NFL Draft 2015: Three Teams Most Likely To Trade Up

Jameis Winston will more than likely be the first pick in the NFL Draft. Leonard Williams is the best talent in this Draft. Randy Gregory thinks he is the best talent in this Draft. Marcus Mariota wants to be more than just a project.

Welcome to the early positioning for the 2015 NFL Draft – a time in the offseason before the scouting combine where teams are looking to plan for their futures, the media is scrambling to find things to write about and rumors and conjecture are the norm.

Oh how I cannot wait until April.

Since there is no consensus over who will be the top pick in this year’s Draft (throw Brando Scherff, a tackle from Iowa in that mix), there will be plenty of trade talk, and more jockeying for position as teams who need a quarterback get in line to take the one who appears to be NFL-ready (Winston) and the one who could be an NFL star in a couple of years (Mariota).

Here are three teams that will trade up to make that happen.

CHICAGO BEARS

The Bears need all kinds of help on the defensive side of the ball. Somehow, I think this would be more about taking Jameis Winston, should he fall past the third pick in the Draft. I suspect the Jaguars and the Raiders will be very popular teams on April 30.

Jay Cutler may be the subject of trade talks. What if Cutler and the Bears No. 7 pick were sent to Tampa Bay for the right to draft Winston?

John Fox may want his own quarterback to work with new offensive coordinator Adam Gase.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

If Mariota is there at No. 3, you know the Eagles will be knocking down the Jaguars’ door to claim him. But the problem lies in the positioning. The Eagles brass know it will be very tough to trade 17 spots to get Chip Kelly’s quarterback from Oregon.

Should the Eagles be able to work a deal, it would make the Philadelphia offense more dynamic. The knock on Mariota is he is a project and only fits Kelly’s system in the NFL. We shall see if he can pull this off.

We all know Kelly and the Eagles management is going to do everything it can to make this kind of a trade happen.

DALLAS COWBOYS

I throw Dallas into this equation for a couple of reasons. First, the team would love a chance to make a move to get Winston.

The worst thing Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did over the offseason was pine away about how he did not draft Johnny Manziel to be the face of the franchise and in doing so, he took a backhanded swipe at his current quarterback, Tony Romo. Last time I checked, Romo had a fine year.

If Jones falls in love with Winston, he will not be overridden this time and will pull the trigger on a trade