NFL Draft 2011: 9 Teams That Could Be Trading Up To Get a Quarterback
San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings Among Teams That Could Move Up To Get a Quarterback in the 2011 NFL Draft
In a draft where there is no clear No. 1 quarterback, common sense would tell you that the value of that position might be less than in previous seasons.
That's not the case in 2011.
With a lockout that threatens to extend deep into the offseason, teams in need of a quarterback are looking long and hard at the quarterback class in front of them.
Those teams aren't able to trade for a quarterback—even though there are several good ones (Kevin Kolb, Donovan McNabb) that are possibly available—and no free agent can be signed either.
That could lead to a frenzy of trades within the first two rounds of the draft to pick one of the six or seven best quarterbacks.
Let's get to the teams that are most likely to make one of those trades for a quarterback.
For a different take on this subject, check out Wes Bunting's take from National Football Post.
Minnesota Vikings
1 of 9
The Minnesota Vikings are in a very precarious spot in the draft for two reasons.
With pick No. 12 in the first round, it's very unlikely that one of the top quarterbacks—Cameron Newton or Blaine Gabbert—falls to them at that position.
If the Vikings decide against a quarterback in the first round, however, the second round also presents some problems.
Although there are plenty of second-tier throwers, it's very likely that all of the top six quarterbacks will be taken by pick 43.
That leaves the Vikings with several options. They can trade up in the first round to get either Newton or Gabbert, stay put and reach for a quarterback at No. 12, trade up in the second round or back into the first to get someone like Christian Ponder or Ryan Mallett, or cross their fingers that one of the top six quarterbacks will fall to them at pick 43.
With such a need at quarterback, the Vikings would be taking a big risk in leaving their quarterback hunt up to fate. If they want to get both value and their quarterback, Minnesota will likely have to do some maneuvering early in the draft.
Potential Trades: Picks No. 12 and No. 43 to Cleveland Browns for Picks No. 6 and No. 137 (if Newton or Gabbert fall out of top five)
Picks No. 43 and No. 106 to Atlanta Falcons for Pick No. 27 (Locker, Mallett, Dalton, Ponder).
Buffalo Bills
2 of 9
If the Buffalo Bills truly want a quarterback in this draft, they have the tools necessary to do so.
Either Newton or Gabbert should be available when they select No. 3, but it's entirely possible that the Bills decide against a quarterback that high. With Ryan Fitzpatrick on the roster, that's a risk they can afford to take.
If that actually is the case, the Bills would be prime candidates to move back into the first round to get the quarterback they want.
Plenty of teams at the back end of the first round might be looking to trade down and acquire more picks, and Bills' 34th overall pick gives them plenty of ammo to move up.
If Buffalo traded up into the 24-28 range, Jake Locker makes a lot of sense at that position.
Potential Trade: Picks No. 34 and No. 100 to New Orleans Saints for Picks No. 24 and No. 243
Washington Redskins
3 of 9
Like the Vikings, the Washington Redskins are in a tough spot.
At pick 10, both Gabbert and Newton should be gone, and reaching for someone like Jake Locker at that point wouldn't make a lot of sense.
The Redskins also pick two spots before the Vikings in the second round, but it's still the same situation—all the top throwers could and probably will be gone.
Considering the Redskins just used draft picks to acquire Donovan McNabb, it seems unlikely that they would give up the amount of picks it would take to move up in the first round. Staying at No. 10 and taking a pass rusher or receiver would be their best option.
That then leaves moving up in the second round or back into the first as their best alternative, which would be considerably cheaper and could still land Washington a good quarterback.
That good quarterback could be Locker, who would also make a great fit with the Redskins.
Potential Trade: Picks No. 41, No. 144 and 2012 Fifth-Founder to Pittsburgh Steelers for Picks No. 31 and No. 196
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Tennessee Titans
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The Tennessee Titans have picks No. 8 and 39, which give them some flexibility, but this team is in serious need of an answer at quarterback.
Vince Young won't be on the roster in 2011 and Kerry Collins is a free agent, leaving Rusty Smith and Brent Ratliff as the two quarterbacks in Tennessee. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how bad of a situation that is.
A first-round pick of a quarterback probably isn't in the cards, but their second pick—whenever that will be—is a perfect spot for that to happen.
If the Titans identify a quarterback they want that isn't named Newton or Gabbert, don't be surprised to see them move into the first round.
At that point, taking a player like Mallett—who would benefit greatly from a good running game and offensive line—would be a solid selection.
