Paul Scofield’s Possible 2018 NFL Draft Trade Scenarios
Let’s take a moment and think about this. Denver won a Super Bowl with Peyton Manning. A smart pocket passing quarterback with a declining arm. Yes, they signed Case Keenum during the offseason, but he’s 30 years old, with Paxton Lynch as a backup. IF, and that’s a pretty big IF, Cleveland passes on Sam Darnold, Gettleman’s phone is going to be exploding with trade offers. Not wanting to move behind Indianapolis, they have a limited slate of exceptional trade partners. The Giants may want to stay and take Darnold if he’s there, and that wouldn’t surprise me either. However, this trade really depends on who Cleveland takes with 1 overall. The reason I say New York wants to stay ahead of Indy is because they would target the Giants’ projected pick at 5, Quenton Nelson out of Notre Dame.
Hear my out here, it doesn’t necessarily have to be with Indy, but Buffalo is in dire need of a quarterback and that’s where they’re going with their first pick. That’s happening, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind. If the Giants pass on a quarterback That means 1 (if not 2) of the top 3 quarterbacks is still available to them at 6. Baker Mayfield is my assumption here, but it could just as easily be Josh Allen out of Wyoming. Both would fit nicely in Buffalo with Shady behind them. If Saquon Barkley and Quenton Nelson is off the board at 6, I see Indianapolis trading back for Mike McGlinchey.
Indianapolis could sit tight at 6 and draft the best player available, whether that be Quenton Nelson or Minkah Fitzpatrick or some other player who isn’t a quarterback. Heck, I’ll have a better one at #4 for Indianapolis, so hold that thought. With 3 second round picks and a need at a dire need at OLine, why not use 2 first rounders on the offensive line? Isaiah Wynn may be there at 32, or Will Hernandez. Philadelphia could grab. Quality player in JaireAlexander or Hayden Hurst in the early 2nd round. They’re not really hurting at many positions.
Yea I said it, and I believe it’s a possibility. Indianapolis needs a lot of help and so does Cleveland. Who did Cleveland just lose this offseason? Oh that’s right, future Hall of Famer Joe Thomas. That’s a gaping hole on that offensive line. Granted Indianapolis can’t necessarily fix that issue, but they can give Cleveland an extra 2nd round pick and possibly a player. Let’s just say that player may be someone named either Andrew Luck, or maybe someone like Malik Hooker or Quincy Wilson. There’s always a possibility, and with that 1st overall pick, there lies Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen or Baker Mayfield right on their laps. I think Andrew Luck being hurt is killing Indy, this is the year they need to do something about it. At 1, they replace Luck and at 6. Cleveland replaces Joe Thomas. It’s a win-win, especially for Cleveland since they have the 4th pick at their disposal as well.
Cleveland isn’t going to pick at both spots, 1st and 4th. They own both, but it just won’t happen on Thursday. Buffalo is in a bad spot, but a great position with 2 first round picks. At the end of this, Cleveland may even have picked up a 3rd first round pick. That would be a dream scenario for Hue Jackson and company though. I don’t necessarily see that being logical, but I’ve seen crazier things happen. Buffalo needs to get into the top 5, what better team to speak with than the team that owns 2 top 5 picks this year? Cleveland can land a bunch of players at 1 and 4, but they could also fill needs at 12 or 22 as well and still have a top 5 pick plus get more picks later in the draft and maybe in 2019 as well. This is what Cleveland strives at doing, getting the most value in their trades. It really just depends on what happens on that 1stoverall pick. That could start a domino effect, or it could prevent teams from wanting to make a lot of trades.
