Trades to be Made: 2014 Edition

Every year, there are plenty of draft trades that are made. It doesn't matter if it is the first round or the last, deals can make or break a team on Draft Weekend, and I am starting to get the feeling that in 2014 the wheeling and dealing, or the possibility of the big trade, is going to be in the forefront of the upcoming draft weekend. Start at the top this year. The Houston Texans need a quarterback. I still say that Teddy Bridgewater is going to be the best of the bunch in this years crop, but it looks like their top targets are Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel. But the best player in the draft is Jadaveon Clowney, the freakishly talented defensive end. But Houston already has J.J. Watt, and their question is 'Do we tandem the pass rush with Watt and Clowney, or do we take the quarterback who will get us back to the playoffs?' If the Texans are dead set on a quarterback, they need to look for a trading partner who will break the bank for Clowney. St. Louis already has Chris Long and Robert Quinn, so they are set at defensive end. Then there is Jacksonville. I have already written about how Gus Bradley is looking to build the Jaguars much the same way he former team, the Seattle Seahawks, were built. Defense, power running game, and an intelligent quarterback who doesn't make mistakes that costs you game. If Clowney is there at #3, Jacksonville will take him. But how much do they want him? I wonder if they might consider a trade up to #1, and hold onto their second round pick this year to get a quarterback they want. A.J. McCarron, Derek Carr and Zach Mettenberger come to mind who Jacksonville could target with that pick. But as good as Clowney looks to be, the Jaguars need to fill a lot of holes, so I don't see them as a top candidate to trade. Cleveland has the 4th Overall Selection, but they also have #26, which they received for Trent Richardson last season. But Cleveland needs a quarterback and a playmaking receiver. I have them taking Sammy Watkins at #4 and Derek Carr at #26. But if Teddy Bridgewater falls past #8, and the Browns did not take a quarterback at #4, they could be in trade mode themselves to move up and get a quarterback they covet. Cleveland made a big deal three years ago with Atlanta do that the Falcons could draft Julio Jones, but this year I don't see the Browns moving up to get Clowney. The Oakland Raiders could use a player like Clowney. They could also use a player like Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles, Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews, Khalil Mack and Sammy Watkins. Translation: The Raiders need a lot of help, and trading away a boatload of draft picks for Clowney doesn't make a lot of sense. But these are the Raiders. So who really knows what they are going to do. As I mentioned earlier, Atlanta made a blockbuster deal three years ago to move up from #27 to #6 and take Julio Jones. The Falcons are in the sixth position this year, after a season of one injury after another cost them any chance of success. Would they pull the trigger on another blockbuster deal and move up to #1 and get Clowney? I don't see it happening. They need help on the offensive line, and with Greg Robinson and Jake Matthews they have 1 and 1A to choose from. If they have their eye on defense, Khalil Mack might still be there. Atlanta sacrificed number ones to get Jones back in 2011, and it cost them with lack of depth last year. I don't see it happening this year with the Falcons. If the Houston Texans can't move out of #1, and they take a quarterback, the trade focus will be on the St. Louis Rams, who also have the #13 pick this year. They made their own big trade two years ago and hoarded picks from the Washington Redskins in the Robert Griffin III deal. Jeff Fisher has taken those picks and started to rebuild the Rams into a winner. But they need help on the offensive line, and they can get either Robinson, Matthews or Taylor Lewan later in the Top 10 if they move down. Now all the Rams have to do is find a trading partner. With one of the deepest draft classes in memory, good luck with that. It is one month until the 2014 NFL Draft, and it will be interesting to see if The Big Trade is made before the draft, or if we have to wait until the Houston Texans are officially on the clock before it happens.