We're less than two months from the 2017 NFL Draft and teams are putting together their draft boards based on the Senior Bowl, Shrine Game, this week's combine and a lot of tape.
In the end, most teams will have at least one player they really like for their pick when they're time comes in Round 1. A few others may watch their board get destroyed, pick after pick. Those clubs may decide trading up is the only way they get their guy.
Here are five teams that should trade up in order to get the player they need.
Houston Texans
Pick: No. 25
Greatest Need: QB, OL, ILB
Draft Capital: 25, 57, 89, 131, 169, 188, 243
The Texans — no matter how much money is still guaranteed to Brock Osweiler — which is $25 million, for the record — have been held back by quarterback play and now have an elite defense ready to challenge any offensive teams in football.
Houstons QB's combined for 15 TD and 16 INT a year ago while completing 59.5 percent of their passes. Furthermore, Osweiler and Tom Savage combined for a Red Zone efficiency rating of 88.3, No. 24 in the NFL, while averaging just 5.9 yards per attempt.
The Texans need a quarterback or they'll waste their defense's best years. While most draftniks grade this year's top QBs somewhere outside the Top 15, teams will reach for quarterbacks. If Houston wants one of the top 3 — Mitch Trubisky, Deshaun Watson, DeShone Kizer — they may have to trade up to draft one.
If they have to move up too far — say, 10 or more spots — the idea of trading upin Round 1 may not make a whole lot of sense, suggesting the Texans instead try to do something in Round 2, including trading up to take the next-best QB available — Texas Tech star Pat Mahomes?
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Detroit Lions
Pick: No. 21
Greatest Needs: OLB/DE, CB, LB
Draft Capital: 21, 53, 85, 128, 165, 205, 215, 250
The Lions will have options at No. 21 in the pass rush department but the chances any of the top few pass rushers are available — Takkarist McKinley, Taco Charlton, for example — aren't great.
Myles Garrett will certainly be gone inside the Top 3, but McKinley and Charlton may be around in the teens, suggesting Detroit could move up 3-8 spots and get one of the top three edge rushers in the draft.
Denver, last April, moved up from No. 31 to 26 in exchange for a late third-round pick. The Lions should be able to do something similar from 21 to the mid-teens for their third (85) and another pick outside the top two rounds of the '17 or '18 drafts.
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Philadelphia Eagles
Pick: No. 14/15 (coin flip Friday, March 3)
Greatest Needs: CB, WR, RB
Draft Capital: 14/15, 43, 74, 119, 139, 155, 194, 230
With their quarterback on board, the Eagles are in a good spot: Just add water, watch Carson Wentz grow. But he'll need more weapons and wide receiver is the most natural place to start.
Sitting at 14/15, Philadelphia can hope one of the top two receivers fall, or simply take No. 3, which pre-combine seems to be speedster John Ross. But there's a chance the Eagles can address wide receiver in free agency — Desean Jackson? — which may turn the club to running back or cornerback in Round 1.
There's depth at both spots in this draft, enough to decrease the need for teams to trade up in the first round. But if a true WR1 is the Eagles' target, they'll probably need to move up to get Mike Williams, and perhaps Corey Davis, too.
The Buffalo Bils, in 2014, traded up five spots to No. 4 to select Sammy Watkins. The cost? Two picks in the following year's draft — a first and a fourth.
It's difficult to imagine Philly doing anything like that, but if it's just 3-4 spots into the 10-12 range to get Davis or Williams, it may be difficult not to pull the trigger. 'Carson Wentz to Mike Williams' has a nice ring to it.
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New England Patriots
Pick: No. 32
Greatest Needs: OT, LB, DB
Draft Capital: 32, 64, 96, 103, 137, 163, 183, 239
The Patriots may make other deals that impact their draft needs, such as possibly dangling CB Malcolm Butler — who wants a new contract — or dealing QB Jimmy Garappolo for picks.
If Butler is moved the Pats may simply stand pat at 32 and take the best cornerback available, such as Gareon Conley, TreDavious White or Cordrea Tankersley. If not, the Pats may see an opportunity to move up and grab a defensive player they feel can be a star in their system. Jabrill Peppers comes to mind.
There's a chance Peppers gets to New England at 32, but there's a better chance he doesn't. Moving up a handful of spots for the player they wants is certainly in the Patriots' history. They moved No. 27 and 93 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012 to select Chandler Jones. They also traded for No. 25 in that draft — in exchange for No. 31 and 126 — to select Dont'a Hightower.
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New York Jets
Pick: No. 6
Greatest Needs: QB, DE, CB, OL
Draft Capital: 6, 39, 70, 107, 150, 191, 224
The Jets probably aren't in a position to move up from No. 6, but why not from No. 39 in Round 2, back up into the first round?
The most commonly mocked players to the Jets include RB Leonard Fournette, CB Marshon Lattimore and QB Deshaun Watson. Assuming Watson, nor any other quarterback, are the pick at No. 6, the Jets could move up into the bottom of Round 1 and make sure they get the next-best QB, or perhaps steal their favorite cornerback.
Despite no fourth-round pick, the Jets own two third-round picks (70, 107) and are rumored to be shopping defensive lineman Shelden Richardson. Brian Costello of the New York opines a third or a fourth for Richardson may be best-case for the Jets, but that's enough to offer more ammo for trading up in earlier rounds.
Going from No. 39 to the mid-to-late 20s likey costs a third-round pick at most. But such a swap could land the Jets a QB such as DeShone Kizer or a top corner in the mold of Sidney Jones, Teez Tabor or Quincy Wilson.
