Quote:
Originally Posted by Chaka
Certainly possible, but we know Ballard isn't so enthralled with Chubb that he wasn't willing to trade down and reduce the chance that he would get him. This fuels the theory that he might not even take Chubb if he's available. Then again, he was paid a king's ransom to move down a few spots, so maybe it was worth the risk even if he loves the Chubb. Either way, I don't see Ballard as a "turn in the card right away" kind of guy - I think he'll see what's out there trade-wise before selecting his player.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rm1369
I’m not convinced Chubb is “Ballard’s Guy”. If he was I don’t see the trade back. That doesn’t mean he won’t take him if he’s there. It just means I think he’s simply one of 4 non QBs Ballard is comfortable with. And I don’t think we have any idea of the order of those players. I think us fans are more enamored with Chubb than Ballard is.
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That's called smart GMing, reading the field, and being willing to take calculated, intelligent risks. The first five picks are:
1) Cleveland Browns
2) New York Giants
3) New York Jets
4) Cleveland Browns
5) Denver Broncos
The common thread of these teams is they ALL need a franchise QB. Cleveland has had a void there since coming back into existence, Eli Manning is 37, the Jets best QB in recent memory is Chad Pennington, and the Broncos have been on the hunt to replace Peyton for four years now. Of course, Cleveland has 2 top 5 picks, but they're also enamored with Saquon Barkley and they just invested in DE. If they don't trade down, Barkley or Fitzpatrick is their pick at 4. Let's say they do trade down, though, say Buffalo gives them enough that they pull the trigger, and Buffalo gets QB4, leaving Denver on the outside looking in. Denver isn't going to draft Chubb, they have two first round picks at the position and a solid player in Shaquil Barrett. They likely take Nelson, Fitzpatrick, or Smith. Any way you look at it, the first team in the draft whose foremost need is a premier pass rusher is still the Colts. Ballard knows he needs a top pass rusher and knows this is his spot to get one, but he's smart enough to know where he needs to be to accomplish that as well. He traded to the lowest spot he could while still being reasonably assured he'd get Chubb (Tampa will take him at 7 if he's still there) and got a lot of value out of the deal. This was smart dealmaking and smart team building by Ballard.