In ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay’s most recent mock draft, he pinpointed the Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings as the two likeliest teams to trade out of the first round.
According to McShay, if Blake Bortles or Teddy Bridgewater falls to Oakland picking at No. 5, they would be happy to draft the quarter. If not, however, he believes “they’d be happy to trade back.”
“I’m not sure that (Johnny) Manziel is what they’re looking for at QB,” he wrote. “This is a team with holes all over the roster, so being able to trade back and pick up a guy like trade back and pick up a guy like WR Mike Evans, CB Justin Gilbert or OT Zack Martin later while while also stockpiling extra picks would be ideal.”
McShay added that if the Raiders were to stay put — with neither of the two coveted signal-callers still in the board — the team’s ideal situation would be taking Greg Robinson or Sammy Watkins.
Like the Raiders, McShay considers the Vikings the second or third most likely teams to trade out of the No. 8 slot in the first round. The draft analyst believes if the top three quarterbacks are off the board by their turn, the Vikings would attempt to move out the position to acquire more picks, then draft a quarterback in the later rounds. Like Oakland, if Minnesota were to stay put, it would also elect to take the best player available — Jake Matthews or Gilbert.
“If I were to rank the two or three likeliest teams to trade out of their first-round pick, the Vikings would be right in the mix. I could see them trying to aggressively move up if one of the top QBs (say, Johnny Manziel) dropped to No. 5, and I could see them moving back if there isn’t a QB available at No. 8 in an attempt to grab more picks and take a lower-rated quarterback like Jimmy Garoppolo later.”
Apparently, opting not to go quarterback in Round 1 is becoming a trend. Last week, it was reported the Jacksonville Jaguars may be leaning against drafting a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick, and the Houston Texans could still do the same at the top. One quarterback who is losing steam of late is Manziel, who according to CBS Sports draft analyst Dane Brugler, is no longer being touted as a top-25 selection.
1) I’ve gone back and watched and re-watched Johnny Manziel – and I still grade him the same…Not a QB I’m drafting in the top-25
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) March 10, 2014
Brugler’s recent quarterback rankings have Bridgewater and Bortles as Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, followed by Manziel.
