Don't Be Surprised: New England Patriots Trade Up

The Patriots are in a different position this year than they have been in recent years. Scott Pioli, Nancy Meier, Nick Caserio and the rest of the gang have been used to scouting guys that nobody else is looking at. They look for diamond-in-the-rough kind of players.

This year, they've had the luxury of scouting this draft class's top picks. Knowing that they have the seventh pick in the draft, they've been making a point to look at all of the top guys.

That includes a guy that everyone knows by now, Darren McFadden.

A lot of mock drafts have the Raiders taking McFadden with the fourth pick. What a lot of people haven't noticed, is that the Raiders put a "for sale" sign on their front lawn at their headquarters in Alameda CA, hoping to attract a good trade offer in the next 24 hours.

Al Davis has never traded away a top 5 pick.. ever.

But, Lane Kiffin has made it abundantly clear that it is certainly a possibility. The Raiders only have 5 picks right now, and if they can increase that number, it will help the Raiders' ability to fill their many needs on both sides of the ball.

With that being said, McFadden paid a visit to Coach Belichick in Foxboro not long ago. Here's an excerpt from his blog entry pertaining to the visit:

"I really enjoyed meeting Coach Belichick. He told me about their team and their system and what they would expect of me. They are always looking for playmakers and that's what I am. I sat down with most of the offensive coaching staff and watched film. They also introduced me to Kevin Faulk. He's impressive, the way he studies, how he trains and how he carries himself. If I can duplicate the way he prepares I'll be doing just fine."

Don't be surprised if a last second trade is announced that sounds something like this:

"In a surprising move, the New England Patriots have traded their first and third round picks to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for the fourth pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. With that pick, the New England Patriots select ... Darren McFadden, RB from the University of Arkansas."

Of course, 24 hours from now this article could turn out to be a complete waste of time.