Last year saw the NFL Draft shaken up long before the first pick was made. Once the New York Jets moved up from sixth overall to the third spot, it became clear that two quarterbacks would go within the top three.
As of yet, we have not seen any major trades at the top of the 2019 NFL Draft. We have, however, seen a couple of first-round picks moved for veterans. We promise to see a bunch more trades at the top of Round 1 come Thursday evening in Nashville.
Here, we look at a number of trade scenarios that would shake up the entire draft as we know it.
Giants trade for Josh Rosen: Gettleman finally gets his quarterback.
- This would come shortly after Arizona selects Kyler Murray with the first overall pick Thursday night. Rosen would likely immediately be traded by the Cardinals.
- In turn, the Giants send the 17th overall pick to Arizona for Murray and the Cardinals’ second-round selection (33rd overall).
- Per various trade value charts, that would be the equivalent of the Cards adding a mid second-round pick for Rosen. This seems to be the going rate for the former top-10 pick.
- The move enables New York to finally add that quarterback behind the struggling Eli Manning.
Raiders move up from No. 4 overall: Raiders find their Khalil Mack replacement.
- Oakland is said to be interested in moving up into the top two for either Kyler Murray or Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa. Given that Jon Gruden has not been afraid to make the splashy trade, this makes sense.
- The Raiders find a local trade partner in that of a 49ers team that would gladly select Bosa at two short of a huge package to move down.
- Oakland has the ability to offer said package. In this scenario, the Raiders give up their fourth and 27th overall selections and another pick in 2020.
- After trading Khalil Mack last year, Gruden has noted how hard it is to find an elite pass rusher. Imagine that. At the very least, he gets this year’s best overall prospect at that position.
Bengals make a move up to the third pick: Zac Taylor makes his presence known.
- There’s been a lot of talk about Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins falling in the draft. We believe that’s smoke coming from teams selecting later in the first round. They want Haskins without having to trade up.
- Expect those selecting in the top of the draft to call their bluff. That includes a Jets team that’s working feverishly to move down from the third selection.
- In this scenario, Cincinnati pays a mighty high price to get its young offensive-minded head coach the quarterback he wants. In turn, it adds a player from the home-state Buckeyes.
- The bounty in this deal would likely include Cincinnati giving its first and second-round picks in 2019 and a 2020 first-round pick to New York. The Bengals would then entertain offers for Andy Dalton.
Packers package two first-round picks: Brian Gutekunst makes another bold draft-day move.
- If both Murray and Haskins go in the top three, we fully expect one of the NFL’s most-active general managers to seek a trade up for a prospect that’s among the best on his board.
- Given that Green Bay has already added pass rushers Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith in free agency, that’s not as much of a need.
- Instead, Green Bay moves up to the fourth spot with the San Francisco 49ers to draft Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. He’s a dominating interior pass-rush force who would work like gold in Green Bay’s defense.
- In return, the 49ers add yet another first round pick in that of the Packers 30th selection as well as Green Bay’s original 12th overall pick.
Redskins make surprising move: We’ve been here before.
- It looks like Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has taken control of the team’s war room. Remember the last time this happened? We’re sure Robert Griffin III does.
- Another report suggests that Washington is looking to move up in front of the division-rival New York Giants for Duke’s Daniel Jones. While that would be a tremendous reach, we wouldn’t put it past Snyder.
- This move would add a third quarterback off the board within the first five picks. It would also lead to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers adding Washington’s first-round pick in both 2019 and 2020 as well as the team’s second-round pick this year and change. Talk about a move that could alter the landscape of the NFL Draft.
Simply because we have not seen many trades ahead of the draft, it doesn’t mean that a few blockbusters won’t go down come Thursday evening in Tennessee.
The Jets and 49ers are both specifically looking to move down. Either of them making a move would shake the foundation of the remainder of the draft.
Meanwhile, the Packers and Giants both have multiple first-round picks. They could use those assets as a way to target specific players. On the other hand, the Oakland Raiders and Jon Gruden are always a wild card. They will shake up the draft by their mere presence in Nashville.