Many of my friends commented when I put up my original Mock draft, which you can read at www.fantasyknuckleheads.com/2014-nfl-mock-draft-simple/, that they would like to see some trades involved with it. So instead of adding a 2nd round Mock draft I have decided to go back and throw in some possible trades in my mock draft. In the last few years there have been, on average, at least 4 trades in the first round. So, I’m sure we will see some fireworks on May, 8th.
The hardest part about trying to predict who will trade up or down in a mock draft is trying to figure out a likely team to not only want to trade down, but pairing them with a team that wants to move up. Here are a few scenarios that could possibly unfold in the May 8th NFL draft along with my new mock draft in direct result of the trades. Do I think that all of these trades will happen on May 8th? No. Is there a possibility that some of these trades will happen? Absolutely!!
Jadeveon Clowney
1. TRADE: Houston Texans trade with Atlanta Falcons- Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
Atlanta is in love with Clowney and they are desperate to get him. Desperate enough to give up their first 2 picks in this year’s draft, as well as, next year’s first round pick. Seems like a steep price to pay, and I would be much more conservative and hold on to my picks, but Thomas Dimitrof is a gambler and loves to trade up. He does it again here and gets the best prospect in the draft. If, Houston stays at the first pick, they also take Jadeveon Clowney
2. St Louis Rams, Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
With the Falcons jumping above them and taking Jadeveon Clowney, that increases the odds of St. Louis getting an offensive tackle at 13. So instead of taking a raw OT in Greg Robinson, they take Sammy Watkins, easily the most dynamic playmaker in the draft. If, Houston stays put, don't be surprised if Atlanta moves up to this pick to get Kahlil Mack.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars- Kahlil Mack, OLB, Buffalo
Jacksonville is going to stay put, and pray that Watkins falls to them. They are hoping St. Louis will take one of the offensive tackles still on the board. Instead they get the best linebacker in the draft. Gus Bradley will be salivating over this pick. Previous Pick- Blake Bortles, QB, UCF
4. Cleveland Browns, Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn
Cleveland is one of the teams that is rumored to be drafting Johnny Manziel but is the new GM gonna panic or is he going to select the best player available. I think he drafts to sure up his offensive line and have a potential replacement for Joe Thomas. He is a tremendous blocker in the run game and will need to improve his pass blocking. This pick could also be in play for Atlanta, if Robinson is picked by St. Louis, Atlanta may still try to get ahead of Oakland, if Mack is still available, who needs an outside linebacker. Previous Pick- Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
5. TRADE: Oakland Raiders Trade with Detriot Lions, Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
Detroit sends Ndamukong Suh and the 76th overall pick in the 3rd round and 111th overall pick in the 4th round to Oakland in exchange for the 5th overall pick. Detroit gets their guy to line up opposite of Calvin Johnson and unloads a massive contract to Oakland that can afford to take it on. Oakland gets a tremendous up grade at defensive tackle and pick up extra picks later in the draft. Oakland likes to make splash moves, pretty sure this will put a lot of wake in the pool.
6. Houston Texans- Blake Bortles, QB, UCF
Houston shocks the world and drafts a quarterback not named Johnny Manziel. Bill O’Brien likes to work with big, strong armed quarterbacks. Johnny Manziel has a strong arm and is accurate, but he’s 5’11” 209 and likes to make a lot of plays with his legs. Bill O’Brien will like the big bodied Bortles who has good presence in the pocket and can move around pretty well. Reminds people of Ben Roethlisberger
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
Tampa Bay is hoping that Mike Evans falls to them, but with Detroit moving up to 5 to get him, they take an offensive tackle to sure up the offensive line. Jake Matthews has a good pedigree and could be the most fundamentally sound offensive lineman in the draft. It is a safe pick but the right one. Previous Pick- Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA
8. TRADE: Minnesota Vikings trade St. Louis Rams- Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan
St. Louis wants to bring in a tackle so they can move Roger Safford to guard and to groom the eventual replacement for Jake Long. They move up ahead of Buffalo for fear of them taking Lewan. Had Tampa Bay taken Aaron Donald or Anthony Barr the Rams would probably stay at 13 maybe move to 11 just ahead of the New York Giants.
