Predicting the 3 Most Likely 2015 NFL Draft 1st Round Trades

The 2015 NFL Draft is just weeks away and one of the most exciting parts of draft night to fans is the shocking trades that seem to come out of nowhere. That is certainly one of my favorite parts of draft night and that in itself, along with hundreds of former college football stars finding a new NFL team to call home, is what makes the NFL Draft so magical.

I have decided to take a look at the first round of this year’s NFL Draft and point out three teams that I feel will be the most likely to make a trade. I have decided to narrow this particular piece down to just the first round, since that is the most viewed portion and anticipated round of the entire draft.

As I go down the first 32 picks that make up the first round, the first team that I feel will make a trade is the New York Jets. The Jets have the 6^th pick in this year’s draft and I believe they will try to trade up to select either Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota.

The Jets have made some nice offseason moves and the selection of a potential franchise quarterback would be great for the future of the Jets’ franchise. It would provide some excitement for the fan base, which is really needed after how horrible the 2014 season went for the New York Jets.

I believe they would try to make a trade with the Tennessee Titans, who hold the 2^nd pick, or the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold the 3^rd overall pick. I feel the most likely scenario would be the Jets trading up to number three since the Jaguars drafted a quarterback in last year’s draft when they selected Blake Bortles out of Central Florida.

So, Jets at pick number six trading up to either the second or third pick is our first trade I see as a possibility.

Next, I believe the Philadelphia Eagles will try to trade up from the 20^th overall pick. There have been multiple rumors this offseason that the Eagles and Head Coach Chip Kelly have been trying to trade up and select former Oregon Ducks’ quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Mariota and Kelly were together at Oregon and experienced great success. Kelly runs the same type of up tempo and spread attack style offense that he ran at Oregon. Kelly had some of his best seasons with Mariota running his offense with the Ducks and if they were to reunite in the NFL, it would be one of the headline stories entering the 2015 season.

I feel this possibility is very real and don’t be shocked if it actually happens on draft night. The issue would be trying to trade up to number two with the Tennessee Titans, or getting somewhere close to the top two picks and hope that the Titans don’t select Mariota for themselves.

So, Eagles trading up from the 20^th overall pick to number two to draft Mariota is our next most likely scenario in this year’s draft.

Finally, my third most likely trade scenario I see taking place during the first round of this year’s draft is the Carolina Panthers trading up from the 25^th overall pick to select a marquee wide receiver to team up with their first round pick last year, Kelvin Benjamin, out of Florida State.

Benjamin showed signs in 2014 that he is a potential pro bowler very soon. He has the size, speed and hands that you look for in an elite receiver and if he was to be teamed up with another elite receiver, it would only increase his productivity.

I see the Panthers potentially trading up to a top ten pick to select Amari Cooper out of Alabama. I believe he is the best receiver in this year’s draft, but if he is off the board when the Panthers select I believe they would target West Virginia’s star wide out, Kevin White.

These two, in my opinion, are the two elite receivers of this year’s draft class and either one would be a welcomed addition to the Panthers’ wide receiving unit. I feel if the Panthers can’t trade up high enough to select Cooper, which should be in the top ten, then they will look to trade somewhere near the bottom of the top ten to about pick 15 to take White out of West Virginia.

So, Panthers trading up from the 25^th overall pick to the top 10 or 15 to select either Cooper out of Alabama or White out of West Virginia is my third most likely trade to take place in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

This year’s 2015 NFL Draft is certainly going to be intriguing with two star quarterbacks and lots of offensive weapons projected to go in the first round. In today’s NFL where offensive has taken over the game, these types of trades and possible selections make it that much more exciting for fans and the sport of football.

The 2015 NFL Draft is almost here, which means the sport of football, both college and NFL, will endure a major facelift to rosters nationwide.