Biggest winner at combine? Might have been the Rams

The biggest winner over the weekend at the NFL Scouting Combine might not have been any one player.

It might have been a team.

The St. Louis Rams were certainly thrilled to see Robert Griffin III turn heads as the Heisman-winning quarterback from Baylor prepares for the April draft. The Rams hold the No. 2 overall pick and after the Indianapolis Colts surprise no one and select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, that will leave the Rams with a decision: Draft another player or ransom the pick for a club interested in grabbing Griffin.

The Cleveland Browns are widely believed to be interested in Griffin. The Washington Redskins have been seeking a franchise quarterback for, well, just about all of Daniel Snyder’s tenure as owner. There could be other teams in the mix as well. The Browns select fourth with the Redskins sixth and the Miami Dolphins (8th) could also be in the mix.

As Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported, the Rams came up aces. Questions about Griffin’s height were answered when he checked in at 6-2 3/8. Then he blazed through the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds although we maintain that is overblown. A team is going to fall in love with Griffin for his passing ability not his straight-line speed.

"This is the best throwing athlete I've seen come out in awhile," said NFL Network analyst Brian Billick. "Far better than Michael Vick in my opinion. Far better than Cam Newton. ... This guy has as pure a throwing motion for an athletic quarterback. Clearly has the intelligence to transition (to the NFL)."

At this point, it’s just a matter of seeing what kind of package the Rams can get in exchange for their pick. If multiple teams get involved, it could become a windfall of draft picks for Fisher, who could certainly use them to rebuild the club.

Follow me on Twitter: @BradBiggs

Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune

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