2014 NFL Mock Draft: Teams Most Likely to Trade Down in the First Round

2014 NFL Mock Draft: Teams Most Likely to Trade Down in the First Round: The 2014 NFL Draft is a little more than a month away, but with the scouting combine and many pro days already in the books, teams are already narrowing down their draft boards. Teams are also starting to decide whether or not they want to move up or down in the draft based on their needs and based on what it will cost/gain them for making a move. With intriguing prospects like Jadeveon Clowney, Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel up for grabs, this year’s draft could see a lot of movement near the top. With that in mind, here is a closer look at four teams that are the most likely to trade down in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

1.      St. Louis Rams (No. 2 Pick)

Ironically, the Rams have the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft because they traded away their No. 2 a couple of years ago. St. Louis could employ a similar strategy this season, especially with many teams coveting a quarterback or defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. The Rams could trade down and still address needs along the offensive line or add another weapon for quarterback Sam Bradford while receiving a nice collection of additional picks. Finding a partner should be pretty easy, and unless St. Louis just can’t pass up Clowney, this pick makes a lot of sense to move.

2.      Oakland Raiders (No. 5 Pick)

The Raiders have a ton of needs, but they did kind of address one already in the offseason by trading for quarterback Matt Schaub. No, he isn’t the future franchise QB, but he could provide serviceable play for a year or two while Oakland grooms a younger player. As a result, Oakland could possibly forgo a QB with the No. 5 pick and go with more of a project player in the later rounds. While they might just opt to add a receiver or pass-rusher at No. 5 instead, the Raiders could also trade the pick to add some additional selections. After all, this is a team with holes on both sides of the ball, and if one of the top-three QB prospects is still on the board, teams will be calling.

3.      Minnesota Vikings (No. 8 Pick)

Minnesota is likely to be in the market for a quarterback in this year’s draft, and there is a chance they could look to trade up to get one of the consensus top three QBs in the draft. However, I’m not sure the Vikings will want to pay that price, and instead, don’t be surprised if they use the reverse strategy. Minnesota could trade down from the No. 8 spot and still pick up a QB like Derek Carr as well as another pick or two. With the additional picks, they could then trade back up later in the draft to grab a player they covet as they did last year with Cordarrelle Patterson.

4.      Baltimore Ravens (No. 17 Pick)

The logic behind the Ravens trading down is simple. No team has fewer picks in this year’s draft than Baltimore, and there isn’t much GM Ozzie Newsome can do with only four picks. Unless the Ravens have one player on their draft board that they absolutely have to have, it just makes too much sense to trade down, add some picks and gain a little more flexibility. In fact, don’t be surprised if Baltimore trades down more than once to go from four picks to six or seven.

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