FanPost

Mock this Scenario

We all know that there will in fact be trades on day one of the 2014 NFL Draft. However, predicting trades is nearly impossible. Therefore I will stick to the current draft order, with a few trade notes thrown in for contemplation.

1. Houston Texans - OT (Mathews, Texas A&M) The 2013 draft reiterated how important this position is.

2. St. Louis Rams - OT (Robinson, Auburn) This is the pick that I see most likely to be traded. (Clowney/Bridgewater)

3. Jacksonville Jaguars - QB (Bortles, UCF) With a name like Blake, doesn't it just seem like he belongs here?

4. Cleveland Browns - QB (Bridgewater, Louisville) Again, you just know Cleveland will draft a QB, again.

5. Oakland Raiders - DE (Clowney, SC) This doesn't happen if Clowney goes #2 overall. If so, ideally, Oakland grabs OT Robinson. I also see this as the second most likely pick to be traded. I truly believe one of Mathews, Clowney, Bridgewater or Robinson will be available here. If so, I see Atlanta with the 6th pick moving up 1 spot to grab Clowney, I see Tampa Bay moving up 2 spots to grab an OT, and I certainly see Minnesota moving up 3 spots to grab Bridgewater. In this scenario, it would be in Oakland's best interest to trade back and take an OT (Robinson/Lewan). Then trade your two second round picks to move up and target your pass rusher(Nix/Ealy/Jernigan).

6. Atlanta Falcons - OLB (Barr, UCLA) We all know they want Clowney, but this is a pretty damn good consolation prize.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - OT (Lewan, Michigan) They must prioritize protecting their new QB.

8. Minnesota Vikings - QB (Manziel, Texas A&M) They luck out with a top 3 QB falling through the cracks.

9. Buffalo Bills - WR (Watkins, Clemson) This team is in need of offensive weapons. Watkins would give E.J. someone to give the ball to besides C.J.

10. Detroit Lions - CB (Gilbert, OK St.) Top priority in this division needs to be to stop the passing game. It hasn't been.

11. Tennessee Titans - S (Clinton-Dix, Alabama)

12. New York Giants - OLB (Mack, Buffalo)

13. St. Louis Rams - WR (Evans, Texas A&M)

14. Chicago Bears - S (Pryor, Louisville)

15. Pittsburgh Steelers - CB (Dennard, Michigan St.)

16. Dallas Cowboys - DT (Donald, Pittsburgh)

17. Baltimore Ravens - TE (Ebron, UNC)

18. New York Jets - WR (Lee, USC)

19. Miami Dolphins - OT (Martin, ND)

20. Arizona Cardinals - DE (Ealy, Missouri)

21. Green Bay Packers - DT (Nix, ND)

22. Philadelphia Eagles - DE (Ford, Auburn)

23. Kansas City Chiefs - WR (Benjamin, FSU)

24. Cincinnati Bengals - ILB (Mosley, Alabama)

25. San Diego Chargers - OG (Yankey, Stanford)

26. Cleveland Browns - OT (Kouandjio, Alabama)

27. New Orleans Saints - DT (Jernigan, FSU)

28. Carolina Panthers - WR (Beckham Jr., LSU)

29. New England Patriots - CB (Verrett, TCU)

30. San Francisco 49ers - DT (Hageman, Minnesota)

31. Denver Broncos - CB (Roberson, Florida)

32. Seattle Seahawks - TE (Amaro, Texas Tech)

I did my best to reconcile 'best player available' with the positional needs of each team. I may have snubbed a few (Tuitt, ND; Carr, Fresno; Roby, OSU;) but not terribly.

The mid-teens picks seem to be the most bang-for-your-buck. I anticipate the Oakland Raiders to be positioned quite well to trade up or down in the first couple rounds with some pretty solid players still available at the beginning of round 2.

Thanks for your feedback.