2011 NFL Draft: 10 Teams Most Likely To Deal Picks
2011 NFL Draft is getting trickier and trickier to predict.
Andrew Luck was supposed to be the top pick, and now he's not coming out.
Justin Blackmon was supposed to be one of the top wide receivers selected, and now he's supposedly staying at Oklahoma State. Michael Floyd is gonna stay in South Bend as well.
Janoris Jenkins was a likely first round choice at cornerback. But he too is coming back to spend a year in Will Muschamp's new defense.
So perhaps making predictions on the NFL end of the draft is easier.
And since trades are becoming more and more a part of the process, there are likely to be plenty. Here are the 10 teams likely to make a move up or down.
No. 10: New England Patriots
1 of 10
Don't they always trade picks?
And at this point what is their only glaring hole?
Since they have the Raiders pick and the Vikings picks from the Randy Moss deal, they might look to package several and climb into the top ten and nab a top player like Julio Jones or A.J. Green.
That could be the only position they are really looking to fill. Or perhaps one of the top offensive lineman.
No. 9: Philadelphia Eagles
2 of 10
The Eagles are stuck with the 23rd pick and although their collection of skill players could be the best in the NFL, there are several spots that they need to upgrade at.
There's a good chance they will address their needs in the secondary via free agency. And the same could be said about their problems along the offensive line. But probably not
There crop of corners in this year's draft is excellent but dealing Kevin Kolb might help them slide into the top 10 where they could make a major steal with Prince Arukamara or Patrick Peterson.
No. 8: Miami Dolphins
3 of 10
Chad Henne isn't "done" in Miami, but he's probably getting close. The Dolphins defense was really good in 2010 while the offense (even with Brandon Marshall) really struggled at times.
But drafting a quarterback in the first round probably won't solve their problems. They could be a good trade partner for Kevin Kolb.
They have the 15th pick which is too high a price for Kolb, but don't be surprised if there is a package involving several players and several picks.
.png?w=256)
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
No. 7: Dallas Cowboys
4 of 10
The Cowboys could be in the market for some help in the secondary, but the offensive line should be the issue they address first.
At this point there doesn't seem to be a clear cut No. 1 offensive lineman out there, so spending the ninth overall pick on one might be a mistake for Jason Garrett's first draft as a head coach.
Trading down is a possibility and in the later part of the first round it is easier for them to draft a guard like Rodney Hudson rather than a tackle who is a stretch inside the top 10.
No. 6: Denver Broncos
5 of 10
Who knows what type of moves John Elway will make a push for in the Broncos war room. Conventional wisdom suggests he'll want to look at taking a big time quarterback, especially after the rumors (rumors he denied) that the team was shopping Tim Tebow.
But even if they don't want a quarterback and are sticking with Tebow for now, they are in a strange place with that second overall pick.
Sure, they could take a monster defensive lineman that like Da'Quan Bowers or Robert Quinn or Nick Fairley. But a contender that thinks they are one player away might be willing to take the Broncos pick for a handful of picks.
The Cowboys did that back in 1977. For the Broncos, they would hope their deal works out better than it did for the Seahawks when they traded the second overall pick (Tony Dorsett) for three picks that never panned out.
No. 5: Jacksonville Jaguars
6 of 10
David Garrard has a long term deal...but so does Donovan McNabb, and he probably won't be in D.C. next year.
The Jaguars passed on taking Tim Tebow in 2010, perhaps hoping that they could do better in this year's draft. There are three very good first round choices for them. But Ryan Mallett, Blaine Gabbert and Cam Newton might not be there for them when they select 16th.
They have a few skill players that they might be interested in dealing, but dealing their pick and a third round spot is probably enough to move up three or four places and get one of the premier quarterbacks.
No. 4: Oakland Raiders
7 of 10
Al Davis has missed on all three of his most recent first round quarterback selections: JaMarcus Russel, Todd Marinavich and Marc Wilson. Hopefully someone in the organization will dissuade him from trading up to take a fourth.
There are several holes elsewhere that are more pressing.
For one, the impending loss of Nnamdi Asomugha leaves a pretty big hole at the cornerback position.
There is no way they can pull in a player like Prince Arukamara, Patrick Peterson, Ras-I Dowling, or Aaron Williams in the second round. Maybe had Janoris Jenkins declared, but not anymore.
It will take multiple picks and/or players, but the Raiders should consider moving into the first round to replace the pick lost by the acquisition of Richard Seymour.
No. 3: San Francisco 49ers
8 of 10
Jim Harbaugh was an NFL quarterback, he got his first NFL coaching job as a quarterbacks coach, and he got the 49ers job largely because of his turning Andrew Luck into a Heisman runner-up and prohibitive number one pick in 2012.
So will he really be happy with David Carr as the only man signed for the 2011 season?
At the seventh spot in the draft, he will probably miss out on the top quarterback. That could turn out to be Ryan Mallett, who does seem to fit Harbaugh's Andrew Luck mold. He was a Michigan quarterback (for a while, at least) just like Harbaugh.
The 49ers probably would have to move up three or four spots to grab him.
No. 2: Carolina Panthers
9 of 10
Since Ron Rivera isn't necessarily a quarterback guru, maybe he'll be content with Jimmy Clausen for another season.
Either way, it would be a mistake to spend the number one overall pick on one of this year's quarterbacks, since none of them are named Andrew Luck.
Rivera will have several excellent defensive lineman to choose from at the two though seven spots so for a team that has many holes to fill, grabbing another second or third rounder to trade down three or four spots would be a great success.
No. 1: Washington Redskins
10 of 10
Donovan McNabb is probably on his way out, and if Daniel Snyder really wants to make good on his declaration that the Redskins belong to "the fans" he should go out and get a young star to be the face of an aging franchise.
And that is not Rex Grossman.
Spending their 10th pick on a stud wide receiver like Julio Jones or A.J. Green would be a good pick, as would one taking one of the many fine defenders that would be there. But a quarterback makes the most sense.
For a proud franchise with a guy like Snyder and a Super Bowl winning coach like Mike Shanahan, they will strive for the best quarterback available.
It will take the combine and the private workouts to determine, but whoever emerges as the clear-cut top quarterback, the Redskins cannot get him at 10.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
