Yesterday, we quoted Michael Lombardi from the National Football Post as saying the Buffalo Bills were looking to go offensive tackle with their top selection in the draft. When I was re-reading Lombardi's Sunday column, two other snippets jumped out at me:
The Chiefs are trying, and I mean really trying, to move down. My sources tell me they’ll be willing to go down as far as 15 for the right deal because they feel they can find a player in that range.
If the Chiefs are so desperate to move down, they must be willing to give a discount for their selection. (And please rest assured that word "if" is squarely front and center.) This presents possibilities to both the pro-Jimmy Clausen and anti-Jimmy Clausen camps. If a team is trying to trade up past the Bills and Browns to select the Notre Dame QB, the Chiefs' willingness to move down could definitely be attractive to the Seahawks, 49ers, Jaguars and Raiders, who all may be looking for a quarterback and have draft picks in the Top 15. It also could mean the Bills could leapfrog Cleveland if they really want to draft Clausen, and with the Chiefs' eagerness, it may not cost an arm and a leg.
On the other hand, the Bills could also move up to take the last of the top three OTs if Detroit and Washington both take pass protectors. If the Bills see a huge drop-off between the top three and the rest of the crop, it may make sense for them to pull the trigger on a trade up for an OT, if that is their ultimate goal as Lombardi has said. The Raiders and Seahawks are both in the market for tackles as well.
I’m told the Browns are not going to pick a quarterback, that they’re going to draft defense with their first pick. In spite of Jon Gruden’s relationship with Mike Holmgren and his love of Clausen, the Browns are not going quarterback early.
The Browns traded for Seneca Wallace and signed free agent Jake Delhomme this off-season, but neither are the long-term answer by Lake Erie. It's certainly possible the Browns could add a QB at seven to compete with Delhomme and Wallace. If the Browns decide to pass on Clausen, as Lombardi is told, a team may be very enticed to trade ahead of Buffalo to Oakland if they want him. It could also mean Clausen falls to the Bills' selection at nine, presenting the second big decision in Buddy Nix's short tenure ruling the roost.