9. Buffalo Bills- Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
Buffalo is hoping that one of the big offensive tackles is available. But since St. Louis moved ahead of them they upgrade their tight end position with the best offensive player on the board. Ebron is a unique talent . He needs work on his run blocking, but he has great hands and reminds a lot of scouts of Vernon Davis.
Aaron Donald10. Detroit Lions- Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
Detroit replaces Ndamukong Suh with the best defensive tackle in the draft. Donald has a lot of the same attributes as Suh. Endless motor and quick off the snap, he can collapse the pocket quickly. He needs to work on stopping the run more effectively but has the work ethic that general managers love. Previous Pick- Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma St.
11. Tennessee Titans- Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan St
Tennessee lost Alteraun Verner to Tampa Bay and they replace him with a very aggressive corner that likes to help support the run game. He may have a few problems in coverage from time to time, being a little too aggressive. I would rather have a corner be too aggressive in coverage than getting burnt all the time
12. New York Giants- Ha Ha Clinton Dix, S, Alabama
Will Hill is the New York Giants current free safety and keeps getting himself into trouble. Facing his third suspension in three years the Giants may be ready to move on. Clinton Dix is the best coverage safety in the draft and would be a plug in play for the Giants
13. Minnesota Vikings- CJ Mosely, MLB, Alabama
CJ Mosely is by far the best middle linebacker in the draft. He could be the second best linebacker in the draft behind Mack. Vikings are happy to move back from the eight pick and still pick up the guy they wanted. Mosely is a natural leader and with 200 tackles in the last 2 seasons, he is exactly what the Vikings need in the middle.
14. Chicago Bears- Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma St.
Chicago was hoping that Aaron Donald would fall to them but because of the Detroit trade they aren’t able to get the man they want. They will settle for a corner that reminds them of Charles Tillman. He will bring his playmaking ability to an already opportunistic secondary. Previous Pick- Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
15. TRADE: The Pittsburgh Steelers trade San Francisco 49ers, Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA
San Francisco sends their 1st round, 30th overall, 2nd round 61st overall pick, and 3rd round 94th overall pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for the 15th overall pick. The San Francisco 49ers have a concern with Aldon Smith’s off the field issues and with 6 of the top 100 draft picks they move ahead of Dallas and Baltimore, both of whom would love to pick up a pass rusher. The 49ers are expected to make a move. If Mike Evans, Anthony Barr, or the 2 top corners start to slide in the draft don’t be surprised to see them jump up and get one of those players. With arguably the best roster in the NFL it they can afford to give up some picks to move up.
16. Dallas Cowboys, Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri
Kony EalyDallas was hoping that Anthony Barr would fall to them but San Francisco was able to jump ahead of them and grab him. Ealy is an edge rusher that the Cowboys need and they grab a guy who reminds them a lot of Demarcus Ware. He may not be the most famous defensive end coming out of Missouri this year but he is the best.
17. Baltimore Ravens- Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville
- Calvin Pryor is a hard hitting safety that fits perfectly in the Baltimore Ravens defense. Some have him as the highest rated safety in the draft. The Ravens were hoping that Ealy or Barr would fall to them but get Pryor to upgrade their defensive secondary instead. Along with Matt Elam, they could develop into a very nice young safety duo
18. New York Jets- Odell Beckham Jr, WR, LSU
Odell Beckham has playmaking ability that the Jets desperately need. He will be able to help open up room for Eric Decker to work on the other side. The Jets are notorious of taking defensive players in the first round under Rex Ryan. The smart pick here is Beckham. Instant offense that can also help in the return game
19. Miami Dolphins- Zach Martin, OG, OT, Notre Dame
The Miami Dolphins need to repair their offensive line. The signing of Brendan Alberts was a start, and Martin is another piece to plug in. Many scouts believe Zach Martin can be an All Pro guard in the NFL. He fills an immediate need for this team and will help open holes for Knowshon Moreno
20. Arizona Cardinals, Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
Teddy is still the number 2 prospect on Matt Miller's board from the Bleacher Report. Arizona gets a gift similar to the Packers when Aaron Rodgers fell to them. Teddy can sit behind Carson Palmer and learn Bruce Arians offense.