Potential Trade: Pick No. 39 and 2012 Third-Rounder to New England Patriots for Pick No. 33 and No. 159
Cincinnati Bengals
5 of 9
It's a tough time to be a Cincinnati Bengals fan. Your team just finished the season 4-12, and Carson Palmer—the man that has led that team for the past nine seasons—would rather retire than play another down in orange and black.
To make matters worse, owner Mike Brown has no current plans to trade or release Palmer. Yikes.
Regardless of what happens with that situation, the Bengals need a quarterback. But would Brown, the same guy who seems intent on keeping Palmer, entertain the thought of drafting one if Gabbert or Newton fell to No. 4?
Probably doubtful.
With plenty of other needs, it's likely that Cincinnati will chose to upgrade another position with that pick (receiver being the most likely). That leaves their second pick (No. 35) as the more probable choice to take a quarterback.
Mallett will likely be on the board at that spot, but if the Bengals want either Ponder or Andy Dalton, they'd have to entertain the thought of moving up with so many teams behind them in need of a quarterback.
Potential Trade: Picks No. 35 and No. 101 to Baltimore Ravens for Pick No. 26 and 2012 Fifth-Rounder
Arizona Cardinals
6 of 9
Along with the Titans, no franchise is starving for a franchise quarterback quite like the Arizona Cardinals.
Ironically, both teams failed in 2006 to find that player. The Titans struck out with Vince Young, and Matt Leinart never showed enough to even warrant three strikes for the Cardinals.
Five years later, both franchises are right back in the same position. The Cardinals gave Derek Anderson, Max Hall and John Skelton opportunities last season, but it was painfully obvious that none of them were capable of being the guy in Arizona.
Gabbert would be a great fit in Arizona if he fell to No. 5, but the Cardinals likely will need to shuffle back into the first round if Gabbert is already gone.
While Mallett would worry me behind a shaky offensive line, either Locker, Dalton or Ponder would be smart picks and would probably be day one starters.
Potential Trade: Pick No. 38 and 2012 Third-Rounder to New England Patriots for Picks No. 28 and No. 193
San Francisco 49ers
7 of 9
The San Francisco 49ers are in less of a panic mode compared to the rest of the teams on this list. Alex Smith might be back, and I'd actually be interested in seeing how he would play with Jim Harbaugh as his coach.
With that said, Harbaugh might not be willing to give Smith another try, and that's justifiable too.
If that's the case, the 49ers would be a perfect team to move from the second round back into the late first. Why?
A certain TCU quarterback makes a lot of sense in San Francisco, and there's plenty of talk that Andy Dalton could go in the late first round. If Harbaugh wants a signal-caller like Dalton to groom, he'll likely have to move up to get him.
Potential Trade: Picks No. 45 and No. 76 to Chicago Bears for Picks No. 29 and No. 195
Miami Dolphins
8 of 9
In the structure of this article, the Miami Dolphins' inclusion makes very little sense. There's almost zero chance the Dolphins would move up from pick 15, and they currently have no second-round pick.
However, that's partly the reason they make the cut (albeit, in a different way).
The Dolphins could very well move back from No. 15 to also secure a selection in the second round, and that gives them a chance to select a quarterback either with a later pick in the first or their newly acquired second.
But does Miami want to give incumbent starter Chad Henne another chance? As an observer of the Green Bay Packers, I did see Henne march into Lambeau Field and beat the Packers with a solid performance.
Obviously, there's something there with Henne. However, after two years of being the starting quarterback and little long-term results, it's quite possible the Dolphins might be looking for their next starter.
Potential Trade: Picks No. 15 and No. 218 to Denver Broncos for Picks No. 36, No. 46 and 2012 Fifth-Rounder
Carolina Panthers
9 of 9
Like the Dolphins, the Panthers don't exactly fit this list. Any four-year-old could tell you that it's impossible to move up from the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.
However, that's not the suggestion here. If (and that's a big if) the Panthers could find a team that wants to trade into the top spot, it's likely that Carolina would gain a second-round pick that they currently don't possess.
That would give the Panthers the flexibility to either take a quarterback with their first-round or second-round pick if they felt they needed to upgrade that position.
That's a lot of ifs for one scenario, however, and the Panthers are clearly the biggest reach of this list.
Carolina has already tried going down the second-round path with quarterbacks (Jimmy Clausen), but his horrific play last season might tempt them to pull the trigger on another option.
They could, of course, just take Newton or Gabbert at No. 1 as well.
Potential Trade: Pick No. 1 and 2012 Fifth-Rounder to Arizona Cardinals for Picks No. 5, No. 38 and 2012 Second-Rounder
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