quarterback this year. It now seems most likely that this will happen with one of their third-round picks, which are 77th and 79th overall, and that the lucky fellow will be someone like Stanford's Kevin Hogan or Arkansas' Brandon Allen, a member of a large group of middle-roundish-looking QB prospects this year, all of whom are said to have some traits of an elite signal-caller.

Another possibility would be that if Wentz and Goff are long gone by the eighth pick, the Eagles take a gamble on Memphis QB Paxton Lynch, the guy some experts think has more upside than Wentz or Goff, but has a lot of developing left to do. Eighth would be way before Lynch is projected to go, but again, what happened Thursday might just change projections. If you think Lynch is substantially better than what you'll get later, maybe you endure a little draft-night tsk-tsking.

If the Eagles wait for the third round or later to go for a QB, that takes some pressure off Bradford's shoulders. A quarterback you take in the third round might or might not supplant your current starter someday; a guy you draft in the top 10 pretty much has to do that, within a few years.

This might be a good place to mention that when he was drafted first overall, by those very same Rams in 2010, Bradford was projected as a better prospect than Goff or Wentz. He's had two ACL surgeries since then, and hasn't had the kind of full, productive season that would justify those projections, but he was very good for the Eagles down the stretch in 2015, and he has a contract that will pay him $18 million this season, $34 million if he's also the starter in 2017.

Jordan Matthews, the Eagles' top receiver, talked about Bradford when Matthews sat down with reporters Wednesday at NovaCare. Like many Eagles, Matthews was glad to see Bradford re-signed. Matthews and tight end Zach Ertz went to Oklahoma to visit with and catch passes from Bradford last month.

Matthews said he thinks people underestimate the value of continuity and familiarity with a quarterback. He also said he thinks people underestimate Bradford, because of his low-key demeanor.

"Sam's a private person . . . That's really just who he is, man. I know people don't respect that, in this age, like, people are on social media, everything's always out there," Matthews said.

"Sometimes it looks like he doesn't care, or something, or he's passive, or whatever. He's not. He has a very competitive spirit. He's just very private."

Matthews - who posted breakfast photos from Bradford's house on Twitter - said he didn't realize before the visit that Bradford's silence on such platforms was more than just a natural reticence, it was a well-thought-out choice.

"I actually heard him out, and he made some really good points," Matthews said. "You can just tell he's at peace with where he is. It was really cool to see."

A lot of Eagles fans aren't as sold on Bradford as Matthews is, but, after Thursday, it seems likely that Bradford will get an extended opportunity to win them over.

@LesBowen

Blog: philly.com/Eaglesblog