Of the past few days there has been a rash of rumors surrounding the Top 5 of the 2014 NFL Draft with seemingly every pick except for No. 3 overall with the Jacksonville Jaguars. There's been a lot of talk of Johnny Manziel going No. 2 or No. 4 overall to the St. Louis Rams and the Cleveland Browns, respectively, but not much has been made about the No. 3 overall pick until now.
Focus on No. 3 RT @NFL_ATL: Bills, Lions looking for bargain to move into top five, per, @RapSheet http://t.co/4v0YTQRha4
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 6, 2014
There is now talk that the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions covet the top two wide receiver prospects in the draft, Clemson's Sammy Watkins and Texas A&M's Mike Evans. Both teams however feel that both players will be gone by the time they pick at No. 9 and No. 10, respectively.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the focus has been on the Jaguars No. 3 overall pick as the spot to get to, as the Browns have also been linked with both Watkins and Evans, but that the Bills and Lions are looking for a "bargain" to come up.
Why this makes sense
It's no secret that the Jaguars would like to slide down if possible, but remain in the Top 10, and still pick up some extra picks on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. If the Bills and Lions indeed to want one of Watkins or Evans, it's highly unlikely either are available by the time they pick, in fact both could be gone by the No. 4 overall pick, depending on how things shake out. It all depends on what is defined as a "bargain" by the two teams trying to come up.
Typically a move to come from No. 9 or No. 10 to No. 3 overall would cost at least a team's second round pick. In the 2013 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins moved from No. 12 overall to No. 3 overall to pick Dion Jordan by simply giving up No. 12 and No. 42 overall (2nd round).
The Bills hold pick No. 9 and pick No. 41. The Lions hold pick No. 10 and No. 45. The Jaguars already own the Lions fifth-round pick for the 2012 Mike Thomas trade, however they (the Lions) have eight total picks, including three fourth-round picks.
Why this doesn't make sense
A trade like this may not make sense for either the Bills or the Lions because it's a wide receiver rich draft, by all accounts. While both Watkins and Evans are the clear 1-2 favorites at the position in the draft, there are still plenty of others available that are just a notch below and should be starting wide receivers in the NFL.
Both could stay put and pick someone like Odell Beckham from LSU or simply wait until their second round pick and pick one of the many other second-tier wide receivers.
Likelihood: 5
This type of trade would make a ton of sense for the Jaguars, even if all they received was an extra second-round pick. That would give them three picks in the top 45 picks of the draft and still a shot at a Top 10 player in the draft. At the No. 9 or No. 10 spot the Jaguars could still pick a quarterback if they want, a wide receiver, someone potentially like Anthony Barr or even an offensive tackle would make a little more sense (though still meh) at this point.