2012 NFL Draft: Teams Most Likely to Trade on Draft Day

As more teams are eliminated from the race for the Lombardi Trophy, more teams turn their eyes toward April's draft.

With Wild Card weekend all but in the books (Steelers-Broncos still need to play at the time of writing), four more teams join the draft process.

The Bengals, Lions, Falcons and Steelers/Broncos all bring something interesting to the draft order but none of them are expected to be in the trade market.

That won't be true of other teams in the order though, and here are a few teams most likely to trade on draft day.

St. Louis Rams (2nd Overall)

With a new general manager and head coach on the way in, St. Louis is best served to get out of the way of the No. 2 pick.

The team has a number of pressing needs and would be wise to acquire as many picks as possible.

Should Robert Griffin III declare for the draft (and he should), the second pick becomes the hottest target available.

St. Louis can take advantage of that and potentially drop only as low as No. 6 this year and still land their biggest need—wide receiver—should Justin Blackmon of Oklahoma State fall to them.

The team at No. 6...

Washington Redskins (6th Overall)

Should RG3 declare, he'll become the top target for teams with a quarterback need.

At the top of that list is the Washington Redskins.

Coach Mike Shanahan has to find a franchise quarterback or he'll likely be coaching his last season in D.C.

Expect Washington to start calling St. Louis the minute he declares his intention.

It honestly wouldn't be surprising to see the Redskins trade for the No. 2 pick before the draft even kicks off.

Carolina Panthers (8th or 9th Overall)

The Panthers have interesting needs. 

They're set at quarterback and running back but need pass-catching weapons.

They could also use help at every level of their defense.

By the time they're on the clock at No. 8, they're unlikely to have a shot at a top player at any of those positions but defensive tackle or inside linebacker.

Look for Carolina to pick up the phone and try to move down to fill more needs.

New England Patriots (Picks TBD)

Bill Belichick loves to stock pile picks and loves to wheel-and-deal 'em on draft day.

The Patriots own their own first rounder and the New Orleans Saints' first rounder. Both are expected to be towards the end of the first round, but that is still to be determined.

Regardless of placement, it would be surprising to see Belichick keep both them. That said, he could actually use them to trade up this year.

New England does have several needs they can address, and there should even be solid value at both their picks.

But Belichick does things a certain way, and he'll very likely be moving around when he is on the clock.

Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and/or New York Jets (Picks 14, 15, 16)

These three teams aren't just disappointed that they didn't make the postseason; they're furious.

All three have enough talent to compete for divisional titles and postseason berths on a yearly basis, but all three had a variety of problems in 2011.

The coaches are also interesting drafters—Rex Ryan and Andy Reid especially—and it wouldn't at all be surprising to see any of these teams move up or down on draft day.

These three teams' goal is to be back in the hunt for the Lombardi next year. Expect their draft decisions to be based on immediate impact.

That will likely include one of them moving up or down.