2010 NFL Draft: Possible Trades; Including Sam Bradford to The Redskins

With the NFL Draft just over three weeks away, teams are busy at work scouting players and updating their draft board in preparation for the big day.  This year, the league decided to experiment with a new format by expanding the draft from a two to three day event. One of the many effects of this move will be the result in a lot more trades than usual because teams will have more time to contemplate over the various possibilities presented to them.

First off, with a rather weak QB class, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a team jump up in order to take Oklahoma QB, Sam Bradford, arguably the only true “franchise” QB available.

St. Louis currently holds the number one pick, and many, including myself, are predicting the franchise to take him with the selection. Meanwhile, I also think Bradford would be an upgrade at QB for nine other teams, one of whom could feel the need to package together a blockbuster deal in order to acquire the pick.

In my opinion, when putting their current QB situation in consideration, and their owner, Daniel Snyder’s, tendency to be aggressive, the Washington Redskins could be a team to do so.

The Redskins’ biggest draft needs are at QB and LT. Unfortunately for them, Bradford and Okung, the top players at their respective positions could very well be gone in the first two picks. If that scenario were to occur, it would put the team in a very tricky situation. They would either have to add another $60 million to an already highly-invested-in defense, or reach for a very over-hyped QB in Clausen, neither of which I think they want to do. 

That said, they could make a deal happen by throwing in their 4^th pick, former 1^st round QB Jason Campbell, and possibly a 3^rd or 4^th rounder. The Rams would consider taking the deal, because with the 4^th pick they would be able to take whichever one of the stud DT’s are remaining and upgrade a defense that ranked 29^th in overall yards allowed.

Moreover, I think with Clausen very likely to slip, much like Rodgers did in ’05 to 24^th overall, and Quinn did in ’07 to 22^nd, teams could be tempted to trade back into the 1^st round to draft the Notre Dame star. I think the Buffalo Bills, or Jacksonville Jaguars could possibly strike a deal with either the New England Patriots or Green Bay Packers who stand 22^nd and 23^rd overall.

Another trade I could see happening is one for the big-time playmakers that may be falling; such as C.J. Spiller, Dez Bryant, and Jermaine Gresham. Because of the highly rated offensive lineman and defensive players in this year’s draft, they could be slipping into the mid and even late portion of the 1^st round.

In today’s game, offensive weapons are so critical to a team’s success. Therefore, I could see the Cleveland Browns make a deal to pick one up. Mike Holmgren has always had a plethora of offensive stars to work with. However, in Cleveland, he faces a major challenge as, other than Joe Thomas, the Browns have a very lackluster unit on that side of the ball.

Another intriguing trade that could occur is a team trading up in the 2^nd round to draft one of the most talked about players, Florida QB, Tim Tebow. According to various reports, the Heisman Trophy winner is drawing interest from numerous teams around the league. He’s definitely a raw project, but with intangibles comparable to few others, he may be a smart pick for a talented team that could afford to have him sit on the sidelines and develop. 

Possible destinations could include the New England Patriots, or Minnesota Vikings. In both situations, Tebow would be surrounded by a great supporting cast, and would be given the opportunity to learn from two future-HOF quarterbacks in Tom Brady and Brett Favre, which, in turn, would surely speed up the learning process.

Finally, with this draft class being one of the deepest in recent history, we could witness several teams trading down in order to accumulate more picks, as well as teams trading their future picks for one this year.

With so much talent available, and more trades than ever before looming to occur, next month’s draft is one that I, for one, am definitely looking forward to. It is sure to be intense, so make sure you tune in to ESPN on April 22^nd-24^th. You won’t want to miss it.