The week prior to the NFL Draft is one that is synonymous with lies and mis-information as everyone who is anyone fills the headlines with chatter from their "unnamed sources." It makes it easy to ignore just about everything, but when the general manager speaks it's worth listening and Dave Caldwell made sure to tell everyone on Monday that he expects the Jaguars to be the ones using the second overall selection on Thursday.
Caldwell said he would be surprised if the Jaguars don't end up picking second. #Jaguars
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@jaguars) April 22, 2013
Caldwell and head coach Gus Bradley addressed the media on Monday at a luncheon in Jacksonville that featured plenty of talk about the 2013 NFL Draft. While Caldwell obviously didn't tip who it was that he had in mind for the team, he told reporters that he has a good idea who that player will be.
With three days remaining until the Draft begins, Caldwell's comments are entirely unsurprising and shouldn't make anyone rule out the possibility of a trade down. There are really just two scenarios that the Jaguars could be working with:
A) They have a player in mind and the trade market for the second-overall selection doesn't justify passing on that player. If that's the case, Caldwell should have every intention to hold on to the second pick and take the player that he has narrowed his choices to.
B) The Jaguars are interested in trading down, but don't want to look desperate to do so. Desperation to get rid of a pick is how a team ends up settling for less, so the Jaguars must look like they value the second overall selection. That way, if a team hopes to trade for it, they'll be forced to wrestle it away from the Jaguars, who have publicly said they intend to use it.
The week before the Draft is known for mis-information and Monday's media luncheon should be treated no differently.