NFL Draft drawing near with ample intrigue
Who is going to be the first-overall pick to the Cleveland Browns come April 26 when the 2018 NFL Draft finally gets underway? Who are the New York Giants going to pick after that, or better yet, do we know what position they are looking at? Hell, do the Giants even plan to make that selection, and if not, who are they going trade the pick to? The Denver Broncos? The Miami Dolphins? The Buffalo Bills?
We are less than two weeks away from the draft, and nothing is known outside the fact that the Browns will take a quarterback in the first slot. Whether it’s Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield remains to be seen, but one of them will end up playing on the banks of Lake Erie.
Beyond that, everything is shrouded in mystery. For once, we don’t know who the top four or five picks are going to be weeks in advance. While those who constantly churn out mock drafts might be losing some sleep over the matter, fans should be reveling in the entire nature of this year’s proceedings. It’s fun to have no idea what to expect.
Here’s one thing, though, that you might want to be ready for: trades. The National Football League has long been behind the other three major North American sports when it comes to pulling off deals, but that seems to have changed this offseason. The Los Angeles Rams are making trades all over the place, while the New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs have also pulled off multiple high-profile swaps.
Expect that trend to continue in the draft. Teams are now being run — on the whole — by younger, smart general managers who aren’t afraid to take risks in the pursuit of glory. Additionally, one must consider that both the Bills and New England Patriots have multiple first-round picks (Buffalo has multiple picks in the second and third rounds as well) and each could be in the market for a quarterback.
The Bills hold the 12th and 22nd-overall selections, while New England is in the back half at 23rd and 31st-overall. The Patriots obviously have Tom Brady in tow, but at 41 years old come August, he’s not going to be the answer forever. In that vein, both AFC East foes could be trying to hop into the top five to solidify their respective futures.
That is but one of main subplots and storylines heading into a draft that for the first time in a long time, seems destined to shock us from the first pick through the last.
