It’s that time of year when speculation abounds and second-guessing reigns supreme.
I like speculation and theory, and one of the most interesting ones I saw was a theoretically proposed trade of Matthew Stafford to the Dallas Cowboys. I don’t understand why that wouldn’t be a good idea for both teams. I don’t know why Amari Cooper leaves in the proposal in an article from Sports Illustrated, but that is what they had listed.
Stafford and Cooper in Dallas sound like a vitamin energy shot for that organization.
An entire league sort of expansion draft-like scenario. Even so, say Cooper heads elsewhere in this mysterious NFL movement while Stafford lands in Cowboy country. Dallas has the #10 pick, and Detroit has the #7 pick. There is high-level receiver talent right in that mix that could help boost both those teams offensive prowess.
So if Trevor Lawrence doesn’t enter the Draft because the lure of a college championship is far too enticing, then Zach Wilson goes to Jacksonville and Justin Fields goes to New York Jets.
After that, Atlanta has to decide whether Miami doesn’t take or one of those wide receivers like DaVonta Smith or Ja’Marr Chase or, I guess, even Kyle Pitts as a TE. That would give Matt Ryan some more targets to pass the ball or an offensive lineman to protect him or an inside linebacker on defense. Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Detroit could grab Smith or Chase or Pitts or Parsons or Sewell if they had somehow slipped that far. That leaves, perceivably, Pitts or Chase to Carolina, with Patrick Surtain going to the Broncos next, and sending Jaylen Waddle to Dallas.
Denver finished just ahead of only eleven teams defensively this year.
So, Surtain makes a lot of sense in a Denver uniform and leaves an offensive lineman and three defensemen for the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Chargers, and Minnesota Vikings to look through and decide.
Any Stafford to Dallas or Dak Prescott or Amari Cooper move–or even any of those other big names shuffling around the NFL rumor pool going off to new cities–would most certainly bring about some shifts to the aforementioned Draft speculation previously theorized above.
Those are the top ten picks speculated, and the next four generalized in the discussion.
