Movin’ Up Like George and Weezy: These Teams will be Aggressive in the Draft

What makes the draft so exciting, isn’t just the fact that your team is about to select the player that could change their fortunes for years to come. It’s the trades, the drama, and the uncertainty that makes for a thrilling evening that will have all football fans glued to their television sets. For months, from the moment the season ends, fans begin to speculate.

Everyone becomes a draft expert, everyone has their own idea of what could or should happen. Millions of mock drafts are done, all more interesting than the next but this is what makes draft night so special. This draft is filled with some elite talent. Some positions such as Tackle and Tight End are extremely top-heavy, this will force a few teams to aggressively trade up to select the player they covet. 

Who is Likely to be Aggressive?

There are a few teams who are eager for a quarterback, but with the top 3 teams all a lock to take one of the 5 top quarterbacks, there will be only 2 remaining. Lawrence and Wilson are the presumptive top 2 picks. The 49ers at 3 have apparently set their sights on either Mac Jones or Trey Lance. That would mean Justin Fields would probably slide and there will be teams fighting to move up and acquire the quarterback from Ohio State. 

Teams Who Could Look to Move Up:

New England Patriots:

There is no secret that the Patriots are trying to pick a quarterback in the draft. Although they have signed Cam Newton for the year, they may not see him as a long-term solution at the position. The Patriots will hope that they never have to draft this high up in the first round again so maybe they will see this as an opportunity to jump a few places to select a quarterback. It’s been reported that they have been making calls to try and get into the top 10 of this year’s draft and that would likely happen if one of the quarterbacks began to slide. 

Chicago Bears:

The Bears are in need of a quarterback in the worst way. Dalton is not a bad quarterback, he’s actually the most decent quarterback they have had in a while. But we can all agree that he is not the long-term answer in Chicago. The last time they traded up, it turned out to be one of the worst trades of all time considering the passed on Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. The only problem would be the amount of draft capital and assets they would have to give up moving from 20 into the top 10. However, for a quarterback of the future to right some wrongs? Maybe it would be worth it. 

Washington Football Team:

Another team that could be interested in a quarterback who is sliding is Washington. They did a great job in recent years acquiring young talent and it was rewarded with their first playoff berth since 2015. However, at the moment their QB1 is Ryan Fitzpatrick, and similar to Chicago, he isn’t a long-term answer to your quarterback needs. At 19 they would have to trade up to get one of the 5 top quarterbacks. With 3 going in with the first 3 picks it’s very unlikely that the 2 remaining aren’t selected before 19. If one slides past 10, keep an eye on Washington to try and get up and grab a quarterback.  

Minnesota Vikings:

The Vikings rarely move up in drafts, Rick Spielman is becoming synonymous with trading down and collecting picks for the later rounds. However, the Vikings are in desperate need of an offensive lineman and although this is a deep class at that position there is a drop off in quality between the top-tier guys and some of the others. Tom Pelissero reported yesterday that the Vikings have made calls to try and put themselves in a position to be able to draft one of the top guys that would anchor their line and protect Kirk Cousins for years to come. The Vikings missed out on some of the better guys in free agency so they would do well to make up for it in the draft. 

Expect the Unexpected

Throughout the years, things rarely pan out the way we think they will. Draft night is always full of surprises and this year will be no different. With 5 quarterbacks projected to go in the top 10, there is a real chance some of the best skill position players fall out of the top 10 causing a wave of movement in the teams selecting between 10-20 and even further down. This draft class is deep with talent and teams will be very excited to pull the trigger if a player the like is within range.