
Draft time!
With the new collective bargaining agreement in place, the NFL Draft has changed wildly since last year’s edition. While there are still hundreds of talented college players vying to become professional football stars, teams are suddenly more aware of the value of draft picks these days thanks to the rookie salary schedule, and that means that trading up, down, and around in the draft is suddenly much more useful for a team. There were a staggering 10 trades during the first round of the NFL Draft, the most since 2002.
In fact, after Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III went first and second, the trades started immediately. Cleveland traded up to get Trent Richardson, the talented running back from Alabama, and Minnesota traded down to fourth to get Matt Kalil out of USC. Jacksonville traded up from seventh to fifth to pick up Oklahoma State wideout Justin Blackmon, while the Cowboys moved up to sixth to pick up Morris Claiborne of LSU. Rounding out the top ten were safety Mark Barron (picked seventh by Tampa), quarterback Ryan Tannehill (picked eighth by Miami), linebacker Luke Kuechly (ninth by Carolina), and cornerback Stephon Gilmore (going tenth to the Bills).
There were a staggering four trades among the first six selections of the draft! More teams moved in the top ten than stayed the same! But hey, much like last year, everyone was booing Roger Goodell.
Tags: andrew luck, robert griffin iii, nfl draft, football, professional football, 2012 nfl draft, first tournd of the nfl draft, national football leage, multiple trades at the nfl draft, 10 trades during the first round of the nfl draft