Needless to say it will take hours, if not days, for all the implications of this morning’s blockbuster deal in which Los Angeles acquired the #1 pick at this month’s draft from Tennessee for a package of picks to play themselves out. and needless to say it may actually take several years for a final decision on who won the deal. Certainly, Tennessee, one of the thinnest teams in the league, has put itself in a position to address a number of issues later this month. Indeed, the Titans now have 4 of the top 45, and 6 of the top 76, picks at this month’s draft. However, on balance it may not be the haul that one would have normally expected from a move from the first overall pick to the 15th. Indeed, a case could be made that the Rams actually got more from Washington back in 2012 when they acquired three first rounders to move down just one spot in the Robert Griffen trade. It should be noted though that using the standard NFL trade value chart, both the Titans and Rams received about the same value in this deal. The other huge implication in this deal now is what happens after the first pick. It certainly is starting to look like QBs are going to go 1-2 with Cleveland expected to take whichever of Carson Wentz or Jared Goff the Rams pass on. In that case, Ole Miss OT Laremy Tunsil would fall to San Diego; it could also make for some happy folks in places like Dallas, Jacksonville and Baltimore which have the 4th through the 6th picks. If QBs do go 1-2 later this month, it could have the effect of pushing all the top defensive prospects one spot such as Florida State DB Jalen Ramsey, UCLA LB Myles Jack, Ohio State DE Joey Bosa and Oregon DT DeForest Buckner further down the draft. That means, for example, that the Cowboys chances of getting Ramsey, the player reportedly at the top of their board, with the 4th pick just got significantly shorter. Meanwhile, does this possibly bring Memphis QB Paxton Lynch into the mix for teams like San Francisco and/or Philadelphia, which pick 7th and 8th respectively, and have QB issues of their own. Stay tuned.
