NFL Draft

NFL Draft Grapevine

April 25, 2008 @ 14:05:26

By Bryce McRae
Edited by Cory J. Bonini

The Kansas City Chiefs have already pulled off one major trade - shipping defensive end Jared Allen to the Minnesota Vikings for their 17th overall pick, and the Chiefs are just one team that could pull the trigger on a first-round trade during the 2008 NFL Draft.

There is no consensus on what the first 10 teams in the draft will do, and as with any year, this could be a busy first day of the draft. There are rumors flying all over the place about who wants to go where and who needs what. In this report we will look at some of the more likely trades to occur in the first round of the draft.

Looking at the top 10 picks, almost every team - outside of the Miami Dolphins - are possible players with their pick.

The first are the St. Louis Rams, owners of the second overall pick. The Rams have need of help on both their lines, which would suggest they take Louisiana State defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey or Virginia defensive end Chris Long since University of Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long will be a Dolphin.

A Dorsey selection would shore up St. Louis' run defense, as well as allow the team to move defensive tackle Adam Carriker to his natural position at end, if they wanted to, but he may just as well remain a tackle. However, the Rams might not be so quick to select Dorsey come Saturday. The New Orleans Saints are strongly interested in Dorsey and have the 10th pick in the draft. They could package this pick with a couple of later picks (or, perhaps, a player) to jump up to grab the Louisiana State tackle. The Rams would then be free to select University of Southern California defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis to fill their need at tackle, assuming he is still available at that point. If the Rams do go with Long, it could make for a boring first few picks.

Moving down one pick, the Atlanta Falcons will miss out on Jake Long and could also lose out on Dorsey. They have needs at quarterback and Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan would be the expected pick here. However, many teams want Ryan, giving this pick some value. The Falcons do not necessarily need a top quarterback to run their offense and could get a solid quarterback prospect in the second round (they have three second-round draft picks). Possible teams they could hook up with are the Kansas City Chiefs or the Baltimore Ravens. Both these teams need a starting quarterback; Ryan might not last to their respective spots of fifth and eighth overall, respectively.

One other option could be the New York Jets with the sixth pick. With Arkansas running back Darren McFadden an apparent favorite of managing general partner Al Davis' Oakland Raiders, the Jets, who also seemingly covet McFadden, could trade up to grab him before the Raiders. If not, the team will hope that Ryan or Troy University cornerback Leodis McKelvin falls to them at the sixth spot.

Now it gets interesting. The Chiefs are currently in the fifth spot and could be looking to move anywhere, up or down. They have need of a pass rusher with the loss of Allen, as well as help on the offensive line and a potential franchise quarterback. The Saints again are a team that might consider moving up if a play for the second pick falls through. They are rumored to be heavily interested in McKelvin, which would fill a need, and he could be had at the fifth pick. The New England Patriots, picking seventh, are looking for a cornerback and could be interested in McKelvin. If they pulled off this move, the Chiefs would still be able to fill their line needs with the 10th and 17th picks. If they do move down to the 10th spot, the Chiefs could target Boise State offensive tackle Ryan Clady or Virginia offensive guard/tackle Branden Albert.

As mentioned above, the Chiefs could move up in a play to get Ryan. Any move up likely would include their fifth pick plus others.

It has already been discussed of the Jets moving up; however, the Saints are another option to trade with at the sixth spot if their move up to grab Dorsey doesn't work. Like the Chiefs spot, the Saints could be looking at this spot to grab speedy cornerback McKelvin. The Patriots are one of the teams interested in him at the seventh pick, which likely forces the Saints to move up and grab him.

The Patriots likely will be looking linebacker or cornerback with their seventh overall pick. There could be enticing options at both, but they are a candidate to trade from this position. The Baltimore Ravens, who are picking eighth, reportedly love Ryan. He gives them a quarterback to build around in new head coach John Harbaugh's offense (which appears to be Cam Cameron's offense at this point). However, any other team drafting knows this and could make a play for the Patriots' No. 7 pick. The Carolina Panthers (13th overall) and the Chicago Bears (14th overall) are both teams in need of a quarterback, but both teams are likely to hold off until the second round or later.

Moving into the middle of the first round, there are still a few potential trades at this stage, but a lot of it depends on how the first dozen picks play out, naturally.

The Detroit Lions (No. 15) are believed to be interested in trading up for Florida defensive end Derrick Harvey. A potential match could be the Buffalo Bills (No. 11), who are looking at cornerback or potentially wide receiver here. There targeted cornerback (possibly McKelvin) likely will not be around, and taking a wide receiver such as Michigan wide receiver Devin Thomas would be a reach. They could drop to the 15th spot and still pick up Thomas.

Another team that could be in play for this pick is the Chiefs. They need to find an offensive lineman in this draft, and with the fifth spot too high for any of the available players, without a bit of a reach for Clady, this could be a spot where they grab Albert. It has been reported the Chiefs contacted the Bills about trading this pick as soon as they pulled the trigger on the Allen trade. However, the Bills are only going to trade this pick if the cornerback they want (possibly McKelvin) is off the board. Any Chiefs move would likely be a trade up from the 17th spot.

There is still some intrigue in the final 10 picks of the first round (22-31). The Dallas Cowboys, picking at the 22nd and 28th overall spots, have the ammunition needed to move up if a player they want falls. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has built a reputation as a draft day trader, having not ruled out moving into the top 10 if he has to. Otherwise, the team could deal out of those two picks. They have reportedly given out just 23 first-round grades, and if one of those players is not available at both picks, they could move down.

The Seattle Seahawks are potential trade partners at the 25th spot for someone looking to get back into the first round - possibly to grab a quarterback. The Seahawks should still be able to grab a wide receiver or running back in the second round, and if a team such as the Dolphins, Falcons or Ravens wants to move up, they could pull the trigger on a move here.

The same goes for the San Diego Chargers at the 27th pick and the Green Bay Packers at the 30th pick. The Packers, in particular, could make a move as their general manager, Ted Thompson, when it comes to trading picks, is like KFFL general manager William Del Pilar around a Dairy Queen; he just can't help himself.

A lot of what happens later in the draft will depend on what goes on during the first 10 picks. In essence, any draft pick could be had for the right price. What has been outlined here are a few of the most likely scenarios. Make sure you tune in Saturday with KFFL to see how it all plays out.

Author Bio

Bryce McRae
Bryce McRae is a Managing Editor with KFFL and has been involved in fantasy sports since 1999. He joined KFFL as a volunteer writer in March 2005 before becoming a Hot off the Wire Analyst in March 2006. He began working in his current capacity in September 2008. His work has appeared on fantasy sports sites such as Yahoo! and CBS Sportsline as well as in print. He graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2008 with a B.A. in History and U.S. Studies.