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          NFL Nation

          Could Baltimore be ideal trade spot for Rams to get a quarterback?

          • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterApr 12, 2016, 09:00 AM ET
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              Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
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          The speculation about the Los Angeles Rams trading up to get their franchise quarterback is steadily heading toward a crescendo as we draw closer to the NFL draft at the end of the month.

          Because of the Rams' obvious need at quarterback, they have been connected to deals all the way up to the Tennessee Titans and the first overall pick. That would be an awfully long road to travel from their current pick at No. 15 to get to the top spot for their pick of quarterbacks. And it would undoubtedly cost a lot in terms of compensation.

          In fact, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay (rightfully) views it as just too far for a team to move up, especially in a draft where none of the top quarterback prospects appear to be ready to step in right away.

          So what would be a reasonable spot to move up to land North Dakota State's Carson Wentz or Cal's Jared Goff? Logic says the Cleveland Browns will probably take one of them with the second pick, which means the chances of the other slipping to No. 15 isn't good.

          But the next team in the draft order with a clear quarterback need is San Francisco at No. 7. That means the Baltimore Ravens, the owner of the sixth pick, would be a more reasonable trade partner. Ravens reporter Jamison Hensley explored Baltimore's options for such a move on Monday.

          I'm still not entirely convinced the Rams like any of the quarterbacks enough to pay the freight to make a bold move up but there's no doubting that Baltimore is a far more logical (and reasonably priced) alternative to trying to move all the way to the top of the board.

          I.C.Y.M.I.

          A roundup of Monday's Rams stories appearing on ESPN.com. ... We began the day with a look at how the Rams won the 2012 trade with Washington but not as convincingly as they needed to in order to take the next step. ... The Ram-blings started with a glance at how the Rams hope to become more of a global brand in Los Angeles. ... The Rams visited with safety Donte Whitner but where would he fit?

          Elsewhere:

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          ESPN's NFL Nation offers the best draft move of the past five years for every team.

          Matt Bowen writes that we shouldn't forget about Alabama running back Derrick Henry when it comes to the top prospects in this draft.

          In the LA Times' latest mock draft, Sam Farmer envisions a Rams trade-up scenario that goes a little higher than No. 6.

          The OC Register writes that the Rams are building their offense around running back Todd Gurley.