NFL Mock Draft 2012

1. Indianapolis Colts -- Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
The Colts are replacing one franchise QB with another.

2. Washington Redskins -- Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor (via trade with St. Louis)
The most exciting player in this year’s draft will be worth the price of admission as a rookie. Has a chance to be Washington’s next great football player.

3. Minnesota Vikings -- Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
After strongly considering USC OT Matt Kalil, the Vikings choose Claiborne. Six games a year against Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford Jay Cutler will drive their decision.

Report: Brandon Lloyd Traded to St. Louis Rams

With a Tuesday afternoon trade deadline looming in the NFL, the Denver Broncos have sent WR Brandon Lloyd to St. Louis Rams for a sixth round pick, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

The Rams are 0-5 this season and desperately need a playmaker at wide receiver. Lloyd meanwhile, is in a contract year and will look to cash in with the Rams.

Lloyd will be reunited with Josh McDaniels, who is the Rams offensive coordinator and Lloyd's former head coach in Denver last season. Lloyd flourished in McDaniels offense, leading the NFL in receiving yards with 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2010.

Lloyd, who is 30, has 19 catches for 283 yards and zero TDs this season.

Fantasy impact: Lloyd's arrival in St. Louis improves Sam Bradford's stock and Steven Jackson should get a bump too. Lloyd's arrival also means Mike Sims-Walker is likely out in St. Louis and Mark Clayton's sneaky value is all but gone. As for Denver, look for Eric Decker to get more targets and keep an eye on the return of Demaryius Thomas. Thomas is returning from an Achilles tear suffered during the offseason. Thomas is worth a look in most leagues, but don't expect immediate success - considering the severity of his injury.

NFL Lockout's Impact On The St. Louis Rams

St. Louis Rams: The Rams have the look of an up and coming team. That could be tempered a bit by the arrival of new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. The former Denver Broncos head coach will bring his vast playbook to St. Louis, which will be hard to teach without off season practices. The Rams do have one of the brightest young stars at quarterback in Sam Bradford, so learning a new offense shouldn't be too hard for him. However, I expect growing pains early in the season and look for Steven Jackson to carry the load early on. As for the Rams defense, head coach Steve Spagnuolo already has a system in place and his defense is young.

St. Louis Rams cut O.J. Atogwe

On the same day the Indianapolis Colts released safety Bob Sanders, another high-priced safety got his walking papers. O.J. Atogwe was let go by St. Louis Rams today.

Atogwe was set to make an $8 million roster bonus on February 21. The Rams just signed the 29-year-old to a five-year, $32 million deal in June.

Now that Atogwe is a free agent, look for the Atogwe-to-the-Vikings rumors to begin. The six-year pro from Stanford is engaged to the daughter of Vikings assistant coach Mike Singletary.

2011 Fantasy Football Scouting Report: Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis Rams

2010 Stats	3512 yds.	18 TDs	15 INTs
2011 Projected	3720 yds.	21 TDs	16 INTs

Bradford is coming off a very successful rookie season where he threw for over 3,500 yards and 18 touchdowns. He will be playing in a new offense this season, with the arrival of Josh McDaniels as the Rams new offensive coordinator. Bradford should be able to pick-up the offense reletively quick, so that shouldn't be an issue. The biggest issue for Bradford is the lack of playmakers at wide receiver for the Rams. Wide receivers Danny Amendola and Danario Alexander are good second-tier players, but nowhere near dynamic. Mark Clayton started well last season before hurting his knee and tight end Michael Hoomanawanui showed promise. The Rams did draft a couple of wide receivers in the 2011 NFL Draft, taking Boise State's Austin Pettis in the third round and Hawaii's Greg Salas in the fourth, but those guys won't have a huge impact this season. St. Louis also used its second round pick on Wisconsin tight end Lance Kendricks. The Rams are certainly trying to build a solid offensive foundation around Bradford, but don't expect fantasy football success just yet for Bradford (soon though).