March 29, 2014
As I posted on my NFL Rumors page, long-time NFL writer Dan Pompei is reporting that the Texans are “trying hard” to trade down and may have found a partner in the Bills. For more, click on the link.
This got me thinking though: What would the 2014 NFL Draft look like if such a trade did happen to go down? Here are the top nine picks in a brief 2014 NFL Mock Draft, taking the proposed Houston and Buffalo trade into account. You can go here for my real 2014 NFL Mock Draft.
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Buffalo Bills: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina 
First of all, let me just say that if a rumor is already out there connecting two teams, it’s probably not true. Most trades that occur in the NFL come out of nowhere. Still though, it’s fun to speculate what would happen if such a transaction took place.
At least one of the top four quarterbacks will be available at No. 9, so it’s unlikely that the Bills are moving up for a signal-caller, especially after using last year’s first-rounder on E.J. Manuel. Thus, their target is Jadeveon Clowney. Having Clowney across from Mario Williams would allow Buffalo to have one of the most feared pass rushes in the NFL.
So, what would it take for the Bills to move from No. 9 to No. 1? They’d almost certainly have to surrender their first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, which would be an awful decision on their part. If Manuel busts, Buffalo might be able to land Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota. But with this trade, the Bills will stink and won’t have any hope for the future either. That would be disastrous.
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Atlanta Falcons: Khalil Mack, DE/OLB, Buffalo 
Another trade! General manager Thomas Dimitroff, who has been aggressive this offseason, has discussed moving up. His target is undoubtedly Jadeveon Clowney, but I’m sure he’d love to obtain Khalil Mack as well, as the Buffalo defender would be perfect for his team’s defensive scheme.
Unlike the Bills, the Falcons won’t have to give up a future first-rounder, as the move from No. 6 to 2 isn’t nearly as drastic as No. 9 to 1. They’ll have to trade up to get Mack though; there’s no chance he gets past both Jacksonville and Oakland. The Rams may even take him if they stand pat.
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Jacksonville Jaguars: Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida 
I get the feeling the Jaguars will pass on a quarterback if they can get one of the top two pass-rushers. If both Jadeveon Clowney and Khalil Mack are gone, however, they may settle on the top quarterback in this class. Nothing else really makes sense. They’re fine at tackle, so no Greg Robinson. Sammy Watkins would be great if Justin Blackmon were banished forever, but what happens if Blackmon returns? There will be a major log jam at receiver.
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Cleveland Browns: Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson 
It’s looking like the Browns want to either wait on Marcus Mariota next year – go here for the 2015 NFL Mock Draft – or use their second first-rounder on Derek Carr. I still wouldn’t count out a quarterback at No. 4, but it seems as though Cleveland will go in a different direction.
If that’s the case, the only player who really makes sense is Sammy Watkins. The Browns had tremendous problems at receiver this past season outside of Josh Gordon. Greg “Mr. Dependable” Little continued to struggle, while Davone Bess was even worse. Watkins, the clear-cut No. 1 skill player in this class, would give Cleveland a tremendous duo at receiver.
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Oakland Raiders: Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State 
I’ve been hearing more and more that multiple teams in the top 10 prefer Derek Carr over both Teddy Bridgewater and/or Johnny Manziel. This jibes with Charlie Campbell’s report that teams expect Manziel and Bridgewater to fall, with the latter even possibly being available atop Round 2. We’re trained to think that Bridgewater and Manziel will go before Carr because of what we’ve heard on TV or read on news-aggregator Web sites, but “strange” things happen on Draft Day because teams simply think differently at times.
Also, the notion that the Raiders absolutely won’t select a quarterback at No. 5 because of the Matt Schaub trade is completely ridiculous. A signal-caller is definitely in play here, thanks to the new CBA. Having said that, Oakland will be dying to trade down, as it probably thinks it can acquire Carr by sliding several slots (like last year when they wanted D.J. Hayden badly and were able to fall into the teens to get him). I’m not so sure Carr will be available in the teens anymore, but the Raiders might be willing to take that chance.
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St. Louis Rams: Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn 
The Rams will be more than happy to trade down to the fifth, sixth or even eighth pick. Not only will they acquire more selections; they’ll be able to nab Greg Robinson, Jake Matthews or Sammy Watkins with those choices.
Jeff Fisher usually isn’t one to take an offensive lineman early, but Jake Long’s return for the 2014 is questionable. That’s troubling, given that the Rams need to keep the fragile Sam Bradford healthy if they want to compete in the best division in football. Greg Robinson had a terrific Combine and has even drawn comparisons to Hall of Fame tackle Larry Allen. Given how tremendous of a prospect Robinson is, Fisher may make an exception to his rule.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M 
Tampa Bay would love it if Sammy Watkins would fall to this spot, but there’s no way in seven hells that is happening. Blue-chip prospects like Watkins just don’t slide very far during the draft. Mike Evans, however, wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize.
The Buccaneers must give Josh McCown another weapon. A tertiary target was seen as a big need entering the offseason, but after all of the negative things that have come to light about Williams – including the recent stabbing – Tampa may just want a new No. 2 wideout across from Vincent Jackson.
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Minnesota Vikings: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville 
Todd McShay reported last weekend that the Vikings have Teddy Bridgewater as their top quarterback. This is false information, as Minnesota prefers at least one signal-caller over the Louisville product. However, until I find out more, I’m going to assume that McShay is at least semi-accurate in that the Vikings like Bridgewater enough to take him at No. 8 despite his awful Pro Day. This would be the opposite of what this front office did with Christian Ponder; Rich Spielman reached for Ponder, whereas he’d be landing a semi-steal with Bridgewater, who was expected to go No. 1 overall throughout most of the college season.
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Houston Texans: Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina 
OK, so what are the Texans going to do at No. 9? Johnny Manziel is an obvious choice, but if Houston liked him so much, it would just take him first overall and not risk letting someone else snag him. The same goes for any other quarterback, so I’m going to have the Texans go in a different direction.
I think Eric Ebron makes the most sense. Houston wants to upgrade the tight end position in the wake of losing Owen Daniels, and Ebron, along with Jake Matthews and Justin Gilbert, is the top prospect available. The Texans aren’t going to use an early selection on a right tackle, so scratch Matthews off. Gilbert is a very logical selection, but Ebron feels most right to me. I also thought about Anthony Barr, but maybe Houston can get Randy Gregory with Buffalo’s first-round pick in 2015. Or perhaps even Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota…
Go here for my real 2014 NFL Mock Draft.
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