How Blockbuster Trades Will Affect Day 2 Action

The defining word of the first round of the 2012 NFL draft has to be "trade", as no fewer than eight deals went down Thursday as teams across the league jockeyed for position and shuffled picks back and forth all night long.

All that wheeling and dealing shook up the first round of the draft considerably, but its impact will be felt well into the weekend. Here's a look at how yesterday's flea market will affect how the draft proceeds when activities resume on Friday.

Rams Set to Be Big Players in Draft's Second Round

One of the biggest impact deals that took place in the first round was easily the trade that transpired between the St. Louis Rams and Dallas Cowboys, as the Cowboys shipped their second-round pick (45th overall) to the St. Louis Rams for the rights to move up eight spots and select LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne sixth overall.

The Cowboys were able to add some much-needed help in the secondary with the acquisition of Claiborne. It's the Rams who will be the big movers and shakers once things get going Friday evening, however, as the team now has three choices in the top half of the second round (33rd, 39th, 45th overall).

In fact, it's the Rams who will be "on the clock" once the lights kick on at Radio City Music Hall Friday.  Given the bevy of deals during the first round it's impossible to rule out more deals but the Rams would be best served to start making picks and stop making trades.

The team has huge holes along the offensive line and at wide receiver that could be filled by the likes of Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin or Georgia Tech wideout Stephen Hill, both of whom remain available.

The End Is Near for New England

They say that 2012 is the year of the Mayan Apocalypse, and if the first round of the NFL draft was any indication "they" may be onto something. The New England Patriots, a team that has developed a reputation for trading down over the past several seasons, traded up not once but twice to address a defense that ranked 31st in the NFL a season ago.

The Patriots dealt the 27th and 93rd overall picks to the the Cincinnati Bengals for the 21st overall choice, which the team then used to select fast-rising defensive end Chandler Jones of Syracuse. Bartering Bill Belichick wasn't done there, however, as the Pats then shipped the 31st and 126th overall picks to the Denver Broncos in order to move up to the 25th spot and take Alabama inside linebacker Dont'a Hightower.

Those two deals gave the Patriots a badly needed shot in the arm, but the team will need to be especially judicious with their selections on Friday, as after the club makes their second pick in round two at 61st overall their 2012 draft will end as things stand right now.

Baltimore to Keep Backsliding

The Baltimore Ravens took a page out of the Patriots old playbook Thursday. With no player on the board at 29 that apparently struck their fancy the Ravens dropped out of the first round altogether, dealing the pick to the Minnesota Vikings for the 35th and 98th overall selections.

The Ravens may well not be done squirreling away draft picks, as a high degree of interest from other NFL clubs in North Alabama cornerback Janoris Jenkins may spur Baltimore to trade back again according to a report by the NFL Network's Jason La Canfora.

"

The Baltimore Ravens, who already traded down once from the No. 29 overall pick in the first round to the third pick in the second round (No. 35), could move back again, given the demand for Jenkins.

"

Baltimore will likely have to wait and see what the Rams and Indianapolis Colts do before they can play let's make a deal again. However, given La Canfora's report and the flurry of transactions on Thursday, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome make like Monty Hall at least one more time.

Follow @IDPManor