2012 NFL Draft: When Is a Prospect Worth Multiple Picks?

Every selection in the NFL draft is a chance to find a potential superstar.

Not everyone believes that, and we've even heard the phrase "there was nobody worth drafting there," but there is always somebody worth selecting.

The number of undrafted free agents making plays in the NFL is astounding. There is also always the chance of someone being the next Tom Brady (sixth round, No. 199 overall) or even the next Ahmad Bradshaw (seventh round, No. 250 overall), Marques Colston (seventh round, No. 252 overall) or Matt Birk (sixth round, No. 173 overall).

Players can be found at any time, and it only takes one team to take a chance.

But there are times when trading draft picks—multiple draft picks, to be exact—for a chance at one player is more important.

Trading multiple picks is one of the riskiest moves in all of football, but it is part of it. We've seen teams hit the jackpot—Giants and Eli Manning, Cowboys and Tony Dorsett, Jets and Darrelle Revis—and seen teams completely miss—Saints and Ricky Williams, Vikings and Herschel Walker, Chargers and Ryan Leaf.

Like almost everything else involved with the NFL draft, trading multiple picks for a chance at one player is a total crapshoot. 

That doesn't mean it is not worth it, though.

Take, for instance, the saying "you have to be in it to win." The same principle applies to the draft. Sometimes you cannot land the player you want unless you give up something to make it happen.

So when is it worth trading multiple picks for a chance at a player? When does one player equal two, three, four, five or even six other potential players?

The Franchise Quarterback

Some people will shy away from this term, and the meaning definitely varies depending on who you talk to, but the concept of a franchise quarterback is very real.

To make it simple, we'll operate with this idea: If you don't have a quarterback, go get one.

This doesn't mean the QB has to be Tom Brady, Eli Manning, Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers, but it means the team can win a ring with him under center.

Quarterback play is more important than ever in today's NFL. The last five Super Bowls have featured at least one first-round quarterback at the helm of one of the two teams, and seven first-round quarterbacks have won Super Bowl rings since 2001. The other five rings won in the past 12 years are owned by Tom Brady—aka The Anomaly—with three, Drew Brees, who was the first pick of the second round, and Brad Johnson.

It goes without saying that quarterbacks are worthy of a multiple-pick trade.

There is a lot more that goes into the potential success of the trade, but if a team firmly believes a particular quarterback is going to be the starter for the next decade and possibly win them a Super Bowl, it is hard to argue against them.

The Ready-to-Contend Need

Some teams have so few needs that they can actually afford to trade away multiple picks to move up and select one particular player.

It is hard to argue against this type of move.

If a team already has a franchise quarterback and steady running back, but is missing that top pass-catcher, then by all means, go get him.

We saw Atlanta make this move a year ago for Julio Jones (it is still too early to call it a hit or miss), and we'll continue to see it going forward. It could apply to a left tackle as easily as it could apply to a safety.

Like the franchise quarterback rule, but with all other pieces in place, "if you don't have one, go get one."

The Game-Changer

This player can reside on either side of the ball, but he has to be someone who can change the game on any given play.

This means it could be a receiver, a running back, a cornerback or a pass-rusher. All in all, he has to be a guy who's going to make the opposing coordinator game-plan for them.

The "Game-Changer" isn't on the level with the QB or the "Ready-to-Contend" trades, but in certain scenarios, it has its place.

The Jets are quite happy with their move for Darrelle Revis a few years ago. Although they gave up three picks, two of which turned into Pro Bowl-caliber players, they landed the best cover cornerback in football.

Without mortgaging too much for the future—the Jets gave up first-, second- and fifth-round picks that year—there are scenarios in which the "Game-Changer" is worth trading up for.

Ultimately these scenarios are all dependent upon the team doing the trading, the crop of talent in the year's draft class, the relative cost of the deal, the free agents available, etc.

It is impossible to categorize every scenario because the ramifications change each time a player signs a deal, a coach is fired/hired and the commissioner announces a pick, but there are blanket scenarios where trading multiple picks come into play.

We've already seen a future-mortgaging trade in this year's draft (it happened because both the coach and GM are fighting for their jobs—another scenario to consider—and cannot afford to miss out on a QB). We won't know for quite some time whether this will hit or not, but with all things considered, the trade was the only move the Redskins could make.

Trading multiple picks is a risk, but it is a risk that has be taken from time to time.