Possible First-Round NFL Draft Trades

Story posted April 18, 2016 in CommRadio, Sports by Alissa Devine

Trades in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft are inevitable and every year picks are on the move in the draft. Last year, three trades involving first-round picks happened on Day 1 of the draft. It’s impossible to predict what moves will be taken this year, but they are guaranteed to happen. The recent news of the Tennessee Titans trading their No. 1 pick in the NFL draft to the LA rams opens up even more possibilities of trading.  Here are three hypothetical trades that could potentially occur in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft:

1.  Cleveland Browns trade their No. 2 pick to the Eagles at No. 8

The Rams, who are in desperate need of a quarterback, made the move to the No.1 spot in the draft that will guarantee a needed quarterback on their roster. The rams have two obvious choices of Carson Wentz and Jared Goff draft, now in the No. 1 spot. However, it is more likely the Rams take Goff, being the better fit for their offense. Will the Browns take Wentz at No. 2 or will they trade the pick?

There have been reports that the Browns will trade their No. 2 pick and will opt to trade down, having Robert Griffin III as their main quarterback. This leaves the No. 2 spot open to a team in desperate need of a quarterback. Many teams could trade into the No. 2 spot to take the second quarterback, but the Eagles are a definite potential.

The Eagles have shown a lot of interest in Carson Wentz, and with the Rams likely to take Goff, there is a chance of the Eagles trading into that second spot. Wentz would be a perfect fit for the Eagles offense and there is no guarantee Sam Bradford is returning to Philadelphia for the 2016-17 season. This would also be guaranteeing a spot over San Francisco, a team also in need of a quarterback.

2.  San Francisco 49ers trade their No. 7 pick to the Chicago Bears at No. 11

Since the Rams-Titans trade shook up the outlook of the NFL draft, it is now likely that the two top picks will go to quarterbacks for the seventh time. The San Francisco 49ers are one of the few teams unhappy with the trade, leaving no top 10 quarterbacks left. With that, the 49ers are most likely going to have to take a chance on a second-tier quarterback, such as Paxton Lynch of Memphis or Connor Cook of Michigan State. Colin Kaepernick remains questionable to stay with San Francisco and they can’t afford to bank on a quarterback like Blaine Gabbert. With that being said, the 49ers have no real value of staying in the top 10 of the draft, since they can acquire one of these quarterbacks at a lower pick.

Other teams in the top 10 have more options now that picks are moving down a spot because of the projected outcome of quarterbacks being chosen at No. 1 and No. 2. The Chicago Bears have a struggling defense and have a shot of getting a guy like DeForest Buckner at No. 7, if they trade with the 49ers. Buckner is an elite defensive end and would fit in well as a five-technique for the Bears, who continue to install a 3-4 defense. Therefore, there is always the potential the Bears trade up for the No. 7 spot of the draft, rather than letting a guy like Buckner slip away.

3.  Detroit Lions trade their No. 16 pick to the Colts at No. 18

Most teams at this point would want to keep their place in the top 10 for the draft because of the Rams-Titans trade. However, there are always potential trades that can happen outside of the top 10. The only reason this trade is even a possibility is because the Colts are in desperate need of an OT. The colts can pick up Taylor Decker, their last shot in the first round, and can finally get an OT they can win with, which they haven’t been able to acquire in the last four years. This trade isn’t likely to happen, but there are blockbuster trades that happen each year and no one can really project how the draft is going to pan out. Just look at the Rams trade with the Titans, the third-most expensive trade to get into the top 3.

Alissa Devine is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email alissadevine96@gmail.com.