Trades are the most exciting, intriguing roster moves in the NFL. Sure, the crazy rumors and crazier contracts of free agency can be fun, and the draft almost always makes teams better. A trade, though, is a game within a game—one than can be won or lost.

There are so many aspects to every trade, whether it's a player for draft picks, player for player or a combination of the two.

There's immediate on-field impact: Which team is going to get more production this season? Then, there's long-term on-field impact: Which team will still be benefiting from this trade down the road?

If draft picks are being swapped for players, what kind of pick value is getting moved? Is it enough to make up for the loss of the player?

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Back in December, Matt Miller and I took a look at the Oakland Raiders' draft needs heading into the NFL's offseason, knowing there was a good possibility that free agency could (and probably would) re-shape where the holes are in the Raiders' roster.

In the video above, Matt and I recalibrate our assessment of which positions and prospects we see the Raiders concentrating on in April's NFL draft.

Let us know in the comments below where you agree or disagree and if there are any holes on the Raiders' roster you think we might have missed. 

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Which NFL team is going to gamble on former South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore?

The NFL draft is, at its very core, a gamble. There's no avoiding it. "Safe" picks like Aaron Curry, Robert Gallery and Courtney Brown turn out to be busts, and millions are spent on players each year by teams that wish they could take a mulligan.

For most prospects, it's simply a question of whether a team's scouts are right about a player they like or if that team's coaching staff sees a potential fit for that player. For other players, however, intrinsic risk is added: Character red flags, position changes and injury issues can all force otherwise talented players down a draft board.

Lattimore fits in that last category, as he recovers from a horrific knee injury. Whatever risk he or any player would carry is certainly magnified due to the severity of that injury. 

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In the crazy days of March and April, every new NFL contract looks like a good one—or at least, no new contract looks like a bad one.

Big-name players, fans assume, will play like they always have for the length of the contract, up-and-down players will be up for the length of the contract, and unproven young veterans with just a handful of starts will blossom into Pro Bowlers.

Unfortunately, that's rarely how it works. Huge contracts are always signed in the first few days of free agency, and the vast majority end up as millstones around teams' necks.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers thought they'd secured the future at cornerback when they signed young veteran Eric Wright to a five-year, $37.5 million contract. One year later, the Bucs are shopping Wright on the trade market, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

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Back in December, Matt Miller and I took a look at the Miami Dolphins' draft needs heading into the NFL's offseason, knowing there was a good possibility that free agency could (and probably would) re-shape where the holes are in the Dolphins' roster.

In the video above, Matt and I recalibrate our assessment of which positions and prospects we see the Dolphins concentrating on in April's NFL draft.

Let us know in the comments below where you agree or disagree and if there are any holes on the Dolphins' roster you think we might have missed. 

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Back in December, Matt Miller and I took a look at the Indianapolis Colts' major draft needs heading into the NFL's offseason, knowing there was a good possibility that free agency could (and probably would) re-shape where the holes on the Colts roster were. 

Well, second-year general manager Ryan Grigson certainly bought-in early and often when bringing in new talent for his young Colts team. While he probably overpaid for the likes of outside linebacker Erik Walden and safety LaRon Landry, he certainly bolstered his team's depth across the board. 

In the video above, Matt and I recalibrate our assessment of which positions and prospects we see the Colts concentrating on in April's NFL draft. Let us know in the comments below where you agree or disagree and if there are any holes on the Colts roster you think we might have missed. 

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Have you ever wondered how one guy can seemingly have it all?

Most of us will never be top-tier Division I collegiate football players. Even fewer will be NFL college quarterbacks. Being the top quarterback in one's draft class is an even smaller fraternity.

In today's NFL, the quarterback is intricately connected to the success of the whole. As such, being the top dog at the quarterback position is one of the most prestigious honors in all of sports.

For Geno Smith, however, being the 2013 NFL draft's top quarterback didn't just get handed to him, and it certainly didn't come easily. From the moment of his birth, it seemed as if Smith was destined for greatness, but there would be plenty of speed bumps.

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A running back flares out for a screen, then turns and watches the ball into his hands, like he should. A cornerback sniffs out the play, and aims his shoulder for the back's chest, like he should. The resulting explosion is unforgettable:

Are we not entertained?

The hit Sheldon Brown, then a cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles, put on then-New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush was as clean as it was spectacular. It brought TV viewers around the nation to their feet in appreciation—including then-Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, per AOL's Enrico Campitelli.

This is the kind of defense everyone wants their team to play: fast, aggressive, explosive and terrifying. This, for many fans, is the reason they watch the sport. This, we have been taught, is capital-lettered Real Football.

Yet, the image of Bush curled up on the turf in pain is one that's hard to celebrate.

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