This years draft was very entertaining, especially with all the moves made in the first round this year. As I watched the drafts first day there were five trades that made my jaw drop. Some were because at least initially I didn’t think they made since, even now I’m scratching my head with not only the trade but with who they picked. Warning the weirdest most surprising trades were between three teams.
Buffalo Bills Trade with the Cleveland Browns
The Buffalo Bills traded up from number eight to take the explosive reciever from Clemson Sammy Watkins. The Bills needed an offensive playmaker beside Stevie Johnson so initially I thought that would be a good fit. It didn’t surprise me that a team traded up for Watkins either, I was more so surprised that it was the Bills. Before the draft started many teams made it known that they had interest in trading up for Watkins. I was thinking the Detroit Lions would trade up if he made it passed the top five. So the fact that it was the Bills and not the Lions was the initial shock factor for me.
The second part was the fact that Cleveland traded back in the first place. Before the first round many had this as the spot where Heisman winner Johnny Manziel would be picked. Cleveland traded back which in my mind decreased their chances of getting Manziel especially with the Raiders and Vikings picking before them.
Cleveland Browns Trade Back Up
The Browns were all over the top 10 making three different trades to in the first 10 pics. When the Raiders didn’t take Manziel they only had to worry about the Vikings before they would be able to pick their franchise quarterback, what happened next shocked EVERYONE! I was in the car on the way home from work when I heard them announce the pick. I was listening to listening to the draft on the radio when I heard the Browns traded up to eight from nine switching places with the Vikings. Everyone thought here it is, and with the eighth pick in the 2014 NFL Draft the Cleveland Browns select, Justin Gilbert? cornerback Oklahoma State? Even the guy on the radio screamed “What are they doing”?! That just didn’t make any sense to me, I know the Browns needed help at defensive back but not more than quarterback.
Cleveland Browns Finally Take Manziel
When I said the Browns were all over the first round I wasn’t playing. This time however they came to the rescue of the most exciting quarterback in the draft. They also saved the viewers from Rich Eisen talking about Manziel with every…...single…...pick. The Eagles were slotted to pick at 22 and yet again Eisen was trying to make a scenario where it would make sense for them to take Manziel. When all of a sudden Cleveland yes the Browns delivered us from evil and ended the when will Manziel be taken talk. They finally got their quarterback trading into the 22nd spot taking Johnny Football as their new franchise quarterback.
Vikings Save the Day, Take Teddy Bridgewater
After Manziel was off the board the focus turned to Bridgewater who was still on the board after some predicted him to go number one overall after the season ended. After the Cardinals didn’t take him at 27 the thought was that Bridgewater would have to wait until day two to find his football home. After the 31st pick with no trades I’m surprised Bridgewater hadn’t left the building, but when the word came down that the Seahawks traded the number 32 pick to the VIkings the thought was that it had to be a quarterback. By this time a trade was the last thing I expected especially since teams that still needed a quarterback drafted early on day two. But the Vikings traded their early second round pick and were able to pick up their franchise quarterback.
Bills Trade Stevie Johnson
Early on day two of the draft I found out that the Bills traded Stevie Johnson to the San Francisco 49ers. This surprised me because I thought that the whole idea of taking Watkins was to team him up with Johnson and C.J. Spiller. For a second, the Bills pick were starting to make sense, they now had three guys on their offense that could score from anywhere on the field. But trading Johnson came as a surprise because now your offense is back to where it was before you picked Watkins. One good reciever and a good running back playing with a young quarterback that hasn’t proved to be the franchise guy yet.