Feb 24, 2012; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Olklahoma State Cowboys wide receiver Justin Blackmon speaks at a press conference during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

For those of you who don’t know, I’m pretty much a draft geek. I’ll admit it. For someone who loves the draft like I love the draft, the NFL Scouting Combine is one of the best times of the year. Unfortunately, the Combine just happens to coincide with my busiest time of work: the high school basketball postseason. The good news is that I am able to record everything that happens watch it even more closely, but the bad news is that my time is a little limited as I travel around the state of Illinois to cover basketball.

I fully intend to have comprehensive Combine coverage all week, so make sure to come back each day for updates. The hoopla has already started, as the players went through interviews and medical test over the last few days. I don’t want to go overboard here, but it looks like Justin Blackmon is off to a little bit of a rough start to the week.

Blackmon injured his hamstring last week, so he won’t be running the 40 at the Combine and he probably won’t be doing a ton of work this week. He said he might do some short routes, but nothing that could injure him further. Blackmon also measured in at under 6-foot-1, which is a bit of a disappointment. He plays bigger than that, and it’s probably not a huge deal, but it’s still not a great start. I firmly believe that Blackmon is one of those guys you need to watch in a game situation to truly see how good he is, but if he struggles during workouts it could be enough to scare the Rams away from drafting him in the first few picks. Let’s hope that’s not the case.

Dec 29 2011; San Antonio, TX, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) runs the ball against the Washington Huskies during the third quarter of the Alamo Bowl at the Alamodome. Baylor beat Washington 67-56. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-US PRESSWIRE

I know this isn’t going to come as a shock to anyone who follows the Rams, but a report came out on Thursday that the Rams are shopping the second overall pick in the upcoming draft. There is a report that there is or will be plenty of interest from other teams likely looking to move up to take Robert Griffin. The upcoming combine will be a good place for the Rams to start dialogue with other teams.

The combine is going to tell us plenty about what options the Rams will have come draft time. If RG3 impresses like everyone expects him to, there should be plenty of opportunity to move back. If for some reason he would fall flat, however, it will be far more difficult. The good news is that there’s no reason to think Griffin won’t be good in a combine setting, so the Rams are in good shape.

There are plenty of mock drafts that are already predicting a trade, and the Browns, Redskins, Dolphins and Seahawks have all been mentioned as possibilities. I’ve already talked about the Browns as the best partner, but I think Washington is another major candidate. I doubt the Rams and Seahawks will do anything as division rivals, but there are options out there. If the Rams can move down, get more picks and still come away with an elite talent (like Justin Blackmon) it’s oing to be a good draft.

February 18-24
NFL Scouting Combine, Indianapolis, Indiana.

February 19
Deadline for clubs to designate franchise and transition players.

February 26
Deadline for submission of qualifying offers by clubs to their restricted free agents whose contracts have expired and to whom they desire to retain a right of first refusal/compensation.

Deadline for clubs to submit offer of minimum salary to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with fewer than three seasons of free agency credit whose contracts have expired.

February 27
Veteran free agency signing period begins. Trading period begins.

March 22-25
NFL Annual (Owners) Meeting, Dana Point, California.

April 17
Signing period ends for restricted free agents.

April 24
Deadline for old club to exercise right of first refusal to restricted free agents.

April 25-26
2009 NFL Draft, New York City