By PFW staff
April 26, 2008

After making a lot of NFL draft form sheets look right on the money initially, teams suddenly started wheeling and dealing like there was no tomorrow in the first round. The bedlam started when the Saints moved up the ladder three notches from the No. 10 spot in a trade with New England to select USC DT Sedrick Ellis. After that maneuver, first-round trades became an outright trend, right up to the Jets’ trade with the Packers for the 30th overall pick, which they used to select Purdue TE Dustin Keller. In the following PFW “Ask the Experts,” four editors offer their opinions on the shrewdest first-round deals consummated on a very busy Saturday.

PFW executive editor Dan Arkush:
Carolina’s obtaining Pittsburgh OT Jeff Otah at No. 19 from the Eagles in exchange for the Panthers’ second- and fourth-round picks this year and a first-rounder in 2009.
“In one fell swoop — well, maybe two, counting their excellent first overall pick — John Fox’s Panthers appear to have regained the smashmouth identity that was their trademark for so long. Yes, giving up a first-round pick next year for Otah is a bold stroke indeed. But once Otah starts opening holes with regularity at left tackle for Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart, who was drafted six spots earlier, and Carolina’s power running game starts clicking like the old days with Travelle Wharton probably moving inside, it will seem like a risk very much worth taking. Otah’s work ethic has been questioned by some evaluators, but he’s a load when he applies himself, which Fox and QB Jake Delhomme will make sure he does. Stewart, PFW’s top-ranked running back, alone would have been quite the first-round haul for Carolina. Stewart and Otah together provide the Panthers with a 1-2 punch that could be enough to make them the favorites in the NFC South.”

PFW senior editor Mike Wilkening:
Houston’s trade of the No. 18 pick to the Ravens for picks Nos. 26, 89 and 173.
“The general reaction after the Texans drafted Virginia Tech OT Duane Brown was, 'Who?' And, perhaps, Houston could have traded out of the No. 26 spot and still selected Brown, who might have been the most unlikely pick of the entire first round. But know this much about the Texans — they have been looking for a long-term solution at left tackle for much of this decade. They thought they found one in Charles Spencer, but he has missed two seasons with a knee injury. Assistant head coach and O-line expert Alex Gibbs likely played a major role in this pick. So I am inclined to give the Texans the benefit of the doubt, and especially in a first round where seven linemen were selected before Houston picked. Hey, someone else could have seen the same things the Texans see in Brown. Houston also garnered two extra draft picks in the deal — a third- and a sixth-rounder — and now has seven selections as of this writing. You may not agree with the Texans’ first-round pick, but at least give them credit for getting two extra picks in the process.”

WR Devin Thomas

PFW associate editor Dan Parr:
Philadelphia trading the 19th overall pick to the Panthers for picks Nos. 43 and 109 in this year’s draft and Carolina’s first-rounder in 2009.
“It would’ve been unlike Andy Reid to go anything but big on Draft Day. In a swap with the Panthers, the Eagles’ head coach was able to capitalize on Carolina’s urgency to improve dramatically. There was no player Reid believed he had to have when the Eagles were called to make the 19th overall choice, so he shipped it to the Panthers for multiple picks, including a 2009 first-rounder. Reid was able to nab two prospects with immediate-impact potential — DT Trevor Laws and WR DeSean Jackson — with his second-round picks and now he has the flexibility to be a major dealmaker again next year with two first-round choices.”