NFL Draft 2012 Predictions: Teams Guaranteed to Deal on Draft Day

Get ready to see more trade action than usual at the 2012 NFL draft. It's going to be a wild one.

You've probably already noticed that there's a lot of buzz about potential draft-day deals floating around right now. That's par for the course, but there seems to be a little bit more to this year's buzz. That has a lot to do with the fact that the 2012 draft class is very heavy, making top picks more valuable than they normally are.

We'll see some trades, make no mistake about that.

But that's not a bold prediction. I would be much bolder if I told you exactly which teams are going to deal on draft day.

Very well. Here are four teams that are going to deal on draft day.

New England Patriots

The Patriots have two late-round draft picks at their disposal, as they have their own No. 31 pick and they also have the New Orleans Saints' No. 27 pick thanks to the Mark Ingram trade in last year's draft.

Bill Belichick has a habit of trading down in the draft. We saw the Pats trade down in 2008, we saw them trade down in 2010 and we saw them trade down in 2011. The Pats are very wise when it comes to knowing when they can get the players they want, and they use trades as a means to accumulate draft picks.

The Pats could get some good players with their two late-round picks, but I'm assuming they're going to go looking around to find teams that value those picks more than they do. If the Pats can trade back, they will.

I'm not ruling out the alternative either, as strange as it sounds. If Belichick gets it in his hood to trade up, he has the means to do it. 

One way or the other, the Pats aren't staying put. Count on that.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are another team that likes to wheel and deal on draft day. General manager Ozzie Newsome always has something up his sleeve.

As you may or may not recall, the Ravens tried to trade back from No. 26 last year. They apparently had a deal in place with the Chicago Bears, but the trade wasn't submitted in time. It was a pretty weird situation.

The Ravens are already preparing to make a move in this year's draft. 

“The trade scenario—trading up four or five spots, maybe as much as 10 spots—then, trading back as far as 10 spots; it’s already prepared for,” Newsome said recently, according to BaltimoreRavens.com.

I can see the Ravens trading up. There are a lot of players in the 2012 draft class that should appeal to them, but getting any of them at No. 29 is going to be tough. I'm also not putting it past Newsome to trade down a few spots to get a player he doesn't think he has to reach for.

Up or down, the Ravens will move.

Cleveland Browns

Now we're moving way up the draft to the Cleveland Browns at No. 4.

OK fine, the Browns also have the No. 22 pick, but it's the No. 4 pick that Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer says is drawing the most attention. Multiple teams are interested in trading for it, and Cabot says there's a "decent" chance the Browns will trade down.

She also notes that it's not just Ryan Tannehill who is drawing interest. Teams are also falling in love with Morris Claiborne, Matt Kalil and Justin Blackmon.

The only one of those players I can see the Browns drafting is Blackmon. But since they don't really need him, they may as well try to capitalize on some other team's desperation. 

Trading down for No. 4 could be just the start for the Browns. As mentioned, they also have the No. 22 pick, so there's a chance they could use both of their first-round picks to amass a huge boatload of picks, in this year's draft and/or next year's draft.

This Browns team needs as many picks as it can get its hands on. They have a perfect opportunity to do just that.

Minnesota Vikings

I think Jim Irsay said it best:

"

Tannehill is a hidden gem in this draft,a quiet secret who was always sneaking up to #3..you want him,you better talk to Zigi The Biggie!

— Jim Irsay (@JimIrsay) April 11, 2012"

Like it or not, Tannehill is a rising star, and the Vikings stand to make a killing off that reality.

Bill Polian, who of course used to work for Irsay, wrote on ESPN.com (must have Insider) the other day that the Vikings should be open to trading down. They've been linked to Kalil for months, and left tackle is a huge need, but they don't need to draft Kalil to fill it. They could trade down a few spots and then grab Riley Reiff or some other tackle. 

So trading down won't rob the Vikings a chance to draft a top tackle, and they're going to get other really attractive assets in a trade as well. 

That's a no-brainer.