21. Green Bay Packers- Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois
Jimmie Ward is a hybrid safety that is very good in coverage. He can also slide down and cover the slot receiver when they are in the nickel. His strength is in coverage but he is strong for his size and is a willing tackler. He may need time to add a little bulk but he will definitely shore up Green Bays defensive secondary. Previous Pick- Marquise Lee, WR, USC
22. Philadelphia Eagles- Tim Jernigan, DL, Florida St
A versatile defensive lineman that can fit in a 3-4 scheme or a 4-3 scheme. He has tremendous strength and plays with leverage. He will be very disruptive where ever he plays. Previous Pick- Ryan Shazier, OLB, Ohio St
23. Kansas City Chiefs- Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon St
With the loss of Dexter McCluster to Tennessee, Kansas City needs a playmaker and finds one with Cooks.
24. Cincinnati Bengals- Marquise Lee, WR, USC
Another player falling in the draft, Lee was projected as the second best WR in the class before last year's season started. Cincinnati needs a playmaker to help AJ Green on the outside. Lee falling in the draft gets him drafted into a young talented offense. Previous Pick- Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio St
25. TRADE: San Diego trades Jacksonville Jaguars, Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
Jacksonville Jaguars trade their 39th overall pick in round 2 and the 70th overall pick in round 3 to San Diego Chargers for the 25th overall pick in round 1 and the 165th pick in round 5. Johnny Manziel’s slide down the draft gives Jacksonville an opportunity to trade back up into the first round and grab him. He is a talented player that can bring excitement to the Jags offense. He will have the opportunity to sit behind Chad Henne and learn. By trading up, they move ahead of the Cleveland Browns and steal Manziel from the Browns
26. TRADE: Cleveland Browns trade Washington Redskins, Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia
Washington Redskins trade quarterback Kirk Cousins and the 34th overall pick in the 2nd round to the Cleveland Browns for the 26th overall pick in the first round. Washington Redskins are in desperate need of offensive line help. They need to protect their investment in RG3 and trade up to get the best remaining offensive tackle in the draft. The Browns pick up another pick as well as a quarterback that knows Kyle Shanahan’s system
27. New Orleans Saints- Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio St
Even though they signed future Hall of Famer Champ Bailey, the Saints need to address the corner position. Roby is very athletic and ran a 4.39 40 at his pro day and can cover anyone all over the field. Previous Pick- Dee Ford, OLB, Auburn
28. Carolina Panthers- Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama
The loss of Jordan Gross is a much bigger loss than losing Steve Smith. Kouandjio has fallen in the draft because of some health issues but Carolina couldn’t be happier with getting a replacement for Gross. Previous Pick- Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia
Ra'Shede Hageman29. New England Patriots- Ra'shead Hageman, DL, Minnesota.
- New England could use another tight end to replace Aaron Hernandez, but they'll opt to take a talented defensive lineman that can help with their aging front. Vince Wilfork was resigned, but he's not getting any younger. Hageman comes in and learns from one of the best defensive lineman in the last 10 years.
30. Pittsburgh Steelers- Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
Pittsburgh has many needs on the defensive side of the ball and normally don’t take a corner in the first round, but since they missed out on Eric Ebron and then traded back with the San Francisco to the 30th pick. They take the best player on their board. Kyle Fuller is the size of corner that the Steelers love to draft. Could be the most complete corner in the draft.
31. Denver Broncos- Ryan Shazier, OLB, Ohio St
Denver needs help at linebacker and could also use another corner. Shazier can line up opposite of Von Miller and give them two speed guys on the outside. He may also develop in to a very capable middle linebacker. Previous Pick- Kyle Fuller
32. Seattle Seahawks- Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech
Bringing Sidney Rice back will give them depth at WR, but having Amaro to stretch the seam will be a great addition. The most complete tight end in the draft can also stay in and block for Beast Mode.
That leaves two teams that don't have a first round pick. San Diego trades back to the 39th Overall pick, Cody Latimer, WR, Indiana. They pick up another young talented wide receiver withsize, exception hands and speed. Indianapolis Colts traded their first round pick to Cleveland for Trent Richardson and with the 59th Overall pick, Chris Borland, MLB, Wisconsin. Borland is a bit undersized for middle linebacker and doesn't show off great speed, but always seems to be around the ball and makes plays at the point of attack.
All of these trades are definitely a possibility but some are probably more possible than others. Although many of these trades may not happen on May 8th at the NFL Draft, this was a fun mock draft to put together and we are sure to see some very entertaining moves during the first day of the draft. The NFL has definitely made the first day of the draft can't miss TV in prime time. Thursday night can't get here soon enough!!