NFL Draft 2012: 4 First-Round Trades Bound to Happen

Peyton Manning commanding the line of scrimmage
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As the NFL draft approaches faster than a speeding bullet, it's just about time to start thinking about draft day trades.

Questions hover around each team. Who knows what's going to happen on that magical Thursday night at the Radio City Music Hall?

It's never too early to predict.

Trade 1: St. Louis—Washington

RG3 launching a pass to a Baylor wideout
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The Teams

St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins

 

The Deal

The Rams get the Redskins' 2012 first-round pick (6th overall) and the Redskins' 2013 second-round pick. The Redskins get the Rams 2012 first-round pick (2nd overall).

 

The Redskins Pick

Robert Griffin III Quarterback, Baylor.

 

The Rams Pick

Michael Floyd WR, Notre Dame.

As the Redskins rebuild their franchise piece-by-piece, they need an electrifying quarterback to keep the offense in sync.

RG3 has a few tools on offense to work with—Santana Moss, Roy Helu, to name a few—but Washington will likely look for another target on day-two or day-three of the draft.

Trade Two: Buffalo—New England

OLB Courtney Upshaw While Playing For Alabama
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The Teams: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots

The Deal: The Bills get the Patriots' two first round picks (27th overall, 31st/32nd overall pending Super Bowl). The Patriots get the Bills' first round pick (10th overall) and the Bills' 2013 sixth round pick.

The Pick: Patriots: Courtney Upshaw, DE/OLB, Alabama. Bills: (27th, 31st/32nd) Trade

The Patriots could truly use a hybrid run stopping/pass rushing front seven player, and with Upshaw the combination is evident. Upshaw is a fantastic run stopper and a solid pass rusher, and would balance out the Patriots' defense. 

He would be an immediate-impact player for New England. He played for one of the top schools in the nation and is ready to play big at the next level.

The Bills would look to move up by the way of a trade. That deal would most likely consist of at least one of their late first rounders acquired via their trade with New England.

Trade Three: New York Jets—Indianapolis

Manning on the Colts' sideline
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The Teams: New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts

The Deal: The Jets get QB Peyton Manning and the a Colts' 2013 conditional pick, and the Colts get the Jets' 2012 and 2013 first round pick.

The Pick: Colts: Trade

The Colts would be in a fantastic position to deal their pick. Indy could trade their pick for more picks later on in the first round and still select a player around the same quality. If I were in the Colts' front office, I would be dialing up Buffalo right now.

Trade Four: Indianapolis—Buffalo

Nick Perry 2010 Highlights

The Teams: Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills

The Deal: The Colts get both of the Bills' first round picks (27th, 31st/32nd via NE). The Bills get the Colts' second first round pick (16th overall, via NYJ) and the Colts' 2012 fifth round pick.

The Picks: Bills: Nick Perry, DE/OLB, USC. Colts: 27th: Mark Barron, S, Alabama. 31st/32nd: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers.

The Bills would get a feared pass rusher labelled with upside. Perry is fast and has a lethal dip move to weave around offensive tackles. Opposing quarterbacks would have a very rough time playing against this speed.

The Colts would have a bright future at the safety position with Barron. He is a ballhawk and a hard hitting defensive back. Sanu and Andrew Luck would be the future of not only the Colts offense but the Colts team. A tandem with that much potential has rarely been seen in the NFL since the Peyton Manning-Marvin Harrison combination that dominated the in AFC.