2011 NFL Draft: 5 Teams That Could Move Up or Down in Round 1
Trades are part of every NFL draft.
This year, the new twist is that players cannot be involved in trades because of the ongoing lockout and the lack of a collective bargaining agreement.
That may limit some teams, but you can rest assured that trades will happen no matter what the rules are currently.
Several teams could benefit from moving up or down to fill needs and nab extra picks.
Here's a look at five teams that could move either up or down and who they'll target or what they'd gain or lose by making the move.
Pittsburgh Steelers
1 of 5
Which Way Should They Move?
The Steelers would benefit most from moving down, as they don't have any extra or compensatory draft selections this year.
They may, however, choose to move up if they feel they can nab one of a few select players that would vastly improve the team in key areas.
If They Move Up, Who Will They Target?
If Prince Amukamara somehow miraculously falls into the middle of the round, the Steelers could try to move up to nab one of the draft's top available corners.
By the same token, they could move up a few spots if they covet a lineman such as Florida's Mike Pouncey, brother of current Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey.
Outside of those, the Steelers will likely look to stay put and take someone like Texas' Aaron Williams with the 31st overall pick.
What They'd Gain and Lose
They'd gain a chance to get a top talent, but in doing so they jeopardize their draft class.
To move high enough to nab Amukamara, they'd have to probably package up picks from this and next season, something that the Steelers probably aren't very comfortable with.
They would gain, however, a potential shutdown corner who could move into the starting lineup quickly.
Buffalo Bills
2 of 5
Which Way Should They Move?
The Bills are already picking third overall and it's not likely they have any kind of agenda for moving up a spot or two, so they'd likely move down into the middle or latter part of the first round.
One of the most often-mentioned training partners for Buffalo is division rival New England, which has two selections in each of the first three rounds.
If They Move Down, Who Will They Target?
If Buffalo moves down, they'd probably move no lower than New England's selection at 28th overall. There, they may target an offensive lineman such as Mike Pouncey or Derek Sherrod.
The Bills have a ton of needs, one of which is along the offensive line.
If they can't keep a quarterback upright, what difference does it make if they draft a franchise passer?
What They'd Gain and Lose
By trading down, the Bills could gain picks and fill more needs in this draft. They'd lose a shot at Cam Newton or Blaine Gabbert, which may be the way they go if they stay put at third overall.
If they do move down, they could target Ryan Mallett late in the first or in the second round or even Christian Ponder.
Tennessee Titans
3 of 5
Which Way Should They Move?
The Titans need a franchise quarterback. They actually just need a quarterback of some kind.
Right now, the roster includes only Rusty Smith and Vince Young. Young won't be around next season and Smith certainly does not seem like the answer for a long-term option.
Picking in the number eight spot usually isn't a bad position, but there are several quarterback-needy teams ahead of them and only two surefire first round prospects (Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert). Both figure to be gone by the time Tennessee gets on the board.
If They Move Up, Who Will They Target?
They'll target either Gabbert or Newton obviously, with Newton being the more likely target.
They may be a trade partner for Buffalo, so they have to plan on missing out on one of them even if Denver and Carolina don't seem likely to take a quarterback.
We know Bud Adams coveted Vince Young's athletic ability, so it's reasonable to assume the Newton would be another likely target for the aging Titans owner.
He has similar skills to Young, but has much greater potential than the crestfallen former first-rounder.
What They'd Gain and Lose
They'd likely lose a draft pick or two, but it wouldn't be as drastic a jump as Pittsburgh moving up 10 or more spots. The Titans could reasonably move up by trading with Buffalo and not surrender much at all.
This might end up being a win-win if the Titans covet one of the top two quarterbacks.
.png?w=256)
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
New England Patriots
4 of 5
Which Way Should They Move?
With so many early picks, you have to figure that New England might use some to improve its draft position.
They need help at corner, running back and wide receiver. They can likely address the latter two later in the draft, but corner is going to be a premium position.
They could trade with Buffalo and take one of the top corners in the third spot or they could trade with someone like Cleveland, who may need more picks to fill needs than they currently have available.
Either way, they definitely have the power to move into the top 10 if there's a player they're after.
If They Move Up, Who Will They Target?
If they can get Buffalo's pick, they could have their pick of Patrick Peterson or Prince Amukamara. One of the two figures to be gone by the time Cleveland picks, so if they go with that scenario, they could feasibly nab A.J. Green or Julio Jones to give Tom Brady a top target to work with.
Bill Belichick spreads his draft picks well, so they could go either way with a higher selection.
They probably won't target a running back, since Mark Ingram may fall to them at 28th overall.
What They'd Gain and Lose
They'd lose that premium set of six picks in the first three rounds.
They'd probably have to package at least a couple of those selections to move up, especially if they want to move to the front of the line.
They'd gain a shot at a real difference-maker for either the offense or the defense, which could put the Patriots, who were 14-2 last year with a very young defense and a weapon-lacking offense, back on top.
Carolina Panthers
5 of 5
Which Way Should They Move?
Obviously, they'd move down.
Carolina could benefit from getting out of the top spot. Unlike years past, there is no consensus number one pick now that Andrew Luck has gone back to school for another year.
Add into that the fact that Carolina has a lot of holes for Ron Rivera and company to fill, and you have the potential to move down and accumulate picks.
There's a lot to gain from that and there figure to be a few teams that would give up a few choice picks to get to the front of the draft order.
If They Move Down, Who Will They Target?
They'd probably still target defensive linemen, offensive linemen, quarterbacks or linebackers.
Instead of trying to gauge whether or not Nick Fairley or Marcell Dareus are worth the first overall pick, they could pick between Ryan Mallett, Christian Ponder, Mike Pouncey, Derek Sherrod or even try to nab a fast-falling Da'Quan Bowers.
There's a billion possibilities if they move down depending on whom the trading partner would be.
What They'd Gain and Lose
They'd lose a shot at picking any player they wished to, but in this draft that may not be such a big loss.
There is a ton of talent, but there are no guarantees of what rookie salaries will look like and there is no can't-miss pick to worry about.
They'd gain a bunch of draft picks and might even end up better off in the end.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
