In drafts there are always a flurry of deals made, especially in recent history since they made it more even finance-wise to trade up into the Top 5 or 10 to get yourself a stud. It has become such a largely consistent trend, that even mock drafts regularly predict trades. But I’ve got some thoughts on what teams may be wanting to trade this year to go up or down.
When these teams are on the clock, you’ll need to be fully aware they’ll take all the time they can, whether they trade out or make a selection of the best player available.
Down: Tennessee Titans
This team is in that #2 position, one coveted by a ton of organizations. It’s a great place to trade up for your franchise quarterback. Just ask the St. Louis Rams. The trade happened many weeks before, but the Washington Redskins gave up so many draft picks for one guy who they believed to be their future, Robert Griffin III.
If Winston slips to #2, I see no doubt in my mind that the Titans take him. If the unexpected doesn’t happen, teams will look to trade up ahead of the Redskins and the Jets to grab Mariota, and teams will pay a fortune to do so if they believe Mariota is their franchise’s cornerstone.
I wouldn’t even rule out if a team is in love with one of these receivers, trying to trade up ahead of Jacksonville or Oakland.
Up: San Diego Chargers
The Chargers are one of the teams who may want to trade up for Marcus Mariota, but they can also be a team on the hunt for Todd Gurley.
All of his medicals checked out so Gurley’s knee is okay, and the Chargers have three heads in the backfield with Branden Oliver, Danny Woodhead, and Donald Brown; but they need that guy to set the Chargers’ backfield apart. Perhaps getting Gurley could allow him to have limited carries in San Diego with that backfield.
San Diego has quite a bit to offer if they indeed plan on cutting ties with Philip Rivers. Giving up Rivers for a shot at Mariota (or Gurley) would save them the cap space to re-sign Eric Weddle, and Rivers would be worth it to the Titans, Redskins, or Jets, allowing the Chargers to retain either their 2nd round pick this year, or their 1st rounder next year.
They can grab a quarterback like Bryce Petty in the 2nd round, or try getting a good draft pick next season to get a QB.
Down: Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings have dominated the mainstream media with the possibility of them trading their star running back Adrian Peterson. If they don’t go through with that long stretch, they could be a real candidate to trade down.
If you remember, they traded up to 32 and back into the first round in a deal with the Seahawks last year to get Teddy Bridgewater. If the top pass rushers are off the board and they don’t need Gurley or Gordon, they can trade down to accumulate picks to help in numerous areas on this team.
There’s going to be teams who want to get ahead of Cleveland at #12 to get DeVante Parker from Louisville. It’s expected to see Amari Cooper and Kevin White off the board in the first ten picks, but the team who trades up for a guy like DeVante Parker, I believe won’t regret it.
Up: Pittsburgh Steelers
If you were aware, the stellar Steeler defense that once was, is no more.
So many of the great defensive players that brought them their NFL record-setting sixth Super Bowl, is no longer sporting the yellow and black (or the bumblebee unis) on the field. Between the pass rush and the secondary, the Steelers organization could draft a great defensive player this year.
The AFC North is about who can play the better ball against the opposing offense, and Pittsburgh’s about to lose that identity. They have Big Ben, Antonio Brown, and after the first month of the season, Le’Veon Bell, but they’ll need a defense if they want to see a repeat as division champs. You could see them trade up for a pass rusher to get after Manziel, Dalton, and Flacco, or they could take a defensive back.
If the Steelers trade up, they’re going all out.
They’ll go for Trae Waynes of Michigan State or nobody at all. Though they could have success with drafting Peters, if they can’t get into the Top 10. Plus, if they’re confident that Landon Collins can fill some of the hole Polamalu’s retirement dug, they can trade ahead of the in-state Eagles and draft the safety from Alabama, the most prized safety this draft.
Down: New York Giants
Not many look at the Giants as a team to trade down, and I’m not sure why. They have holes to fill on the interior and on the offensive line, but you can’t rule out the team trading down to get an extra pick or two to help both of the lines, or even something in the secondary.
The Giants defense was actually scary before injuries deflated their season, and their offense was and still is scary with Eli, Odell, Larry Donnell, and Andre Williams headed into his sophomore year in the NFL in the backfield — not to mention Victor Cruz returning from a devastating injury.
You may want to look at the Giants as a team to make a smart front office move; to trade down and fill an extra hole to get them into serious contention for the division crown.
Up: Detroit Lions
Hear me out here. The Lions have one of the better offensive passing attacks with Matt Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and Golden Tate. They also had a formidable defense last season. However, they lost Ndamukong Suh to the Dolphins in one of the most lucrative deals we’ve seen for a defensive player in the history of the game.
But, Suh didn’t matter much to their win-loss totals, and they were smart to not overspend to keep Suh. But on the other hand, they lost Nick Fairley inside.
They’ve spent a lot of years on the defensive line with the drafting of Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley, and Ezekiel Ansah, but they’ve now lost two of those and it’s in the interior. They made a trade with the Ravens to get Haloti Ngata to fill some of the void but he’s 31 years old. Also, despite how consistent Ngata has been, there’s something the Ravens know to trade Ngata. Haloti hasn’t played a full season since 2011 and his numbers are dropping. Over 10 sacks in 2010 and 2011, only 8.5 since.
If they don’t trade up for a defensive linemen, they can go offensive linemen in the first and possibly get Lake Tomlinson from Duke on Day 2. The Lions must live by the mantra that you win or lose games in the trenches.
Down: Dallas Cowboys
I felt I would end on this, considering that BlueStarTimes.com is originally a Dallas Cowboys blog, even if I write articles on some other NFL happenings.
This is a very easy decision to make.
If the Cowboys aren’t high enough on a guy they’re willing to take at pick #27, I suggest they find someone willing to trade up in the first round, or perhaps a team wanting to trade back into the second round to revive hope within their fan base.
The Cowboys could use two second rounders, spending one on a running back and another on a defender. I think it’s a very real possibility.
Many fans won’t be too fond of sitting for hours on Thursday night just for the Cowboys to leave with no new Cowboys, but believe me when I say that Stephen Jones will be looking at the bigger picture. If you’re not sold, what would you rather have? Draft Day 1 excitement with a bust? Or two second rounders who provide that jump to a sixth Super Bowl? If you’re a true Cowboys fan, you’ll have no problem with the latter.
So I just gave you some teams who may be looking to trade up or down next week. Watch for these trades to go down and don’t be disappointed if they don’t. The draft is unpredictable, yet holds very likely events.
If you believe I left out a team who could trade up or down, tell us in the comments down below.
Tennessee has the first pick in the draft, not the second.