2012 NFL Draft: Baltimore Ravens and Teams That Must Trade Up

The 2012 NFL draft is just a few days away, but rumors are already flying about which teams are on the hunt to move up in the first round.

Huge organizations like the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles have been rumored to be kicking the tires on possible moves that would send them to the top of the Day 1 draft board.

All of the following teams will be looking for a trade partner on draft day, so don’t be surprised if all three teams move up in the first round.

Baltimore Ravens

The Baltimore Ravens were exposed for their weakness at wide receiver last year week in and week out, but addressing the need via free agency hasn’t worked out too well for the team.

The Baltimore Sun's Mike Preston reports the Ravens may be so desperate for help at wide receiver that they will trade up in the first round to reach for a player that could potentially be there when they select at No. 29 overall.

Three likely suspects the Ravens could be aiming for would be Georgia Tech’s Stephen Hill, LSU’s Rueben Randle and Rutgers’ Mohamed Sanu. Trading up far enough could get them into contention for players like Michael Floyd and Alshon Jeffery.

Kansas City Chiefs

The big rumor was that the Browns and Vikings may be looking to move back in the first round, per ESPN's Kevin Seifert. Four teams had emerged as favorites to receive that pick via trade, as reported by The Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot; Kansas City was one of them.

The better fit for the Chiefs would certainly be the No. 3 spot because of the pick it would give them. Offensive tackle Matt Kalil would walk into KC and be the best offensive lineman it has had in 15 years.

As we saw in New England, when Matt Cassel has time in the pocket, he can be an absolute sniper. Kalil will give him the time to regain that form. Sending that many picks back would hurt the team a bit, but a franchise left tackle doesn’t come around very often.

Philadelphia Eagles

Another team that has been tightly associated with the talk of the Browns trading away the No. 4 pick has been the Philadelphia Eagles. While speculation has run rampant on whom the team would pick, the only thing certain is that the team is considering a move up.

Andy Reid and the Philadelphia Eagles have the picks to get a trade like this done, but it would take a spectacular package of later-round picks to jump from No. 15 to No. 4—maybe two second-round picks.

As the draft gets closer, teams will start to bend a bit on their demands and teams like the Eagles could move up. As the draft begins, teams will lose their cool and anarchy will once again invade our living rooms.

I can’t wait for the draft!

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